Do you want to replace your coffee bean roaster with a multifunctional tool that can also do other jobs? Well, you might be thinking that how can this be possible. Yeah, this is real, and the tool is “Heat Gun,” which is like a hairdryer having a large temperature range of 1000 C to 5500 C (200-1000 °F). [ In some models, you will find 7600 C!]. So, what are the uses of a heat gun? Ok, there are tons of uses, but in brief, you can use a heat gun for-
- Removing paint.
- Shrinking wrap packaging.
- Drying out damp wood.
- Defrosting frozen pipe.
And the list will go on.
So, let’s dive into the article and find out the most impressive uses, life hacks, and DIY guidelines of a heat gun.
Also Check: The best heat Gun lists!!!
1. Removing paint
What is the most common use of heat guns? The typical answer will be removing paint. And this application is so vast that the retailers and online shops often named this tool as paint stripper or paint remover.
A heat gun is an excellent alternative to chemicals used in stripping paint. Moreover, chemical paint stripper takes a lot of time and sometimes can not help to remove old paint perfectly from furniture or other intricate woodwork.
The heat gun will also save your time and remove the complexity of removing paint. And the best thing about it is, this an environmentally friendly tool.
You can buy a cordless heat gun if you want to remove exterior walls too.
2. Defrosting Frozen Pipe
It’s a typical case that the pipe is frozen in winter, especially outside the house. And sometimes the situation can be worse than you need to fix instantly. In this case, the easiest solution is using a heat gun. You need to warm the pipe slowly, setting the temperature low.
This process can take some time but risk-free. But do not try to do it speedily by rising temperature because this can damage the pipe. But you have a frozen plastic pipe; then it is better not to use a heat gun. Because heat gun may burn or damage the shape of plastic pipe. When you are thawing a frozen pipe with a heat gun, make sure that it is a metal pipe.
However, the heat gun is an excellent alternative if you can not reach out to any professional.
3. Drying Out damp wood
Damp wood is a suitable place for growing fungus, and damp wood is more likely to rot. So, you should remove the extra moisture. For this job, a heat gun can is the suitable one. You can dry out wet and damp wood with this single tool.
It is essential that if you want to paint on wood, the wood must be dry enough. And if you find that wood is wet, then you have to wait until it dries. No need to waste time! You need to adjust the temperature in a lower position and heat the damp portion slowly.
4. Removing Wallpaper
Do you ever think of using heat for removing old wallpaper? Hot air guns are a great alternative to corrosive fluids and steamer. Heat gun removes wallpaper by melting glue and adhesive paste.
Adjust heat gun in lowest temperature and slowly increase the temperature until the glue is melted. Here controlling temperature is a crucial point. You can use a digital heat gun to set temperature precisely.
However, removing wallpaper with a heat gun is a fantastic DIY project like paint stripping.
5. Roasting Coffee Beans
Roasting coffee beans with a heat gun is a great kitchen DIY project. You can bake your coffee beans at your desired level. Let’s begin to start roasting coffee beans.
Keep your coffee beans on a shallow metal pan. Set your heat gun’s temperature at a medium level. Move it over the beans in a circular motion- this will spread the heat. Stir the beans with a spoon (a wooden spoon will be the best) regularly. When you are stirring the beans, stop heating.
In the whole process, gradually increase the temperature until they got a beautiful dark brown color. Stop heating when you hear the first crack. But if you love to have a dark coffee, you can heat it for a couple of minutes more.
Safety measure- While roasting, wear oven gloves. And use a long-handled spoon for stirring.
6. Cooking Bacon
This seems cringy, but you can cook bacon with a heat gun. So, what to do?
Keep your bacon on a heat-resistant plate and move the heat gun around it at a medium temperature. Flip the bacon after sometimes for developing back and front.
When the bacon seems crispy, remove the heat gun, and now it is perfect for serving.
Safety measure- Do not use plastic or ceramic plate.
7. Removing Stickers and Labels
Stickers are great, and kids love to stick stickers. They sometimes attach them to the wrong places. And you begin to start remove them with your fingernail. You can remove the top layer- leaving the back portion. This is also true for detaching labels. So, what to do?
You can take the help of a heat gun. Apply hot air until the sticker is detached perfectly. But before applying hot air, consider the surface. Adjust temperature at a suitable position so that the hot air gun doesn’t burn or damage the surface.
Removing stickers or labels at low temperatures is perfect in most cases. So, you can use a dual temperature featured heat gun. This will keep safe your base materials.
8. Making candle from waste wax
Making a candle at home with a heat gun is undoubtedly a fantastic life hack. It will also save some money. So, how can you make a candle with a heat gun?
Take the waste candles and heat them. When the wax melts, pour it into a used candle jar. Add a wick to the melted wax. Give some time to become rigid. That’s all you have got a new candle!
Moreover, if you have accidentally dripped wax on the floor or your desk, this power tool can help you clean it perfectly. Just heat the wax with hot air. When the wax melts, use a cloth to clean the wax.
9. Replacing Rusted Nuts and Screws
Replacing or loosening bolts is one of the most straightforward works, isn’t it? But what about old rusted bolts? The situation can worsen when you can’t even use your wrench because there is a risk of breaking the bolt’s head. If it happens, then you have nothing to do except drilling.
You can make this work more accessible by applying hot air blow. Applying heat expands the metal and loses the bolt. And you can remove the old rusted bolt and replace it with a new one without any difficulties.
10. Removing Crayon from Wall
If you have kids at home, then you are very familiar with wall painting! They enjoy drawing on the wall, but you need to clean it.
Maybe you are thinking of using cleaner and elbow grease but now have a heat gun to remove crayon. Take your heat gun and apply hot air over the crayon. After that, remove them with a cloth. See how easy this is!
11. Crafting With a Heat gun
What is the most common use of heat guns in crafting? Obviously, the answer is powder embossing. You can make any 3-D design on paper or card. Apply the powder to the surface and gently warm it with hot air until the powder stick to the surface.
Here, another reason for using a heat gun for embossing is, heat gun creates a gentle stream and targeted heat that avoids blowing out the powder and prevents unnecessary heating.
12. Wrapping
Wrapping with a heat gun is another excellent use of power tools. To protect foods, books, and other things from dust, you need to wrap them. Your wrapping will be perfect when you shrink it.
Many people shrink wrapping with a hairdryer. But this is not an effective way for shrink wrapping because you need concentrated heat and sufficient power to seal the wrapping perfectly. So, for this purpose heat gun is the best alternative to the hairdryer. And for perfect and even heat distribution, use a fantail nozzle heat gun.
13. Bending Metal and PVC pipes
In many DIY projects, you need to bend PVC and metal pipes. As it is a DIY project, you want to do it by yourself. Here a heat gun will help you to bend pipe quickly and perfectly. You can not only bend the pipe but also give them your desired shape. Does the use of a heat gun limit to the only DIY project? No, you can use a heat gun for professional use also.
14. Giving furniture an antique Vibe
Having antique furniture in your home is an amazing thing, isn’t it? But they are too pricey. Wait, there is an alternative. You can make your wooden furniture like an antique one with a heat gun.
Move the heat gun over the furniture with a low-to-mid temperature setting. Just pay special attention to the direction of the grain of the wood.
You should keep the heat gun rotating to prevent scorching. And gently heat the furniture; you will get the perfect antique vibe on your wooden furniture.
15. Removing Linoleum, Floor Vinyl, and damaged floor
Removing old linoleum or floor vinyl without any crack is almost an impossible one. If you try once, you can understand the issues. And after removing, the most irritating thing is the adhesive below the floor vinyl/ linoleum. The adhesives still stick to the floor after removing floor vinyl.
So, how to solve the issue?
Here a heat gun can help you a lot. This power tool will help you remove old linoleum effortlessly and soften the adhesives/glues. Then you can clean the adhesives easily.
To Remove the floor vinyl, you need to increase the temperature gradually and keep moving the heat gun. And after removing floor vinyl, soften the adhesive and clean it before applying new vinyl.
16. Car Window Tinting
You want to block harmful UV rays. And also want to protect the interior decoration from fading. Then window tinting can be the best solution. You can use a heat gun, especially a heat gun for automotive.
You can finish tinting without any bubble inside the paper. And using a heat gun will also prevent the glass from being damaged.
[ check the article how to remove window tint with a heat gun for a special guide]
17. Cosplay Costume Making
When making a cosplay costume with EVA foam, we need to curve them. But after making the shape, it can not keep it. However, if we heat the foam with a heat gun, this can retain its shape perfectly. So, you need a heat gun for making a perfect shape with EVA foam.
Conclusion
This article is a glimpse of the uses of a heat gun. We can say this power tool is an all-rounder as there are a few tools with multiple functionalities, like a heat gun. In the article, we have mentioned some of its beautiful uses of it. We can also use it to defrost the freezer, clear foggy headlights, repair chips & electronics, soften or remove glues, and many more.
If you want, you can use a heat gun for some purposes, which one may never think about that. So, unleash your talent and start using this great power tool.