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netmaker
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Welding with a Heat Gun

07/04/2013 10:45 PM

Which brand of commercial heat gun would you use to weld vinyl tarp ( 14-20 oz. weight)?

I am looking at the commercial heavy duty hand held units like Leister or Steinel....1100°, 1200° F with a 15-20 cfm air flow.

Any suggestion from anyone who has actually done it??

Thank you.

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Usbport
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#1

Re: Welding with a Heat Gun

07/05/2013 8:04 AM

I'd the use one recommended by the tarp manufacturer.

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lyn
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#2

Re: Welding with a Heat Gun

07/05/2013 12:16 PM

You've finally stumped the chumps!
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netmaker
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#7
In reply to #2

Re: Welding with a Heat Gun

07/07/2013 3:12 PM

Oh come on. You have had suggestions to my Outside -the -Box antics for years! You mean this one's got you????

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netmaker
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#10
In reply to #7

Re: Welding with a Heat Gun

07/07/2013 5:40 PM

That would sure do it, but I wouldn't want to see the price tag.

I am thinking that the heat gun and the adhesive will work out.

Thank you as usual.

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lyn
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#11
In reply to #10

Re: Welding with a Heat Gun

07/07/2013 6:28 PM

I'd defer to LaserWarrior on this one. Sounds like he has been there.
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LaserWarrior
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#3

Re: Welding with a Heat Gun

07/05/2013 11:19 PM

The hot air welders are good for 0.060" and up and takes much skill and lots of practice. But for tarps I would use a Constant Heat Hand Roller. From Doug Care Equipment Inc., or others. "http://www.dougcare.com/packagingequipment/impulse3.htm#hwand" You will need a solid surface behind it if is being repaired en-situ. Once the tool is up to temp, the weld quality depends primarily on speed of delivery. Don't discount the chemical sealers though, as they can provide better resistance to water seepage through the repair edges. Perhaps a combination of the two? There are also many places that specialize in repairing tarps. Depends if this is an ongoing need or one shot deal. Good luck!

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netmaker
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#8
In reply to #3

Re: Welding with a Heat Gun

07/07/2013 3:13 PM

Thank you. I'll see what they have to say.

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rustyh2o
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#4

Re: Welding with a Heat Gun

07/06/2013 3:23 AM

I have used a steinel intellitemp for small fabrication with seams of about 3' long. I works but you need some scrap to get set up on and get you speeds and roller pressure coordinated. For big tarps and liners you can rent or buy the bigger equipment with the automatic feed rollers. Once that is set up some of the human inconsistency is taken out of the equation. I have done many other types of hand welding for years. plastic is a little different. being you cant see between the layers you are welding. It is all by setup, feel and timing when doing it by hand. I hope this helps.

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netmaker
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#9
In reply to #4

Re: Welding with a Heat Gun

07/07/2013 3:15 PM

The Steinel and Liester seem to be the top guns, they also carry the biggest price tags. I am leaning towards a combination of the heat gun and the adhesive.

Thank you.

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roy hammy
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#5

Re: Welding with a Heat Gun

07/06/2013 8:40 AM

When I worked in trucking I was repairing tarps with a high quality contact adhesive and pieces of parent material. We were even able to reinforce rub and wear points in this manner plus the tarps look amazing after the repair. That was 45 years ago and with some of the new epoxy adhesives it may even be easier and or faster. Hard to beat a good contact adhesive for the job I was on at times.

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netmaker
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#6

Re: Welding with a Heat Gun

07/07/2013 3:10 PM

I am going to be using a 14 oz. vinyl tarp material to make Tubular and Conical devices to fit inside specific net gear.I am NOT trying to hold water out or keep something covered...I am channeling water in a specific direction. I need the devices to be flexible enough to be wrapped up on a large spool-type winch .

The longest runs will be about 48" long at any point. The widest base will be under 36".

I did use a military grade adhesive and it worked well to seal up but once a small section loosened the water pressure opened up the seam.

I also had someone make me a welded seam with something like a Steinel or Liester and it too has separation issues when water was pushed on it.

Maybe a combination of the two like you all suggested.?

Thank you all for the input so far.

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LaserWarrior (1); lyn (2); netmaker (5); roy hammy (1); rustyh2o (1); Usbport (1)

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