Heat Shrink Tubing Printer???

[VintageIronFab]

Hello all,
I have become more learned about the ways of the high end wiring guys and one thing they do is label the wires. Allows for the obvious but also allows the use of many of the same color wire in common occurrences. Anyway I’m going to buy either a printer that prints onto a heat shrink sheathing or buy a vinyl label maker. Both best practice is to cover the labeled heat shrink with clear heat shrink or use the label then cover with the clear heat shrink. Just love to hear anyone with experience on these and these processes. Just trying to up the quality and the simple easy if diag is needed.

Thx!!

[300]

I use them for work, control panel stuff. It's time consuming but worth the effort in the long run. I think the clear over the top is probably overkill but certainly an idea. I have an obsolete Brady unit that used fixed length tubes on a strip. IT also used ink cartridges that always seemed to be too dry for clear text. I think the new ones have the material in a roll and you can cut them to whatever length you want.

[PaulW]

The device that prints directly on the wire is a commercial product that is very expensive. That is the tool that wire manufacturers use to do for the original wire for code and size, etc.
Test your printer to see how small it can write. If it can make a readable image the size of a 22 ga wire then just use heat shrink to put the print out on the wires. The result it will be very good and take you more time to do that than to rewire your whole rig. Life is short for such a task IMO.
A long time ago I decided to use white electrical tape and a fine marker to make a label then cover it with quality 3M scotch tape. Do this at each end of the wire. Then cover it either split loom or the "stretch" wire cover, otherwise the labels will eventually degrade. Sounds crude, but is effective.
I did an incomplete search for a label maker that would make the required small font, but found nothing and finally gave up.
Probably the most important thing to do for your custom wiring task is to make detailed schematics. To do that I had some good SW to do it on my computer, however I gave up on that because it just takes too much time. I have reverted to paper and pencil. Keep a copy in the truck and on your computer for future reference.

[BDKW1]

Regular label maker and clear heatshrink.

[ESHALLBETTER]

I have the dymopro rhino 5200 and it’s been a great unit.


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[ChaseTruck754]

I've done the labels & clear heat shrink thing but remember being intrigued/impressed when Eric 1st showed pictures like the one above & talked about the heat shrink printer

[SteveG]

There’s another thread on GFB about this. I bought one on Amazon. Wasn’t too expensive and works great.

[VintageIronFab]

Erik - i sent you a PM if you get a minute.

Steve- I’m not finding the thread???

[ChaseTruck754]

Been a loooong time but I'm thinking the discussion on it previously might have been in Eric's build thread???