HeatShrink

[PoRT55]

where can i order a bunch of heatshrink? i cant find what i am looking for in my local area? wich are the correct type to order? 2-1 ratio?

i know nothing about the different types, just how to use it, lol thanks guys - Tim

[Urbex]

I order from this store because shipping takes about a day seeing as I live a state over.

http://www.frozencpu.com/cat/l2/g35/c179/list/p1/Cable_Sleeving-Heat_Shrink.html

[Eyes_Only]

They sell a few at Radio Shack. I usually go to Frys cos they have more in different sizes but I don't know if your area/State has one.

[bumber]

also try a flea-market if there is one around you, often times they have a hardware shop that has a few bins of it..all different colors and sizes.

Not knowing any better I would say 2-1ratio means it will shrink to half of the size it was.

When i use heat shrink I get some about as tight as I need it, loose enough to fit a finger nail in all the way around, then just heat it till its tight...

[Abus]

McMaster Carr is probably your best bet for heat shrink, or for that matter any fabrication material that would be useful, from 1095 spring steel, to screws and nuts to build a plug spinner, etc. Their delivery is fast, though prices are high on small items...

http://www.mcmaster.com/


Also, try American Science and Surplus, where they usually have assortments of shrink tubing for a few dollars. AS&S is sort of like mcmaster carrs's crazy uncle, with good prices and a mix of useful and weird items. Nice people work there too, as a added bonus when compared to the big suppliers which are slightly less personable than the IRS.

http://www.sciplus.com



Probably everyone knows this, but you don't have to just put shrink tubing on bare metal and call it good, you can pack stuff in it for cushioning, or double layer it by shrinking one layer, and then installing a layer on top of it.

[MrB]

Here are two more links for on line sources:

http://www.allelectronics.com/matrix/He ... ubing.html
http://www.goldmine-elec-products.com/p ... ?dept=1252

Also last time I was in Fry's they had a bin full of loose lengths of heat shrink tubing up to quite large diameters. Worth a look if you don't want the delay and shipping costs of buying small stuff on line.

[dmux]

locknewbie uses the brand woer, a german brand, its pretty good stuff

[sir lot is here]

Also e-bay- i had a look just the other day, around £3 on there,get your self a pencil blow torch, would not advice to use a gas cooker
just type in heat shrink tube, thats all i did.

[vitti]

keep in mind when ordering that the size listed is the inside diameter. when pressed flat for a pick it is larger than the size listed . I learned the hard way that 1\2" tubing will not shrink to fit a 5\16" pick. go with a tube size that is 1.5x the width of your pick.

[maintenanceguy]

Your local electrical supply house will have it in several sizes, colors, and lengths. Shop where the pro's shop. Just ask for it at the counter.

I'll second the post for McMaster-Carr though. I've actually been there. We had a machine down and couldn't wait for next day delivery so I drove to Monmouth Junction NJ to get a part. All I saw was shipping and receiving but there were miles of automated conveyor belts sorting and stacking boxes.

They let me down this week though. I needed tamper resistant #8 headless set screws and they didn't have it.

I order from them at least once a week. It's hard to get a paper catalog though unless you're a pretty big customer. But the entire 3,000+ page catalog is available online.

[dsd5150]

Harbor Freight always has an assortment at great prices...

[StabbyJoe]

I used 7mm dia. 3:1 heatshrink to start with on handles with a 8mm width... I could (only just) get 2 layers on a pick... so that might give toy some idea. 2:1 is great, too and cheaper... they just didn't have it where I went (they also didn't have anything in between 7mm and 20mm x_x curses!)
So now for my picks I'm going to order like 10ft of 9mm heatshrink online.

I'm ordering from (cosworx?) so I can combine shipping with a couple of things my gf is ordering... 10ft = 50 picks (at a guess, with only 1 layer) and all for $13USD. Beats the 20 picks for apprx $7.5USD

(I converted my dollar amounts to USD, but I cbf converting all the mm to in. for ref 1in=25mm approx)

[apb]

Ace Hardware and Fred Meyer, but ace usually is more expensive.

[.45cal]

I've already posted this elsewhere but is is pertinent here as well try Plastidip. Just google the name and it comes right up.