Heat shrink tubing

From JCWiki

Heat Shrink Tubing; for customizing by 2DARK2C

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

Link for heat shrink tubing

Here is a link to the exact heat shrink I use

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

I was asked to explain my technique for quick and dirty parts fitment,so i'll do my best! i actually had some heat shrink 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

A spare figure to test fitting
Scissors
Heat shrink tubing
Lighter

Red Skull head hole 1

Good fit.

I went this route because I had it almost done and lost it with a careless cutting.

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 too 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 tubing.

Cut and slipped over.

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

Wow tight fit!

wiggle, wigggle, wiggle
Turn to the left

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 for a permanent modification if you wish.

Clone trooper head hole 2

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 heat shrink with an X-acto, but it doesn't bother me.

I will also just leave the heat shrink in this head for future use. Again, you could glue it in the head if desired.

I actually damaged the neck ball on this figure, probably due to too much heating without 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 heat shrink.