Heat gun or Blow torch for post processing?

[JackMcConick]

After breaking off supports or sanding, I usually use a lighter to heat up the plastic to remove the white discoloration on my prints.I'm thinking about one of those small handheld torches or a hot gun. Any thoughts?

[curious aardvark]

I occasionally use a very small lighter powered torch to quickly remove fine stringing.
Just be careful it really doesn't take much for the print to deform.

A hot air gun with a temperature control would probably work better.

don't think I've ever had white discolouration though. you using abs ?

[airscapes]

The Esun PLA+ will leave white dots where a support was.. picking at it with a dental pick can remove it if you have the patients. You can see them on the base of one.. I got tired of scraping..Well you could on the original image.. forum reduced the size I guess..

[Susanne]

I am a big fan of the reheating. It works on ABS too. I have not used a heat gun though, only an open flame. I have had success with a lighter and with a cook's blowtorch.

[TommyDee]

Flameless torch... typically disguised as butane soldering irons. Remove the tip and you have a ceramic grid heater element (catalyzer?) that converts the flame to just glowing red heat. There is enough air flow to target small areas. Also does wonders for de-stringing. These are usually hand held.

But the surface mount components for PCB's using flameless heat tools... now that's professional grade! I use my flameless hobby torch for making printed board assemblies.

recube_wand_ebay4.jpg

[barryalen1992]

Great! I like it!

[TommyDee]

As I posted in another thread, I should just reveal the torch I am using. WITH A DISCLAIMER! I love this torch, but it requires external ignition after only a short period of use. The plastics deforms from heat and the built-in igniter becomes useless. Also, the safety mechanism is easily removed which isn't necessary when you have to use an external igniter

It does not use a mesh to catalyze the flame; it uses a ceramic grid. You heat the grid with a butane light/torch (sharp blue flame) into the vent hole and then start the butane flowing.
the ceramic will get red hot and it has enough heat-flow to get target areas as small as a 1/4" [6.35mm].

eBay seems to be the only place left to get these... and they are quite reasonable.

Mag-Torch MT 765 Micro Butane Refillable Torch or MT 775 with some accessories.

Basically, these work great as a pimple removing tool from support removal on ABS and alike, but also nice to remove or solder surface mount components. That's why I needed a backup. They are getting rare in the regular world (not eBay). Spent a half hour with a Home Depot chatterer explaining just that.

Anyone finds a different unit that uses a ceramics based catalyze'r, please post up the details.

[Daniel-J]

I had a need to buy a gun like that, too. I'm tired of these leftovers. You provided a good selection of equipment, but there are really many. Found some samples right here, but I'm not sure they'll all fit. I don't quite understand the difference between them, the cooler they are, the more they can change the temperature or add finer settings?