Steinel_ABC_100_Tips_&_Tricks

Hot Air Gun 

100 tips & tricks 

German Quality

Hot Air for Professionals and DIYers 

Contents 

Hot air guns have long since 

become indispensable helpers 

around the home and garden, 

both for DIY and professional 

use. Their uses range from painting 

and decorating to technical 

medicine, from sport to electrical 

wiring. There's hardly any other 

power tool that's as versatile as 

the hot air gun. And keen users 

are discovering new applications 

all the time. 

This second and fully revised edition 

of the hot air gun application 

leaflet provides a comprehensive 

insight into the virtually unlimited 

uses of our hot air guns. It also 

tells you everything you need to 

know about handling the versatile 

heat tool properly. We are 

certain that after reading this 

booklet you'll think of other uses 

too. 

Please understand that we are 

unable to guarantee the complete 

success of all the tips given 

here as they are often based on 

experience from avid DIYers and 

committed professionals. 

Therefore, before attempting any 

job, try out the hot air gun on a 

piece of leftover material first. 

Decorating 

e.g. stripping paint 

Electrical work 

e.g. shrinking cables 

Around the home 

e.g. lighting barbecues 

Sport 

e.g. correcting the fit of 

inline skates 

Modern hot air guns 

Features of a first-class tool 4 

Hot air system accessories 

The right accessory 

for any application 6 

This is how it's done 

General tips 8 

Paint stripping 8 

Shrinking cables 9 

Soldering 9 

Desoldering 10 

Shaping 10 

Fit adjustment 11 

Overlap welding 11 

Hot tool welding 12 

Welding plastic 12 

We hope you enjoy reading this 

guide and wish you every success 

working with hot air. 

Trades 

e.g. hot tool welding 

Recycling 

e.g. desoldering 

circuit boards 

Summary of plastic types 13 

Applications 

100 jobs and more 14 

Automotive 

Technical medicine 

e.g. repairing bumpers 

e.g. fitting shoe inlays 

3

Modern hot air guns 

A wide range of different applications 

has made the hot air gun one of the 

most popular tools among DIY enthusiasts 

and professional users in 

recent years. With the latest generation, 

STEINEL presents new, highperformance 

hot air guns. Here are 

some of the features that distinguish 

a first-class tool. 

Detachable 

guard sleeve 

Air intake 

mesh filter 

LCD display 

CE mark 

The CE mark guarantees that 

products conform to the relevant 

safety regulations, at both 

national and European level. 

VDE mark 

Stainless 

steel 

delivery 

nozzle 

INOX 

2000 W 

50 – 630 °C 

150/300/500 l/min. 

Soft grip 

handle for 

comfortable 

operation 

Button for 

continuously 

adjustable 

temperature 

3-stage 

airflow 

adjustment 

The VDE mark is registered in 

30 countries as the VDE 

Institute's symbol of product 

certification and is awarded 

on the basis of international 

provisions. 

Interference suppression 

symbol 

The interference suppression 

symbol confirms that the tested 

and approved product does not 

interfere with the frequency 

range in which radio and television 

are broadcast. 

Safety class II 

Tools carrying this mark are 

protected by double insulation. 

This means that the operator 

is protected from electric shock 

in the event of simple faults. 

4 

For hand-held and self-resting use 

Heavy-duty 

rubbersheathed 

power cord 

Non-slip soft 

stand 

5 

5

Hot Air System Accessories ... 

... for non-electronic tools and electronically controlled 

hot air guns 

... only for electronic tools 

Large reflector nozzle 

For forming and shrink-fitting 

with large diameters. 

Surface nozzle 50 mm 

Spreads air over smaller areas, 

e.g. for waxing skis. 

Heat reflector nozzle 80 mm 

for butt-welding HT plastic 

piping, cable ducts, plastic 

rods etc. Fits on a 14 mm 

reduction nozzle. 

Reduction nozzle 9 mm 

Pinpoint source of hot air for 

desoldering and PVC welding. 

Window nozzle 75 mm 

With deflector to protect e.g. 

panes of glass from overheating. 

Feed roller 

For edgebands and welding 

PVC sheets. 

Wide slit nozzle 

For welding plastic sheeting. 

Fits on a 14 mm reduction 

nozzle. 


Pinpoint source of hot air for 

desoldering and PVC welding. 

Surface nozzle 75 mm 

Distributes the air over a wide 

area for drying, paint-stripping 

etc. 

Paint scraper set 

Complete paint-stripping set. 

Contains replacement blades, 

replacement scraper handle 

and paint scraper. 

Slit nozzle 

For welding plastic sheeting. 

Fits on a 9 mm reduction nozzle. 


For a focused jet of heat, 

e.g. for edgebands. 

Reflector nozzle 

For soldering pipes and fitting 

heat shrink sleeves. 

Heat shrink sleeve 

For shrinking onto cable terminals, 

breaks or looms, 

4.8-9.5 mm 

Welding shoe 

For working with plastic welding 

rod of up to 6 mm diameter. Fits 

on a 9 mm reduction nozzle. 

Plastic welding wire 

For securely welding plastics 

such as LDPE, rigid PVC, HDPE, 

PP, ABS, plasticized PVC 

Window nozzle 50 mm 

Deflects to protect overheating 

in narrow spots. 


For shrinking onto cable terminals, 

breaks or looms, 

1.6-4.8 mm 

Soldering reflector nozzle 

For soldering and shrink-fitting 

soldering sleeves and heat shrink 

sleeves. 

6 

7


The pages that follow explain a number 

of basic processes. The various tips and 

tricks that are given are not only of interest 

to professionals. To make sure that 

working with hot air is a pleasure from 

the word go, please also pay attention to 

the following safety warnings. 

For your safety 

Fresh air 

is important when working with hot air. 

Softening up paint may release solvents, 

formaldehyde may be given off when 

disinfecting animal pens made of chipboard, 

soldering produces vapours from 

the additives used, and vapours are also 

generated when welding plastic. This is 

why you should always work outdoors or 

with the window open if work has to be 

done in small rooms. If a sufficient quantity 

of fresh air can be guaranteed at the place 

where you are working, health hazards can 

virtually be ruled out. 

Working in the presence of water 

with electrical power tools is dangerous. 

When using a hot air gun, make sure that 

air humidity is not too high. Never work 

above uncovered water. 

Testing 

is the magic word when it comes experimenting 

with hot air. Therefore always 

carry out a trial run first before attempting 

any new application. Check the flow rate, 

temperature and compatibility of the hot 

air with the material you intend working on. 

Hair drying 

is highly dangerous with hot air. Air heated 

to over 100°C damages hair and injures 

skin. 

500 - 650°C 

Paint stripping 

Virtually all oil and solvent-based 

paints and lacquers can be stripped 

cleanly from wood using hot air 

(500-650 °C). 

Paint is softened with a hot air gun 

held at a distance of approx. 2 m from 

the surface and immediately scraped 

off with a filling knife or paint scraper. 

Attaching a surface nozzle to the hot 

air gun facilitates this process on large 

area surfaces. On heat sensitive materials, 

such as window glass, it is recommended 

to use a window nozzle to 

deflect the hot air. Any paint still left on 

in corners is removed with a brass wire 

brush. The wood must be lightly sanded 

before applying any treatment. 

Wear work gloves, and if necessary 

also goggles, to protect yourself from 

falling paint scrapings. 

Shrinking cables 

In electrical engineering and electronics, 

cable ends, cable harnesses, soldered 

joints or terminal blocks are 

often protected by a plastic sheath. 

This is done by sliding a heat shrink 

sleeve of the appropriate diameter 

over the connection concerned and 

then shrinking it on using hot air 

(approx. 250 - 300 °C) and a reflector 

nozzle. The sleeve reduces in diameter 

by as much as half, tightly hugging the 

joint you want to protect. Heat shrink 

sleeves with integrated solder ring or 

crimp connection are also available to 

ensure that a reliable electrical connection 

is made. PVC heat shrink sleeves 

can also be shrunk onto handles, 

stands, grips, garden posts, etc., using 

the same principle. 

250 - 300°C 650°C 

Soldering 

Hot air is suitable for soft soldering. 

First, you clean and degrease the point 

you want to solder and then heat it at 

full power (650 °C). This takes between 

50 and 120 seconds depending on 

material, thickness and size. Once the 

workpiece has reached a temperature 

of about 300 °C you offer up the solder. 

The solder must not be melted by 

the hot air itself but by the temperature 

of the workpiece. When soldering without 

flux, apply a solder cream, paste 

or soldering fluid to the soldering point 

before heating. These substances 

must be washed off with warm water 

after the soldered joint has cooled 

down (to prevent the risk of corrosion). 

Spot-soldering should be performed 

with reduction nozzles, pipe soldering 

with reflector nozzles. 

8 

9


Desoldering 

Hot air can also be used to undo soldered 

joints, e.g. copper pipes, at 

600 °C. Attach a reduction nozzle and 

heat the soldered joint. After approx. 

90 seconds loosen the copper pipe 

with a pipe wrench. Don't touch the 

pipe, as you might burn yourself! 

Hot air (approx. 400 °C) can also be 

used to desolder electronic components 

from damaged circuit boards. 

Concentrate the hot air on the solder 

joint and remove the component with 

a special pair of pliers once the solder 

melts. 

600 /400°C 250 - 500°C 

Shaping 

Hot air can be used for shaping plastic 

sheet, pipe and rod without leaving 

burn marks. 

Floor tiles are heated at the relevant 

part using a surface nozzle attachment 

(hot air approx. 200 °C). Plastic sheet 

for making containers and items of 

decoration are worked at 250 – 500 °C 

depending on material type. Folded 

edges are created by heating the 

workpiece with a surface nozzle. Then 

they can be bent with ease, e.g. over 

the edge of a table. Pipe and rod is 

evenly heated all the way round using 

a reflector nozzle (approx. 250 – 400 °C), 

shaped or bent and held in the chosen 

position until it cools down. A coil or 

sand filling prevents pipe from kinking. 

Fit adjustment 

Hot air can be used to give plasticshell 

type function shoes the best 

possible ergonomic fit. For instance, 

the fit of customised inline skate boots 

is corrected by applying heat from the 

hot air gun and adjusting their shape 

with a special tool. Similarly, pressure 

points can be eliminated in plastic 

shoes, or inlays can be made to fit. 

In most cases this is best achieved 

using the surface nozzle. The temperature 

selected should not be too high 

(about 200 - 400 °C) since shoes are 

often made of a combination of materials 

with differing degrees of heat resistance. 

200 - 400°C 300 - 400°C 

Overlap welding 

Plastic tarpaulins and coated textiles 

can be reliably welded using hot air. 

This is done by pulling the tarpaulin 

or sheeting taut. The second section 

– also slightly tensioned – is now overlapped 

over the first section by approx. 

2-4 cm. Using a slit nozzle, hot air 

(approx. 300 – 400 °C) is then blown 

between the overlap. The material 

turns soft within a matter of seconds 

and is firmly pressed together with a 

feed roller. And this is how you test 

your work: tear the welded seam apart 

with force at one end or on a sample 

piece. If stress whitening occurs in the 

material, the seam is satisfactory. 

Otherwise, temperature or roller pressure 

needs to be increased. 

10 

11


Plastic types: 

Material Application types Distinguishing characteristics 

Rigid PVC 

Piping, fittings, boards, building 

profiles, technical moulded 

components, etc. 

Welding temperature 300 °C 

Incineration test: carbonises in the 

flame and extinguishes on its own 

Smoke odour: pungent, of 

hydrochloric acid 

Falling test: crashing 

300°C 

250 - 400°C 

Plasticized 

PVC 

Floor coverings, wallpapers, 

hoses, sheets, tools, etc. 


Incineration test: smoking, 

yellowish-green flame 

Smoke odour: pungent, of 

hydrochloric acid 

Falling test: silent 

Hot tool welding 

If you want to butt-weld two identical 

workpieces (pipes, rods, sheet strips), 

it is recommended to use the hot tool 

welding process. This is done by 

attaching the heat reflector to the 

hot air gun and heating it up. Once 

it reaches a temperature of approx. 

300 °C, run the workpieces across 

the heated tool, applying slight pressure 

from both sides. The non-stick 

coating ensures that the workpieces 

do not stick to the hot tool. As soon 

as the plastic material becomes 

"doughy", pull the workpieces away 

from the hot tool and firmly press the 

ends together for about 15 seconds. 

An absolutely leakproof and strong 

bond is ensured after the material 

cools down. In this case too, only ever 

join identical materials. 

Welding plastic 

As the materials being welded must 

always be the same, the type of plastic 

must be identified before welding the 

two parts together (see table for distinguishing 

characteristics). Now select 

welding rod of the appropriate material. 

Clamp workpieces in position. 

Clean, degrease and, if necessary, 

chamfer the seam. Now heat the seam 

with hot air (approx. 250 - 400 °C) and 

offer up the welding rod via welding 

shoe (welding cord) or welding nozzle 

(welding rod). For a strong weld, the 

workpiece and welding rod must turn 

to a "doughy" consistency. The seam 

can be tested using the same procedure 

that is applied for overlap welding: 

the tearing test must produce stress 

whitening. 

Plasticized 

PE 

(LDPE) 

Polyethylene 

Hard PE 

(HDPE) 

Polyethylene 

PP 

polypropylene 

Domestic and electronic 

items, toys, bottles etc. 


Baths, baskets, canisters, 

insulating materials, piping, 

cellar shafts, transport containers, 

waste bins, etc. 


HT drainpipes, chair seat 

shells, packaging, car components, 

equipment housings, 

technical mouldings, battery 

boxes, etc. 


Incineration test: light, yellow 

flame, drops continue to burn 

Smoke odour: resembles an 

extinguished candle 

Falling test: dull 

Incineration test: light, yellow 

flame, drops continue to burn 

Smoke odour: resembles an 

extinguished candle 


Incineration test: light flame with a 

blue core, drops continue to burn 

Smoke odour: pungent odour of 

paraffin 


ABS 

Car components, equipment 

housings, suitcases 


Incineration test: black, fluffy 

smoke 

Smoke odour: sweetish 


12 

13

Hot Air Gun Applications 

Flame cleaning 

Defrosting 

Antidrum matting 

as a method for removing old 

paint and lacquer used to be a 

problem - until today: the naked 

flame is dangerous and can 

scorch the wood as well as 

other materials close by. Now, 

hot air simply softens up the 

paint which is then completely 

removed with a filling knife or 

paint scraper. Specially shaped 

scraper blades are available for 

corners and mouldings (see 

accessories). Once the paint 

has been removed, you should 

finely sand down the surfaces 

before re-coating. 

(Also refer to notes on p. 8 

"Paint stripping") 

Detaching 

chest freezers and freezer 

cabinets is done in a jiffy with 

a hot air gun. Make sure 

though that the hot air does 

not deform the plastic lining 

material. 

Activating 

adhesives with hot air is always 

an advantage when you want 

to stick or unstick large areas. 

When using hot melt adhesives, 

the hot air prolongs the 

glue's "open" time, ensuring a 

good bond over large areas. 

Feed rollers 

are essential for welding certain 

plastics. The heavy feed roller 

from STEINEL's range of 

accessories is ideal for edgebanding 

and for overlap-welding 

plastic tarpaulins. 

not only ensures that sleeping 

children are not woken in the 

back of cars, but is also a 

sensible investment for highmileage 

drivers. The enginenoise 

suppressing material is 

stiff and difficult to lay, particularly 

when it's cold. Hot air 

makes antidrum matting supple 

in next to no time, taking all the 

effort out of moulding it around 

bends and into corners. 

Igniting 

charcoal with chemicals of any 

kind is a laborious process, not 

particularly healthy and often 

highly dangerous. Any hot air 

gun does the job safely in just a 

few minutes and with no effect 

on taste. 

Stickers 

Shrinking 

garden hoses onto couplers or 

PVC piping ensures a reliable 

fit and a good connection. 

Simply heat the hose or pipe 

end with hot air and push it on. 

After putting the cork back 

into a wine bottle, slip over a 

plastic sheath and shrink it 

onto the neck of the bottle with 

a hot air gun. 

In rowing, hot air provides a 

particularly easy means of 

shrinking sleeves onto skull 

oars. 

Thawing 

water pipes, icy steps or frozen 

car door locks takes next to no 

time with hot air. The advantage: 

the material underneath 

doesn't scorch, the hot air 

turns the ice into water which 

dries, thereby preventing it 

from re-freezing. 

Car mats 

are magnets for road grime and 

dirt which means they often 

have to be cleaned with water. 

When it comes to drying them, 

the hot air gun quickly banishes 

every last bit of moisture. 

Filler paste 

is extremely slow to dry when it 

has to be applied in very thick 

quantities. Hot air accelerates 

the drying process significantly. 

Be sure, however, not to use 

hot air too intensely, as the 

paste will dry too quickly and 

might crack at the surface. 

Meringue 

Yes, you are reading correctly - 

because a Berlin housewife 

uses a hot air gun in the 

kitchen. The hot air makes the 

meringue turn crisp and also 

gives it that typical "brown“ 

finish. 

Staining 

Exposed to hot air, untreated 

timber takes on a rustic colour. 

window-colour artwork with a 

hot air gun is quick and easy, 

leaving nothing sticking to the 

window pane. 

e.g. on cars (spray-baked paint 

only) or packages can be 

removed without a trace using 

hot air. 

14 

15


Bending 

Bitumen 

Drying 

wood, plastic or even copper 

can be done with hot air. 

Model-making, in particular, 

often involves bending wood 

into a specific shape. This is 

done by soaking the wood, 

bending it while wet and, if necessary, 

clamping it in position. 

It is then dried with hot air. 

Hot air makes plastic piping 

or sheeting supple, allowing 

you to shape it in any way you 

want. 

Copper can also be bent after 

persistent heating. Please 

remember that metal is a good 

conductor, so take precautions 

not to burn yourself. 

(Also refer to the notes on p. 10 

"Shaping") 

Spectacles 

often need to be adjusted to 

the shape of a person's head. 

Conventional Ventilette frame 

heaters are too small for large 

spectacle frames, preventing 

any uniform heating from taking 

place. This problem is quickly 

overcome with a hot air gun 

set up as a Bunsen burner and 

fitted with a reflector nozzle 

attachment. 

Hot air can be used to weld 

spectacle arms back together 

again (Hot tool welding, 

see p. 12). 

in sheet or liquid form is often 

used for roof repairs. Applying 

hot air, this material quickly 

turns into a fluid state enabling 

it to penetrate joints and cracks 

with ease. 

Chemistry 

STEINEL hot air guns are 

specially designed for standing 

upright without the need for a 

separate stand. This makes 

them ideal for use, say, as 

Bunsen burners in chemistry 

where infinitely variable temperature 

regulation provides 

optimum control of process 

heat. 

Roof repairs 

on flat roofs are always on the 

agenda. Cracks and holes in 

standard bitumen roofing felt 

can be filled quickly and easily 

using bitumen compound and 

hot air. Sections of bitumen 

sheeting can be joined together 

with good results by overlap 

welding (see p. 11). 

Soldering gutters 

is not a problem with the highperformance 

electronic hot air 

guns from STEINEL. Using a 

reduction nozzle attachment, 

the seam is heated until it gets 

so hot that the soldering tin 

melts on it. Don't forget to thoroughly 

clean and degrease the 

solder joint first! 

(See p. 9) 

Disinfecting 

pot plant soil, bird cages and 

other animal enclosures can 

be done safely, simply and 

non-toxically using hot air. A 

temperature of approx. 500 °C 

kills most bacteria and germs. 

Wood ticks and woodworm 

don't stand a chance at these 

temperatures either. Make sure 

you don't get too close to combustible 

and heat-sensitive 

materials! 

The hardening process for 

compounds, paints and fillers 

can sometimes be accelerated 

by blowing hot air onto the surface 

concerned. Use the minimum 

temperature setting 

(approx. 50 °C) and maximum 

air delivery rate. As the hot air 

causes solvent to evaporate, 

take particular care to provide 

good ventilation (open windows 

or work outdoors). 

Nozzles 

permit optimum control of the 

flow of hot air. For perfect 

results, it is important to select 

the right nozzle for the job you 

are doing. Reduction nozzles 

concentrate the heat onto small 

areas, surface nozzles distribute 

heat over wide areas. 

Reflector nozzles provide an 

even distribution of heat, e.g. 

around pipes, or keep the heat 

away from sensitive materials 

(window nozzle). Plastic is 

welded using the heat reflector, 

welding shoe or welding nozzle. 

Shrink wrapping 

Packagings, parcels or small 

parts can be provided with 

effective support and stability 

by wrapping plastic film around 

them. This is done using special 

plastic hoods or bags that 

are placed over the packaging 

and then shrunk on using hot 

air. 

(See p. 9, "Shrinking cables") 

Enamelling 

Copper moulds and vessels 

can be transformed into attractive 

objects using enamelling 

powder and hot air. This is 

done by heating the substrate 

material with the hot air gun 

and then distributing the enamelling 

power over it. Targeting 

the hot air will produce a good 

colour finish. 

16 

17


Vehicle lettering 

Windows 

Removing 

Hot air is the ideal helper for 

removing glued-on coverings, 

building materials, etc. 

Bits of floor covering still 

sticking to the floor can be 

scraped off effortlessly after 

they are heated up with a hot 

air gun. Attach a surface nozzle 

and direct the hot air between 

covering and floor base surface. 

Joint-sealing materials are 

also easy to remove with the 

help of hot air. 

also refer to ➛ Detaching, 

➛ Stickers, ➛ Candle wax 

and ➛ Synthetic plaster 

Desoldering 

electronic components from 

faulty circuit boards is possible 

with a targeted flow of hot air. 

Use a reduction nozzle and 

clamp the circuit board in a 

vice. After heating the solder 

point (to approx. 280 °C) you 

can remove the components 

with a pair of pincers. As high 

temperatures irreparably damage 

semiconductors, it is only 

recommended to use hot air on 

defective circuit boards. 

To unsolder copper 

pipes, it is best to 

use a reflector nozzle. 

Dewaxing 

Hot air can be used for dewaxing 

skis and snowboards. 

It produces optimum results 

and doesn't damage the running 

surface. 

also refer to 

➛ Candleholders 

➛ Candle wax 

Heating 

Many materials are easier to 

shape after warming them than 

when they are cold. For 

instance, a hot air gun quickly 

heats up shoe inlays which can 

then be tailored exactly to the 

shape of the foot or shoe. 

The hot air gun is a useful tool 

for applying and removing lettering 

film, e.g. on vehicles. 

Excellent adhesion to the base 

surface is achieved by heating 

the adhesive backing. When it's 

time to remove the lettering, 

the hot air softens the adhesive 

backing and the lettering peels 

off with ease. 

Paint stripping 

"Thermal stripping" is one of 

the most environmentally 

friendly and health-conscious 

methods of removing old coats 

of paint. Section by section, the 

paint is heated using a surface 

nozzle and can then be lifted 

off with a paint scraper. The 

temperature or duration of 

heating must be selected so 

as not to scorch the paint as 

this might release hazardous 

vapours. 

Paint scrapers 

should always be at hand when 

old paint or lacquer is removed 

with heat. Interchangeable, 

shaped blades can be used for 

removing all traces of paint 

from every last nook and 

cranny. The extra-long handles 

or the scrapers and knives 

featured in the STEINEL range 

of accessories protect your 

hands from getting burned. 

The steel used for the blades 

is specially hardened. 

take a lot of wear and tear. 

When the paint on timberframed 

windows starts to crack 

or even flake off, it's time to 

strip them down completely. 

The hot air gun is the 

perfect choice for this 

work too. However, to protect 

the window panes you 

should use a window nozzle. 

It keeps the hot air away from 

the window pane. 

Moisture 

often causes machinery and 

equipment to break down. 

Damp spark plugs and moisture 

in the electrical system 

regularly lead to starting problems. 

A strong blast of hot air 

from the heat gun soon gets 

the car or motorcycle back on 

the road again. 

18 

19


Tile adhesive 

Fossils 

Resin secretion 

is a stubborn contender and 

difficult to get off most surfaces. 

All the more annoying if 

it makes the tool unusable or if 

you want to re-use a tile. The 

hot air gun comes to the rescue 

in both cases. Heat activates 

the adhesive which can then be 

removed with a scraper and 

cloth. 

Joining sheeting 

Ponds are good for the soul 

and for the environment. The 

most common way of creating 

a pond is to dig out a hole and 

then line it with plastic sheeting. 

This often involves welding 

together two or more lengths of 

sheeting – not a problem with 

the heat gun. Using a slit nozzle, 

hot air is directed between 

the overlap and the softened 

edges of both liner sections are 

firmly pressed together with the 

feed roller. (also see p. 11: 

"Overlap welding") 

can, on closer inspection, 

be found at virtually any time 

when you are out rambling or 

climbing. After careful cleaning, 

these relics from prehistoric 

times can be dried quickly and 

gently with hot air. 

Floor tiles 

of the plastic type, are very 

difficult to bend at low temperatures. 

They break easily when 

you try to fit them around stairways 

or into corners. This is 

where the hot air gun comes in. 

It makes them supple and 

formable. 

Joints and seams can be 

welded together with a plasticised 

PVC welding rod (accessory). 

For this purpose, use a 

welding nozzle. 

Glazing 

is often a laborious job if it 

involves the removal of old 

putty first. If you heat the putty 

rebate with hot air when you 

are renewing old glazing, the 

putty can be cleaned off without 

a trace using a scraper or 

putty knife. Use a window 

nozzle. 

When fitting new panes, the 

hot air gun helps to dry damp 

window frames quickly. This is 

the only way of ensuring that 

the putty reliably sticks in the 

rebate. 

Smoothing 

Self-adhesive film, such as the 

type used in PVC stickers or for 

covering books, can be applied 

quickly and bubble-free using 

hot air. In the case of rigid PVC, 

the film can be smoothed out 

with a filling knife or cloth. 

on wooden panels or 

other timber can be 

heated with hot air 

and removed with a 

filling knife or paper. 

Hot polishing 

is the easiest form of waxing 

rustic furniture. The wax is 

turned to liquid with hot air so 

that it can be rubbed quickly 

and evenly into the pores. 

HT pipes 

for gutters or drains are often 

difficult or impossible to get 

apart. This is where hot air 

treatment comes in useful: If 

you heat the connections, the 

hardened lubrication paste 

becomes soft and the parts 

can be pulled apart with ease. 

PVC pipes up to a maximum of 

80 mm in diameter can also be 

butt welded with the hot tool 

attachment (see p. 12, ”Hot 

tool welding”). 

Industry 

Hot air guns are 

also used for a wide range of 

purposes in 

industry. Designed specifically 

for the tough conditions of continuous 

duty, the professional 

hot air guns from STEINEL do a 

great job in drying, pre-heating 

and liquefying. 

Inline skate boots 

should fit well without pinching 

so that skating over long distances 

doesn't end in agony. 

Heating and plumbing 

installations 

Hot air guns are a great help 

in heating systems and in 

plumbing. In addition to soldering 

copper pipes (see page 9, 

"Soldering"), they come in particularly 

useful for minor repair 

work. 

In laying PU pipes, hot air 

can be used to make stiff, cold 

pipes supple for push-fit connections 

or for installing in 

underfloor heating systems. 

Instruments 

from the field of veterinary 

medicine can be sterilised 

quickly and on the spot using 

hot air (600 °C) e.g. for treating 

animal claws. Applied carefully, 

hot air can also be used for 

treating claw and hoof infection 

without harming the animal. 

20 

21


Seasons 

don't play a part in the many 

different uses for a hot air gun: 

removing paint from windows in 

spring, lighting charcoal on barbecues 

in summer, taking off 

paint in autumn, de-icing locks 

and steps in winter, etc. The list 

of possible applications goes 

on and on. 

Re-positioning 

workpieces while sticking them 

together is a problem particularly 

where hot melt adhesives 

and large surfaces are concerned. 

Hot air can be used to 

prolong the glue's "open time" 

significantly, thereby providing 

the opportunity to achieve that 

perfect fit. 

Stripping cables 

Before recycling or disposing of 

cables, the plastic sheathing 

should be removed completely. 

The easiest way of doing this is 

to heat the sheathing with hot 

air. It can then be removed with 

effortless ease using a stripping 

knife. 

Shrinking cables 

Repairs and joints in electric 

cables can be protected easily 

and reliably with heat shrink 

sleeves. These special plastic 

sleeves come in a variety of 

diameters. Select a sleeve of 

the appropriate diameter, slip 

it over the parts you want to 

protect and shrink it on using 

hot air, preferably with a reflector 

nozzle. Heat shrink sleeves 

are also available with an adhesive 

coating on the inside for 

watertight connections. 

(also see p. 9 and ➛ Solder 

sleeves) 

Bodywork 

The hot air gun is also a excellent 

helper when it comes to 

making repairs to bodywork: 

When carrying out panel 

repairs with solder sticks, 

first heat the metal at the 

place you are repairing and 

then melt the sticks with the 

aid of hot air. 

If fibreglass matting is used 

for repairs, hot air quickly dries 

the filler paste. 

Candles 

soon lose their shape or break 

in two. In both cases hot air 

can be used to return them to 

their former glory. Wilting candles 

are placed on aluminium 

foil and heated. They can then 

be straightened up with ease. 

With broken candles, heat the 

break and then join the two 

parts back together again. 

Candleholders 

can be cleaned of wax in a 

very short space of time with 

the aid of hot air. 

Candle wax 

is no trouble to remove from 

tables, floor boards, tiles. etc. 

if you use a hot air gun. Be 

sure not to overheat the base 

surface! 

Gluing 

Hot melt adhesive is among the 

most universal of glues. 

Unfortunately it is difficult to 

use on large areas because it 

cools down even while it is 

being applied, losing its power 

of adhesion. If you use hot air 

to keep the glue fluid once it 

has been applied, its ➛ Open 

time is virtually unlimited. This 

means it can be used for gluing 

large areas, giving you the 

opportunity to make subsequent 

positioning adjustments. 

Bonded joints 

can be opened up quickly and 

cleanly with hot air. Whether 

removing decorative film from 

doors, edgebanding from cabinets 

or PVC from floors, the 

job's done in next to no time 

with a hot air gun fitted with 

surface nozzle attachment. 

Facing brick slips 

made of thermoplastic material 

are a popular choice for finishing 

exterior or interior walls. 

Only a few millimetres thick, 

the slips are bonded to the 

base surface and simply bent 

around corners where applicable. 

To prevent the slips from 

breaking when you bend and 

shape them, it is recommended 

to heat them with hot air first. 

Hot air can be used for repairing 

cracks or fractures in facing 

brick slips. 

Boot lids 

and car doors are often impossible 

to open when the temperature 

drops below zero. In 

most cases, the only solution 

is a carefully metered flow of 

hot air from the heat gun - 

particularly when it's not only 

the lock that's frozen but when 

the door has frozen to the rubber 

seal as well. 

Synthetic glass 

made of polystyrene or acrylic 

is often used for shower partitions, 

banisters, greenhouses, 

furniture, decorative objects, 

etc. The materials concerned 

are thermoplastics that exhibit 

good shaping and bending 

properties when heated. The 

workpiece is evenly heated for 

20 – 40 seconds on both sides 

using a hot air gun fitted with a 

surface nozzle attachment. It is 

then easily bent over the edge 

of a table or similar surface to 

achieve the desired shape. 

Plastic handrail 

cover mouldings 

on stair banisters can be 

heated with hot air and then 

removed with ease. When fitting 

handrail cover mouldings, 

it is best to use a surface 

nozzle for heating the plastic 

material from below. The 

handrail moulding is pressed 

on with a soft cloth. 

22 

23


Soldered joints 

Modelling 

Open time 

Polishing 

Synthetic plaster 

on exterior and interior walls 

can normally only be removed 

with a hammer and chisel. This 

job can be done far more satisfactorily 

with the hot air gun. 

Once heated, the synthetic 

plaster turns soft in the same 

way as paint does, and can be 

removed with a filling knife. 

Soldering 

The hot air gun can be used for 

soft-soldering. 

(also see page 9: "Soldering") 

Solder sleeves 

and heat shrink connectors are 

frequently used in electrical 

engineering to produce reliable 

cable connections. The solder 

sleeve is a heat shrink sleeve 

that contains a measure of 

solder and pushes over the 

cable end. Applying heat from 

a hot air gun, the conductors 

(or twisted conductors) are 

soldered together and the 

plastic sleeve is shrunk on all 

in one go. 

With heat shrink connectors, 

first crimp the connecting 

element integrated in the heat 

shrink sleeve and then shrink 

on the sleeve with hot air. 

(➛ Shrinking cables) 

can be opened up with hot air. 

The soldered connection is 

heated to melting point. 

A reflector nozzle should be 

used on pipes. 

Painting and 

decorating 

Hot air facilitates or speeds up 

many painting and decorating 

jobs. Thermal paint stripping 

(➛ Paint stripping) and drying, 

e.g. paint colour samples, in 

particular make the hot air gun 

an indispensable tool in this 

field of work. 

Model-makers 

use hot air guns for bending 

wood (➛ Bending) or for 

covering model aircraft wings. 

With a hot air gun, you can let 

your imagination run free! For 

instance, thermoplastic materials 

(polystyrene, acrylic glass) 

can be shaped into attractive 

objects by laying them over 

any chosen item and heating 

them with hot air. 

Worked with hot air, unusual 

candles can be modelled or 

cast from wax. 

Wet sanding 

is all part of the routine procedure 

when spraying cars and 

painting furniture or doors. Hot 

air quickly dries the workpiece, 

allowing painting to begin after 

the shortest possible time. 

Open fires 

can be lit merely by using hot 

air. The flow of hot air soon 

gets the fire going and in no 

time at all you can be sitting in 

front of a cosy, crackling fire. 

is the term used to describe 

the time taken for materials to 

set or go hard, such as adhesives. 

With hot melt adhesives, 

of course, open time extensively 

depends on the temperature 

of the glue. Using the hot air 

gun, this can be prolonged to 

virtually any extent you choose 

(➛ Re-positioning, ➛ Gluing). 

The open time for other adhesives 

is governed by solvent 

or water evaporation (watersoluble 

substances) which 

means that hot air can be 

used to reduce their open time 

(➛ Drying). 

Perspex 

(Acrylic glass) is a popular 

material in modern furniture, 

displays and accessories. 

Cut to shape, the sheets are 

heated with hot air and can 

then be shaped as required. 

(➛ Synthetic glass, 

➛ Thermoplastics) 

(rustic) furniture, doors and 

other wooden surfaces is done 

with wax and hot air. The heat 

turns the wax soft which can 

then be rubbed in without any 

effort using a soft cloth. 

PVC 

can be shaped (see p. 10) and 

welded (see p. 12) using hot air. 

When using plastic welding rod 

for welding, establish whether 

the material concerned is rigid 

or plasticized PVC. 

Test tubes 

are normally heated with a 

Bunsen burner. However, practice 

has shown that in some 

cases an upright positioned hot 

air gun is better suited for this 

purpose (➛ Chemistry). 

24 

25


Plumbers and heating 

engineers 

Reduction nozzles 

concentrate the flow of hot air. 

As the reduced diameter produces 

a higher temperature 

inside the hot air gun too, 

reduction nozzles must only 

be used in conjunction with 

electronically controlled heat 

guns. These hot air tools are 

provided with a temperature 

sensor that keeps the temperature 

constant – i.e. corrects it 

automatically. In addition to 

concentrating the flow of air, 

reduction nozzles also serve 

as adapters for other nozzles, 

such as slit nozzles, heat 

reflector and welding shoes. 

(Also see page 7) 

Reflector nozzles 

are ideal for ➛ Shrinking 

cables or ➛ Soldering copper 

pipes. The reflector evenly 

channels the air around the 

circular object. Soldering 

reflector nozzles are suitable 

for ➛ Solder sleeves. 

(Also see 

page 7.) 

Cleaning 

When dirt is really stubborn 

dirt, hot air is often the only 

means of getting back a shine. 

Crusts baked onto barbecue 

grills can be scraped off with 

ease after heating with a hot air 

gun. 

The glass fronts in wood 

burners can also be cleaned 

much more easily after applying 

hot air. 

Pipes 

and rods made of plastic 

can be butt-welded using the 

hot air gun and heat reflector 

attachment. 

(Also see page 12, "Hot tool 

welding") 

have many uses for a hot air 

gun. But the skilful DIYer can 

use the hot air gun for many 

jobs in this field too, e.g. soldering 

damaged copper pipes, 

undoing HT drainpipe connections, 

bending underfloor heating 

pipes, etc. 

(➛ HT pipes, ➛ Heating and 

plumbing installations). 

Speed drying 

of paint results in cracking. 

Although normally undesirable, 

this can be attractive as an 

intended effect. For instance, 

speed drying can give painted 

rustic furniture an antique look. 

Screw 

connections 

are sometimes impossible to 

get apart because they are 

rusted up or very tight. This is 

where hot air can often work 

miracles. 


is the name given to sections 

of polyolefin crosslinked tubes 

wich are reduced in diameter 

by up to 50% when heated. 

They are used for insulating 

or marking cables in electrical 

engineering and electronics. 

(➛ Shrinking cables, ➛ Solder 

sleeves. 

Shrink fits 

are often used on engine parts. 

They provide a reliable and 

permanent hold. The hot air 

gun can be used for joining 

precision manufactured parts 

by shrink fit too. This is done 

by heating the receiving part 

(external part) until it has expanded 

far enough to insert 

the internal part. Having cooled 

down, the joint is virtually 

undetachable. 

Applying the same principle, 

shrink fits can also be used on 

plastic pipe joints. 

Shoe soles 

made of rubber (e.g. crepe 

soles) can sometimes become 

detached on old shoes or in 

extreme weather conditions. 

They can easily be repaired by 

heating the rubber layers to 

melting point with the hot air 

gun and then pressing them 

firmly back on again. 

Welding rod 

made of plastic, welding cord 

or welding tape is used for 

welding hard plastic materials. 

For a joint to be durable, these 

welding aids must always be of 

the same material as the workpieces 

that are being welded. 

(Also see notes on p. 12, 

"Welding plastic".) 

26 

27


Welding shoe 

This special accessory, 

which fits onto 

a 9-mm reduction 

nozzle, is required when 

using plastic welding rod. 

The welding shoe consists of 

two "ducts". The welding rod 

is fed through the smaller one, 

hot air flows through the larger 

one. The welding shoe not only 

has the task of offering the 

welding wire up to the workpiece 

but also of pre-heating 

it as it runs through. On emerging, 

it has reached melting point 

in the same way as the workpiece 

beneath it. A secure weld 

seam can now be produced by 

moving the shoe along, at the 

same time applying slight pressure. 



Ropes 

made of perlon and nylon (e.g. 

sailing ropes) tend to fray at the 

ends. This can be remedied by 

sealing the ends with hot air. In 

contrast to using a naked 

flame, the ends do not discolour. 

Ski repairs 

Hot air can be used for waxing 

and dewaxing skis, repairing 

plastic running surfaces and 

performing countless other 

jobs quickly and reliably. 

Sports equipment 

Surfboards, plastic boats, etc. 

are prone to cracking or fracturing 

when knocked. Minor 

damage can be repaired without 

a problem using hot air. 

Where long cracks are concerned, 

the damaged section 

should be fixed using welding 

rod of the appropriate material. 



Bumpers 

and spoilers are made of 

plastic in most cases. Accident 

damage can be repaired quickly 

using the hot air gun and, 

if necessary, the appropriate 

welding rod. 



Wallpaper 

Old wallpaper normally peels 

off quite well after soaking it 

with water. However, there are 

always some bits that simply 

refuse to come off. This is 

where hot air can soon lend a 

helping hand: the hot, damp 

atmosphere deals with the 

stubbornest of wallpaper 

scraps without a problem. 

Pond liners 

Most wet biotopes in gardens 

are created from pond liners 

available off the roll from virtually 

any DIY store. Once on 

site, the liner sections have to 

be stuck or, better still, welded 

together using a hot air gun so 

as to obtain one big liner of the 

appropriate size and shape. 


"Overlap welding".) 

Thermoplastics 

are not only shapable with hot 

air, but can also be welded 

quickly and reliably. Unlike the 

soldering of metals, however, 

always remember when welding 

plastics that it is only possible 

to join materials of the 

same type. First of all, therefore, 

it is important to establish 

what material a workpiece is 

made of. In this context, help 

is provided by the table on 

page 13 which shows the distinguishing 

characteristics of 

different plastics. However, it 

is often safer, and also easier, 

to carry out a trial weld. If the 

welding rod fails to combine 

with the workpiece, you can 

be sure it is the wrong material. 


”Welding plastics”) 

Wings 

on model aircraft are covered 

by experienced model-makers 

using hot air. This produces a 

smooth, airworthy wing covering. 

Drying 

is, of course, a particular 

strength of hot air guns. 

Colour swatches, dried with 

hot air, permit objective 

assessment after just a short 

time. 

Joints in building work must 

always be kept dry before 

injecting insulating or sealing 

materials. Not a problem with 

hot air! 

Stucco work can be dried off 

with hot air, permitting earlier 

removal of the mould. 

After grouting tiles in the 

bathroom, WC or kitchen, hot 

air can be used to speed up 

the drying process considerably. 

Residual moisture often 

harboured in the joints and 

crevices of wooden boats can 

be dried with hot air before 

painting. 

Many adhesives (➛ Open 

time) reach their final strength 

after a short time when dried at 

speed with hot air. 

Overlap welding 

is the most reliable and durable 

method of joining plastic tarpaulins. 

No matter whether 

you're applying a company 

logo to a curtain side or building 

a garden swimming pool: a 

hot air gun is the best tool for 

the job. 


"Overlap welding") 

28 

29


Clock & watch parts 

Liquefying 

Soldering 

Waxing 

e.g. in old grandfather clocks, 

pocket watches and wristwatches, 

need to be cleaned 

from time to time. After leaving 

the cleaning bath, wheels, 

screws and springs are quickly 

dried with hot air. 

Edgebands 

from DIY stores are often 

backed with hot melt adhesive. 

They are easy to apply with a 

hot air gun and feed roller. 

Unsightly edges on tables, 

doors, cabinets and shelves 

look like new in next to no time. 

Weeds 

are difficult to keep at bay 

between paving stones and 

slabs. Thermal weed control is 

a good alternative to environment 

and health-damaging 

chemicals: heat from the hot air 

gun destroys weeks and seeds. 

Underseal 

With time, weather and flying 

stones give car underseal such 

a battering that every now and 

again it has to be renewed or 

repaired. This involves detaching 

loose sections or removing 

the underseal completely. 

Using a hot air gun, the compound 

can be softened up and 

scraped off. Always allow a 

sufficient distance from combustible 

pipes and wiring or 

rubber and PVC materials. 

tin, tar, bitumen or wax is not a 

problem with the hot air gun. 

This is best done by standing 

the hot air gun in an upright 

position like a Bunsen burner 

and heating the material in a 

container placed over it. 

Liquefied tin can, for example, 

be used for casting 

tin charms on New Year's Eve 

(➛ Tin casting). 

Liquid tar can be used for filling 

the joints between paving 

stones. 

Heated sealing wax is used 

for sealing parcels. 

Beeswax can be liquefied 

with hot air, making it easy to 

remove from the honeycomb. 

Shaping 

Hot air can be used to soften 

all manner of materials, making 

them easy to shape. 

Specialists use hot air to 

optimise the fit of carbon fibre 

orthotic/prosthetic devices. 

Thermoplastics can be 

shaped at relatively low temperatures 

(➛ Thermoplastics). 

Wood can be shaped easily 

and permanently by soaking 

it in water first and then fixing 

it in the chosen shape until it 

is completely dry (➛ Bending). 

on cable lugs is easy to 

accomplish with a reduction 

nozzle. The same applies to fitting 

➛ Solder sleeves. 

Pre-heating 

with hot air makes easier work 

of many different jobs. Spent 

oil drains faster and better from 

a removed engine by heating 

the engine block. 

Lawnmower engines are 

often very difficult to start if 

they are not used on a regular 

basis. Pre-heating them with 

hot air soon gets them moving. 

When using hot-melt adhesive 

to stick thermally conductive 

materials, the glue's temperature 

and also its open time 

falls rapidly. Pre-heating the 

base surface with hot air can 

help to prevent the glue from 

cooling down prematurely. 

Bitumen sheeting for lining 

vehicle body parts can be 

pre-heated with hot air to make 

them easy to form. 

Pre-heated with hot air, 

garden hoses can be pushed 

onto connectors and taps with 

effortless ease. 

skis or furniture is done in a 

jiffy with the hot air gun (➛ Hot 

polishing, ➛ Ski repairs). 

Barbecuing with 

hot air 

is a healthy alternative to using 

charcoal. To do this, suspend a 

griddle in the middle of an old 

coverable saucepan or metal 

box. Provide the receptacle 

with a hole beneath the griddle 

through which to let in the hot 

air. Then, with the lid almost 

closed, blow hot air of approx. 

600 °C through this aperture. 

After a few minutes, even the 

biggest of steaks will be ready 

to eat. 

Breakfast rolls (slightly moistened) 

can also be warmed up 

in this way for that taste of 

freshly baked bread. 

Tools 

often end up dirty after finishing 

a job. With hot air, stubborn 

glue and paint comes off with 

effortless ease. 

30 

31


Notes 

Tarpaulins and 

awnings 

made of PVC sometimes tear 

when subject to heavy use or 

become pierced if they are not 

treated with care. Using a PVC 

remnant and hot air, damage of 

this type can be repaired by 

means of overlap welding. 


”Overlap welding”) 

Bodyside 

mouldings 

and rubber profiles protect 

car paintwork from getting 

scratched on car parks as a 

result of other vehicle users' 

lack of care when opening car 

doors. When retrofitting these 

protectors, it is recommended 

to heat the adhesive sections 

with the hot air gun before 

sticking them on. 

Tin casting 

is not only a popular activity on 

New Year's Eve but is also a 

creative pastime for the collector 

of tin figures. The tin is 

turned to liquid by standing 

the hot air gun on end and 

using it as a Bunsen burner 

(➛ Liquefying). 

Ignition systems 

often get so damp in wet 

weather that the spark is 

unable to arc over. This is 

where it helps to open the distributor 

and blow it dry with hot 

air. 

Two-component 

adhesives 

quickly reach a higher level of 

final strength by heating them 

with hot air. 

Edition STEINEL Vertrieb GmbH 

D-33442 Herzebrock-Clarholz 

All rights reserved 

Printed in Germany 

32 

33

Notes 

The hot air product range 

German quality for everyone 

STEINEL was quick to recognise the 

tremendous capabilities of hot air tools 

and has made a decisive contribution 

towards enhancing this technology 

ever since. For instance, the one-time 

pioneer has moved on to become the 

market leader and is still setting the 

standards to this day. Whether heatshrinking 

cables, stripping paint, shaping 

plastics or even lighting the barbecue: 

these powerful heat tools provide 

the fast, no-fuss answer to hundreds 

of jobs in and around the home. 

And the new generation of hot air guns 

from STEINEL now offers even greater 

convenience and efficiency: innovative, 

ergonomically shaped soft grip handle, 

carefully balanced weight distribution 

and practically positioned controls are 

all designed to keep you in perfect 

command of these powerful hot air 

guns. And if things should get too hot: 

all hot air guns are doubly protected 

from overheating. 

HL 2010 E 

HL 1910 E 

2000 W 

50 – 630 °C 

150/300/500 l/min. 

2000 W 

50 – 600 °C 

150/300/500 l/min. 

HL 1810 S 

1800 W 

50/400/600 °C 

200/300/500 l/min. 

34 

HL 1610 S 

1600 W 

300/500 °C 

240/450 l/min.

Other products 

Infrared sensors 

Light comes on... 

automatically. 

Photoelectric lighting 

controllers 

Low-energy lamp with 

sensor 

Light at the right time. 

Sensor switches 

Intelligent light 

switches. 

Sensor lights 

A ray of light on any 

doorstep. 

Sensor lights 

Convenience and 

safety indoors. 

Cartridge-type hotmelt 

glue gun 

For permanent joints. 

Hot-melt glue guns 

hot-melt adhesive 

bonding... versatile 

and straightforward. 

STEINEL Vertrieb GmbH · Dieselstrasse 80 - 84 · D-33442 Herzebrock-Clarholz 

Telephone +49/52 45/4 48-0 · Fax +49/52 45/4 48-1 97 · www.steinel.de · e-mail: info@steinel.de 

7391901

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