Makita Heat Guns
Makita heat guns are for stripping paint, shrinking sleeving, and warming stubborn fixings without dragging a cord round site.
When you're peeling old gloss off skirting, bending plastic conduit, or heat-shrinking cable joints, you need controlled heat that doesn't cook the surface. Makita heat guns give you proper site-friendly handling, with cordless options that make ladder and snag work quicker. Pick the right temperature and airflow for the material, and you'll get clean results without scorch marks.
What Are Makita Heat Guns Used For?
- Stripping old paint and varnish on doors, frames, and skirting by softening layers so your scraper does the work without gouging timber.
- Shrinking heatshrink and sleeving on electrical joints and cable repairs, giving a tight finish without waving a flame about on a live site.
- Warming and shaping plastics like conduit, trunking, and pipework so you can tweak bends and fitments without cracking the material.
- Loosening stuck fixings, old adhesive, and sealants during refurbs, especially where you need to lift trims or labels cleanly for rework.
Choosing the Right Makita Heat Gun
Pick it like you'd pick a sander or a drill bit: match the heat and control to the material, or you'll scorch it and waste time.
1. Cordless vs Corded
If you're up ladders, doing snagging room to room, or working where power is a pain, go cordless so you're not fighting a lead. If you're stripping paint for hours in one spot, corded makes sense for steady, uninterrupted run time.
2. Temperature and airflow control
If you're on heatshrink, plastics, or delicate finishes, you want adjustable settings so you can dial it in and avoid bubbling paint or deforming trunking. If it's mainly heavy stripping, higher heat with solid airflow gets the job moving, but you still need control for edges and corners.
3. Nozzles and access
If you're working around frames, corners, or tight runs, make sure you can fit the right nozzle to focus heat where you need it. A wide spread is fine for big flat areas, but it's useless when you're trying not to cook a bead of silicone next to a finished surface.
Makita Heat Guns FAQs
Does Makita make a heat gun?
Yes. Makita make both cordless and corded heat guns depending on the model, aimed at proper trade jobs like paint stripping, heatshrink, and softening adhesives rather than light hobby use.
What is the best heat gun to buy?
The best one is the one that matches your work. For ladder work, room-to-room snagging, and anywhere power is awkward, a Makita cordless heat gun is the sensible pick. If you are stripping paint for long spells in one spot, a corded model is usually the better shout for continuous run time.
How long will a Makita cordless heat gun run?
It depends on the battery size and the heat setting. Higher temperatures and airflow drain batteries faster, so if you are doing steady stripping work you will want spare batteries on charge. For quick heatshrink and small snag jobs, a single battery will usually see you through plenty of short bursts.
Will a heat gun scorch timber and paint if you are not careful?
Yes, easily. Keep the gun moving, start on a lower setting, and use the right nozzle so you are not concentrating heat on one spot. If you see the paint blistering too aggressively or the timber darkening, you are too hot or too close.
Is a heat gun safer than using a blowtorch for heatshrink?
For most site situations, yes, because it is controlled hot air rather than an open flame. You still need to watch what is behind the work, but it is a cleaner, more controllable way to shrink sleeving and warm materials without charring them.
Who Uses Makita Heat Guns?
- Decorators and joiners stripping and prepping timberwork, because controlled heat lifts coatings faster than sanding and keeps edges sharper.
- Sparks and fire alarm engineers finishing heatshrink and sleeving on installs, especially when you need one hand free and don't want an open flame.
- Kitchen and bathroom fitters dealing with sealants, vinyl, trims, and awkward adhesives on snag and replacement work.
- Maintenance teams doing quick repairs in occupied buildings, where cordless heat is cleaner and easier than dragging extension leads through corridors.
The Basics: Understanding Heat Guns
A heat gun is just controlled hot air, but the settings matter because different materials fail in different ways. Get the basics right and you'll strip, shrink, and soften without making a mess.
1. Temperature is what changes the material
Lower heat is for shrink tubing, vinyl, and plastics where you want a gradual warm-up. Higher heat is for lifting paint, softening adhesive, and loosening sealants, but you need to keep it moving to avoid scorching timber or blistering filler.
2. Airflow is what controls speed and spread
Higher airflow shifts heat faster across bigger areas, which is handy on doors and wide trims. Lower airflow gives you more control for corners, edges, and delicate work where too much blast would overheat one spot.
3. Nozzles focus the heat where it counts
A focused nozzle helps on heatshrink and tight detailing because you're not heating everything around the job. Wider nozzles are better for stripping flat areas evenly so you're not chasing hot spots and burn marks.
Heat Gun Accessories That Save Time on Site
The right nozzle and a couple of basics stop you scorching finishes and make stripping and shrinking quicker and cleaner.
1. Concentrator and reducer nozzles
These focus the airflow for heatshrink, corners, and tight details, so you are not blasting heat across a whole frame and marking paint, filler, or plastic next to the job.
2. Wide spread nozzles
A spread nozzle heats larger areas more evenly when you are stripping doors or skirting, which saves you hovering in one spot and ending up with scorch patches.
3. Scrapers and stripping blades
Pairing a heat gun with proper scrapers means you lift softened paint and adhesive cleanly instead of chewing timber up with whatever is in the van.
Why Shop for Makita Heat Guns at ITS?
Whether you need a quick cordless heat gun for snagging or a setup suited to steady stripping and prep, we stock the Makita heat guns range in one place. It's all held in our own warehouse, in stock and ready for next day delivery so you can get back on the job without waiting around.
