While Heat Shrink Tubing is invaluable in wire insulation and repair, the product's variety of uses make it an essential part of any toolbox. For those who do their own home repairs as well as professionals who use their tools daily, heat shrink is a very useful product that should be used for the following purposes:
Hand Tool Grip Improvement and Protection
The best tool is the one that lasts forever. With heat shrink tubing, the most fragile part of most tools, the handle, can be protected and improved. Applying heat shrink over the handles of hammers, pliers, and other hand held equipment, makes them easier to grip. The surface of heat shrink provides more comfort than most tool grips, while also creating the friction needed to properly hold the tool. The added layer of heat shrink also protects the handle from wear and tear, extending its life.
Labelling Work Tools for Easy Identification
Worksites can quickly become overrun with equipment and using heat shrink to color code and label equipment is ideal for personal identification purposes. Heat shrink is available in multiple colors and can be easily marked with a permanent marker. Shrinkshop convenience packs contain small assortments of heat shrink in 1 to 6 pc packages, ideal for home use. If you have a lot of tools, Shrinkshop also offers small, medium, and bulk spools of heat shrink in a variety of colors. For those wanting to add printed text or a company logo to heat shrink, our custom cut & printed product is available in packages of 100 pieces.
Above, we have used a piece of 1/2" Diameter Shrink Tube to improve the feel and grip of the plier handles pictured. Heat Shrink is best applied using a hot air gun, but a standard range can be used if no hot air gun is available. Using the maximum setting on the range will provide enough heat to shrink the tubing within a few seconds.
The hammer pictured on the right was fitted with a 2" Diameter piece of heat shrink that shrinks at a 2:1 ratio, creating a tight grip around the handle. A 1.5" piece would also have fitted properly and would work best on smaller hammers. The degree of shrinkage depends on the type of heat shrink used. The most common pieces sold at Shrinkshop shrink at 2:1 or 3:1 ratios. Our Thermafix Plus® tubing, designed to meet automotive industry requirements for environmental sealing, shrinks at a 4:1 ratio.
If you have any questions on Heat Shrink Tubing or its uses, including our custom cut and printed heat shrink, please contact us. We'll be happy provide guidance on the best heat shrink tubing options to fit your needs.