Hot air nozzles getting stuck on--what's a different one to buy?

[rfmerrill]

Hi All,

I wonder if anyone else has this problem--I bought a Youyue 8858 hot air gun off amazon. It is almost everything I ever wanted--compact, decent controls, seems to do the business.

However, I have encountered a really frustrating issue: First of all I can't seem to find any more nozzles for it than the three it comes with, because most of the nozzles you buy are the ones that tighten with a screw and those don't fit. More frustratingly, though, after using it only a few times I found the nozzle really really stubbornly stuck on. And I mean I have now absolutely mangled my hot air gun because of the force and finagling it took to get the damn thing off! And now it seems like it gets stuck every single time.

I would much rather buy a different hot air gun that takes the screw-tightening nozzles instead of the twist-and-friction fit ones this one takes. However I can't seem to find one that doesn't take up a whole lot of bench space, anyone know of any? Alternately, if there's some kind of panacea to this stuck nozzle problem that might also work.

Thanks

[coppercone2]

you could try anti seize compound but it may smell and contaminate joints

[rfmerrill]

Oh I can see some of the other brands that use friction-fit nozzles include some kind of pickle fork to remove them. Either the Youyue didn't come with that or I missed it.

[Mechatrommer]

grab the nozzle with plier, wiggle and twist bit by bit until it comes off. yes this is annoying i think i will make straight cut both side of the nozzle's neck where it will fit in the gun with handsaw of something so it can expand easily to come loose, maybe 1mm wide slit along the neck but until next time as i seldomly use my hot gun now.. and i think i'm comfortable enough with medium size nozzle for everything and its been there like from the beginning. they now rusted i think it will be harder to separate.

[KL27x]

More frustratingly, though, after using it only a few times I found the nozzle really really stubbornly stuck on.

On my 858D (it should use the same hot air wand as the 8858 as a replacement part), the nozzles actually screw on. There are 2 tiny indents on the nozzle that have to should be lined up with 2 shallow stamped grooves on the end of the heat gun. It works a lot better when you take the time to look at and line these up when you screw the nozzle on/off vs just blindly jamming it. I learned that after some time, because it is easy to overlook. The indents on the nozzle are so tiny, they are easily dismissed as incidental marks on what looks otherwise like featureless nozzle which must surely rely on a simple slip/friction fit. Yeah, no. And yeah, the nozzle can get jammed from doing it wrong.

I can't seem to find any more nozzles for it than the three it comes with, because most of the nozzles you buy are the ones that tighten with a screw and those don't fit.

The machine screw-tightening nozzles from my other station fit on my 858 just fine. The OD of where the nozzle slips over is exactly the same. There's just those two "threads" which are depressions, and they don't interfere with the fit, whatsoever. So you could buy a set of nozzles with the screw and use those with an 858, AFAIK. 

i think i'm comfortable enough with medium size nozzle for everything and its been there like from the beginning. they now rusted i think it will be harder to separate.

I, too, rarely change the nozzle. The medium was on there for over 2 years straight. I just removed and reinserted it. It was gritty, but it UNSCREWED just fine, by hand.

Definitely take a closer look before you resort to something drastic like slotting the back of the nozzles and letting the schmoo out. I, too, was initially frustated, and this idea actually crossed my mind. But upon learning of its presence, the dimples and stamped threads work brilliantly for me. The threads allow you to really settle the nozzle positively into place. With the screw-adjust nozzle, you can get it on there seemingly good, but then it becomes loose and has some wiggle or even falls off after the first bump, because it wasn't seated quite straight to begin with.

[rfmerrill]

grab the nozzle with plier, wiggle and twist bit by bit until it comes off.

I tried this! the metal barrel broke loose from the plastic housing and now it just turns freely.

[rfmerrill]

On my 858D (it should use the same hot air wand as the 8858 as a replacement part), the nozzles actually screw on. There are 2 tiny indents on the nozzle that have to should be lined up with 2 shallow stamped grooves on the end of the heat gun. It works a lot better when you take the time to look at and line these up when you screw the nozzle on/off vs just blindly jamming it. I learned that after some time, because it is easy to overlook. The indents on the nozzle are so tiny, they are easily dismissed as incidental marks on what looks otherwise like featureless nozzle which must surely rely on a simple slip/friction fit. Yeah, no. And yeah, the nozzle can get jammed from doing it wrong.

Was definitely lining these up. I wasn't even putting it on the whole way (was just pushing on, not turning).

The machine screw-tightening nozzles from my other station fit on my 858 just fine. The OD of where the nozzle slips over is exactly the same.

On mine the shank isn't long enough, the screw-tightening nozzles won't go all the way on.

[Mechatrommer]

grab the nozzle with plier, wiggle and twist bit by bit until it comes off.

I tried this! the metal barrel broke loose from the plastic housing and now it just turns freely.

sorry forgot to tell you that you need to hold on to that metal barrel i thought you can think of that sorry. now you have to open the plastic handle to reseat the barrel.

[rfmerrill]

sorry forgot to tell you that you need to hold on to that metal barrel i thought you can think of that sorry. now you have to open the plastic handle to reseat the barrel.

The adhesive and plastic actually broke loose, it won't be easy to fix. But what would I hold the barrel with? I've squeezed it so hard with pliers it started to deform and tried to pull and work the nozzle loose and it was still quite difficult. And I can't grab it with my hand if it's hot!

[Mechatrommer]

And I can't grab it with my hand if it's hot!

then dont work while its hot. grab with your hand, and a piece of small towel if necessary. you dont have to squeze the plier hard until it deform, just enough pressure so it wont slip. wiggling is left and right, up and down a little bit, twist cw and ccw if you have to, sort of shaking and twisting movement. if its still cannot come loose and no sign of loosen even the slightest, then you need to brute force, handsaw or hammer, peel poke with sharp metal etc, but damage is inevitable. before that try spray the connection point with WD40 or other lubricant and try to wiggle again. ps: maybe a picture of it current condition may give us some clue on the severity.

[KL27x]

On mine the shank isn't long enough, the screw-tightening nozzles won't go all the way on.

Hmm, true. I hadn't noticed, before.

The "shank" is indeed less than half the length. About 0.300" on mine, compared to 0.7" on the other gun. But the screw adjust nozzles (that I have) secure on there just fine. The adjustable band around the base of the nozze is about 0.315" wide and makes plenty of contact and gets plenty of grip on the shank. I bet a bit of air escapes out the side where the adjustable band is delineated/slotted, though, when using the needle tip, lol.

Sidetrack:
The top part of the dome looks like it's long enough to fit, if you cut the screw-adjust band off. It has more or a rounded edge on top, but it's .345" long. If the ID is close enough, you would just have to add the two dimples.

*edit:totally works, cutting the band off and dimpling with a punch. I now have a totally useless needle tip for my 858D. The ID on the sacrificial nozzle is 85 thousandths. I think they sell this nozzle just to overheat and break hot air stations.

[Mechatrommer]

some picture may help... my new hot gun... so we need some twisting to remove the tip.. i successfully removed the tip on my old gun by just wiggling it off because it was not locked to that right angle slot, too tight. my old gun is ready for my younger brother and some issue to fix inside the psu/control unit. fwiw..

[KL27x]

^yeah, nice pic. It took me several weeks/months before I noticed the slots and dimples and actually tried lining them together. Until that day, I thought the "slip fit" was a money-saving effort that was inferior. Now I think it is good engineering. It works perfectly adequately for what it needs.

It's not a precision thread. It still "jams" on/off, but it does so in a controllable and easily reversible fashion that has some spring and large acceptable tolerances to it and is not affected by big temperature differentials or oxide dust/grit. You only have to jam it, slightly, that last bit of turn, after it is already fully in the correct position with the indexing surfaces fully seated. As soon as it jams, it's good. The adjustable tension kind might bind while getting it on, but then be loose once it's seated.

[Mechatrommer]

Yeah i've forgotten that mechanism until the new unit arrived replacing the old one, its been so long and the old tip is not locked anyway, so i just remember to wiggle it off. For some reason i cannot lock it maybe due to rust or from the beginning i cant rember, but the new one can be slide into the lock angled slot fine.