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Hey all, I am in need of a heat gun to soften up some glue to pull some stuff apart. I was also thinking that maybe at some point I could use it to make a side bending pipe with.

How hot does it need to be for these two applications? From searching the forums it seems somewhere in the 250-350 range for side bending? Harbor Freight has this one on sale, but almost 600 degrees at the lowest setting seems a bit much.

depends on the glue, and the thickness of the wood, between the heat source and the glue layer.

I use a domestic clothes iron to heat a fretboard and a steel ruler to sepatate it....

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e328/ ... ure825.jpg

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My mother would be proud of me if I ever unboxed my iron.

Most glues like hide and Titebond will soften around 135-150 degrees I believe. Don't know specifics on epoxy, but it would be a bit more maybe (I know this has been discussed here before, but I just can't remember what temp was mentioned). I build and fly rc model airplanes as a hobby also, and I just use a heat gun sold for the purpose of applying the plastic skin on planes to heat parts before applying hide glue or separate hide glue when necessary (I have a small iron also sold in rc stores for the same purpose that also can be used if the job requires). Don't know how hot it normally gets, but the label on the side indicates its max is around 400 degrees. Higher temps mean more risk of damage to finish, or, at really high temps, scorching the bare wood (never done it to a guitar, but balsa will scorch even with my heat gun if you try hard enough).

Can't help you with the heat gun bender. No experience with such a setup.

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Aaron Craig

Ok great info, looks like I need to be shopping for one that does a lot of lower temps as well.

These Grizzly guns have a nice range of temps. I have the more powerful one I'm very pleased for the price.

http://www.grizzly.com/products/Heat-Gun-1200-Watt/H0800

http://www.grizzly.com/products/Heat-Gun-1800-Watt/H0801

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Gene

Politicians and diapers must be changed often, and for the same reason- Mark Twain

I found a heat gun/sealing iron combo on Amazon from Hangar 9. I'd definitely look into it. Both tools are very suitable for working with glue and exhibit very high quality. The price, with shipping, was only about forty bucks.

I have a Wagner gun, which I've used to soften both Titebond original and epoxy. (With my great talent for making mistakes, taking joints apart is something I've had some experience with.) Just about any heat gun will work, I'd guess, or even a hair dryer if you take more time. There is no need to get a 155 degree heat gun to heat glue to 155 degrees. It's a matter of (simple) technique.

The important thing to understand is that the maximum temperature of the heat gun is not what's important, it's the temperature of the wood and the glue. You turn on the heat gun and play it back and forth over the fretboard, headplate, or whatever, trying to gradually warm the wood through to the glue joint without scorching the wood at the top. You can control the temperature of the wood by how far away you hold the heat gun and how often you hold it over each particular area. I suppose the stream of heated air coming out of the gun could be 300-600 degrees, but the wood heats gradually and doesn't need to get that hot.

If you're new at it, glue some scraps together and practice till you get the idea. It's not that hard--you just have to be patient.

As far as using it as the heat source for a side-bending pipe, I can't tell you much. Like a lot of folks, I use a cheap router speed control and an electric charcoal starter jammed into a pipe, and it works well. Not sure how you'd control a heat gun, and charcoal starters don't cost much.

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Tim Allen
"Never hurry, never rest."