Heat guns are electric hand tools which look and work in a similar way to hair dryers – operating a fan that pulls air into the body of the tool and drives it across an electric heating element and out through a nozzle. Heat guns are sometimes referred to as hot air guns.
Heat guns are lightweight, easy-to-use tools which are less likely than blow torches to scorch wood or crack glass when being used. This means they’ve predominantly replaced the old-fashion paraffin and bottled gas blow torch for stripping paint on timber.
The hot air flow of a heat gun is less dangerous than a naked flame but it can still cause flammable items to catch fire, crack glass and cause injury if directed on to the skin.
Fact: How hot is a heat gun? Most regular heat guns have a minimum temperature of around 49°C (120°F)
One advantage of this tool is the heat is almost instantaneous, so it can be switched off during pauses while working – whereas flame blow torches need to be relit if the flame is extinguished, which is less convenient.
While flames can damage the surface being heated and potentially cause a fire, the hot air from a heat gun is a safer source of heat. For most jobs, 399°C (750°F) is hot enough, and many heat guns allow you to adjust the temperature.