Post subject: Weatherproof with shrink-fit and hot-melt
Posted: Mar Mon 05, 2012 5:42 pm
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Joined: May Sun 08, 2011 10:45 pm Posts: 2919 Location: Southern Calif
If you ever need to weather seal a splice, there is technique I use that has worked fine for me for a long time. Also can be used to seal the back of a coax connector where the cable enters.
It requires the use of a hot glue gun or just the hot glue stick, a heat gun and shrink-fit,
Step one: After you have placed the unshrunk shrink fit over he wire, apply a few small beads of hot melt glue to the area to be sealed; it will take some practice to know just how much is not too much or too little. You'll need enough to provide a film over the entire area with just a little bit of "squeeze-out"
Once it cools, slip the shrink fit over it and apply heat, continuously moving the heat gun to make sure all the hot melt re-melts and sticks to the parts as well as the shrink-fit.
After a while it will smooth out and some hot melt will seep out of the ends. Leave it to cool and then trim with a razor blade.
Now you have a secure, weather tight connection.
The alternative is to find some of what I refer to as "gooey shrink-fit". It already has the hot melt applied to then inside.
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