WARNING! fire or boiling water can be dangerous. kids ask an adult before using either!

i was asked to explain my tequnique for quick and dirty parts fitment,so i'll do my best! i actually had some heatshrink in my tool bag from doing electrical work years ago. the proper way to apply it is with a heat gun. also you can use a hair dryer, hot water ,or my favorite fire! i started doing this method slowly,akwardly, and with some reservations. but soon i found an aplication that really worked well, saved time , and involved fire!

it is a solution to a simple problem. when peg A is too small for hole B. used to i would mix up some 2 part sculpting epoxy and partially fill the hole, then jam the peg in to shape the hole, removing it slowly praying the epoxy stayed put.

now i clip off an appropriate length of heat shrink tubing, apply it over the peg/ball, heat it to shape, and see how it fits. if still loose you can repeat the process. i'm not sure how many times, but probably infinite or until you reach a size where tubing is no longer made, which you shouldn't in this hobby. i have some that is about 2" diameter that shrinks to 1.25" that i've tried using with varied success.

here i will be using the cheapest set i could find. it's from harbor freight tools in the electrical isle. it has 3 sizes that are perfect for our hobby. i will try and post pictures of three different pieces i have mocked up just for this tutorial. two heads and a forearm.

what you need to get started.


head holes

good fit


-cont. bellow. I went this route because I had it almost done and lost it with a careless X-ing -

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clip it


slip the cut piece over the peg and apply heat.


here it is shrunk tight.


at this point I checked fitment and it was still way loose.

here is another cut piece slipped over the first.


here it is after heating


once again I checked fitment. the second layer tightened it up a lot, but I like my figures to hold a pose through rough handling.

this time I grabbed the red.


cut and slipped over


then heat was applied. I lost this shot somehow, but it went just as before.

wow tight fit!





since i'm using the same base for my next example I removed the heat shrink and stuffed it in the head for future use. you could dab super glue on a permanent mod if you wish.




my next victim. since the head hole is so much larger I started off with 2 white layers and a red, not shown.


shrunk down


clipped another piece and added it


after heating. still some way to go!


here I jumped up to the largest tubing in the set.


fire!


after heating


nice fit. here you could trim the visible heatshrink with an exacto, but it doesn't bother me.




I will also just leave the heatshrink in this head for future use. you could glue it in the head if desired.

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I actually damaged the neck ball on this figure. probably due to too much heating with out letting it cool. I add this as a visual warning that you can damage your figure. I don't think I have before, but it would be hidden under the heatshrink.


my last example is an arm peg, not sure where it might be applicable, but it might be.


same way starting with white.


now red x2




I am metal hand!


tight fit.


that's it

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here is a link to the exact heat shrink I use

https://www.harborfreight.com/9-piece-heat-shrink-wire-wrap-assortment-96024.html

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This is very cool -- thanks for taking the time to do this & showcasing it for everyone!

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Very clever. Looks much neater than hot glue and much faster than putty/green stuff.

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I bought a hot glue gun, but gave it to my wife after playing with it. I just can't take the long strings sticking to everything

i'm glad you guys like it . let me know if/when you try it out and how you like it. I have also used it for knife and sword handles with pretty good results.

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Do you think it would work for tightening wrist joints? Is there shrink tubing that small?

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there should be. maybe for electronics size wire. I know in some of the huge control panels we used heat shrink to label tiny wires.

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http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-280PCS-5-Colors-8-Sizes-Assorted-2-1-Heat-Shrink-Tubing-Wrap-Sleeve-Kit-/112321863387?hash=item1a26e79edb:g:aLQAAOSw32lYuKPi

I just bought this set i'll see if any of it fits wrist pegs.

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the ebay set is a great deal! it came today and the smallest is 1mm, but the 2mm or 3mm should be perfect for any wrist pegs!

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I've been using this technique for the first time this week. It is brilliant.

Quick, easy, inexpensive. Faster than putty, less messy than hot glue.

This is going to become a permanent part of my customizing.

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HST is also a good way to give figures arm bands, headbands, bracers, etc. Just cut it to your desired width, slide it into position and shrink it.

I have enough small candles in little glass jars lying around that I should be looking into this method for adding parts to figures.

The price of the tubing at Harbor Freight is so affordable as to allow a decent learning curve.

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so glad you like this technique!

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