One of the things that Tazim and I enjoy as designers is reusing and re-purposing things. Whether it’s stripping and repainting kitchen cabinets, or bringing vintage classics back from a state of repair—there’s little satisfaction to finding treasure in items you already own, or available at throw-away prices.
But, like most satisfying things, refinishing furniture is hard work. Which is why we we’re happy to have received this heat gun from HomeRight. The Heat Pro Deluxe II makes the job a little easier.
From lifting paint and stubborn decals to welding or bending plastic, a heat gun has myriad uses. It’s also a tool that needs to be used with care—the heat on this gun goes as high as 1100ºF.
What we like about this Home Right model is the combination of analog temperature control, and two fan speeds, which allows for fine control. Having a low setting is important, for when you just want to loosen a bolt (like running the lid of a jar under hot water), or melting the water in a frozen pipe. Similarly, lifting paint off an old table may require a high temperature. In all cases, it’s important to keep the heat-gun moving. And in almost all applications—certainly when working with finishes, it’s absolutely vital that you wear a proper mask with a respirator (rather than a disposable paper one), and never work with lead-treated surfaces.
One of the best things about a heat gun is that it allows you to accomplish many paint removal jobs without the use of harmful chemicals. Recently, having a heat gun was a life-saver for us when we found a vintage table at a private sale in Seattle. The table was beaten up pretty badly, and had had a yellow varnish applied to it’s oak finish some point in the past. It was also a rare and collectible Wagner piece at an IKEA price. It took some elbow grease, but is now stained a dark brown and polished to a mirror sheen,
HomeRight sells several hot-air tools, The Heat Pro, Heat Pro Plus, and the Heat Pro Deluxe II—the Heat Pro only has two level settings, while the Pro Plus adds on the two fan speeds and variable heat control. But we like the Deluxe model best, because it comes with all of the nozzles and attachments that you need on a regular basis. Different nozzles are hard to find, but are important because they can shape the air flow to affect a wide or narrow area, while channelling the hot air away from the user. Similarly—you’re likely to want all of the scrapers anyway, and save money buying them all in one kit. In addition to the traditional flat scraper, HomeRight has three additional attachments in the bundle: a tear drop shaped scraper that tapers to a fine point. It’s great for bevelled surfaces like those found on ornamental trim,and for very tight corners. A triangle shaped dood-dad that had us perplexed at first, but that is great for working anywhere two flat pieces of wood come together, And a “combination” scraper, a circle with three chamfers, that works perfectly on rounded surfaces and moulding.
We’re very happy with the HomeRight product, and are happy to recommend it! We’ve used it in re-caulking the front windows, refinishing some furniture, and look forward to using it when repainting the outside of the house this summer.
Tips for using a heat gun:
• Above all, be safe. Never point the gun at yourself, or even a far away person. Don’t attempt to change nozzles until the gun is completely cool. Wear a mask.
• Don’t combine heat, with another method when removing paint. It’s tempting to rush the removal process by combining chemical based products with heat—it’s also a good way to start a fire, burn your lungs, and release highly toxic fumes. Don’t do it.
• A little goes a long way, once the paint is warm, it’s usually soft enough to scrape away easily. Keep the gun moving, and use the scraper for its job. Burning off the paint will just damage the surface beneath.
Some places this product is available:
Does anyone else have any tips? What projects would you use a heat gun for?
We were sent a HomeRight Heat Pro Deluxe II for review purposes. We were not compensated in any other way.
