Flux paste applicator gun

posted Apr 8th 2010 1:00pm by
filed under: tool hacks

[Luciano] didn’t want to drop a lot of cash into a flux and solder paste applicator so he built his own for about $5. He re-purposed a hot glue gun which you can usually find at a dollar store. After removing the heating element he inserted the body of a syringe. The plunger has been modified to use a knitting needle inside of some plastic tubing. After taking the picture above he made an improvement by adding a milliliter scale to the plunger, allowing you to meter out the paste and also gauge how much remains.

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16 Responses to Flux paste applicator gun

  • Darren says:
    April 8, 2010 at 1:10 pm

    Next time I need one, I think I’ll try this before spending more money than needed.

    Reply Report comment
  • anon says:
    April 8, 2010 at 2:04 pm

    I modified a glue gun in the same manor to extrude friendly plastic from a reservoir when you pull the trigger.

    I like the idea of re-purposing glue guns.

    Reply Report comment
  • osgeld says:
    April 8, 2010 at 2:16 pm

    neat idea(s)

    Reply Report comment
  • jd says:
    April 8, 2010 at 4:02 pm

    Now that’s clever!

    Reply Report comment
  • xrazorwirex says:
    April 8, 2010 at 4:37 pm

    I’ve got this little bottle with a brush fixed to the cap that also works great…

    Reply Report comment
  • Osgeld says:
    April 8, 2010 at 4:51 pm

    I think the little bottle brushes work a little better if you trim them down some

    Reply Report comment
  • pRtkL xLr8r says:
    April 8, 2010 at 9:22 pm

    Dunno why but at first I thought it read ‘Flux paste capacitor gun.’

    Reply Report comment
  • markii says:
    April 8, 2010 at 11:01 pm

    isn’t it a bit BIG?

    Reply Report comment
  • Leef_me says:
    April 8, 2010 at 11:32 pm

    >>isn’t it a bit BIG?
    The tip size looks very appropriate.
    The modified glue gun size seems good.
    The only negative that Eric states, is the requirement to disassemble the gun in order to refill it.

    Reply Report comment
  • smoker_dave says:
    April 9, 2010 at 12:39 am

    I wonder what could be done with the “scrap” is the heating element…?

    Reply Report comment
  • jeditalian says:
    April 9, 2010 at 1:58 am

    im pretty sure i’ve seen a hot glue gun at dollar tree before..
    but even more useful was a box of liek 1000 pins or more. for a buck. those, i stuck through my face.
    i wish i could solder a point smaller than a BB.

    Reply Report comment
  • M4CGYV3R says:
    April 9, 2010 at 3:05 am

    Use some mineral oil/cracked oil fog juice and make the heating element into a fog machine.

    Reply Report comment
  • metis says:
    April 9, 2010 at 11:16 am

    why not just use a stick of hot glue for the new plunger? it’s the right size, it’s easy enough to shape the end to fit the plunger… heck you could melt the end onto the plunger.

    Reply Report comment
  • draeath says:
    April 10, 2010 at 5:21 am

    The glue isn’t sturdy enough. When you squeeze out a measured amount, you find you got less than you thought because the glue stick compressed some of the distance.

    Reply Report comment
  • anon says:
    April 10, 2010 at 8:08 am

    For the plunger on my modified glue gun I just used a wooden doll from the hardware store. had to sand it a little to get to run smooth.

    I guess I should just post my project.

    Reply Report comment
  • iapx8088 says:
    April 11, 2010 at 3:47 am

    amazing idea.

    Reply Report comment

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