Heat gun

This page has safety advice that hasn't yet been checked by our safety reviewer. Treat it as general guidance, and follow your game's, venue's or product's own safety rules first.

A heat gun is a handheld tool that blows hot air, used in cosplay to soften foam and thermoplastics so they can be shaped, curved, or sealed.

A heat gun looks a little like a hair dryer but moves air at much higher temperatures. In cosplay workshops you will most often reach for one when working with EVA foam or thermoplastic sheets such as Worbla. When the material absorbs that hot air it becomes pliable for a short window of time, letting you bend it around a curved form, press it into a mould, or, with self-adhesive thermoplastic sheets, make the material bond to itself. For shaping foam, the usual approach is to move the gun steadily back and forth a short distance from the surface rather than holding it in one spot. Foam that gets too much heat in one place can bubble, scorch, or warp unevenly. Worbla and similar thermoplastics turn glossy and soft when ready to work, and they hold whatever shape they cool into, so you have a limited time to press them against your form or your body-safe reference shape before they stiffen again. Heat guns are also used to seal the open porous surface of EVA foam before painting. A very quick, light pass closes the tiny bubbles in the foam face, giving paint something smoother to grip. This is a different job from shaping, so you will likely hold the gun a little further away or pass it more quickly than when softening foam for curves — the goal is a gentle skin, not a fully softened sheet. Safety matters a great deal with this tool. Heat guns reach temperatures that can cause burns in a moment, so always wear heat-resistant gloves when handling freshly shaped material, keep the nozzle pointed away from people and flammable surfaces, and never rest a hot gun face-down. Work in a well-ventilated space because both foam and thermoplastics release fumes when heated; an open window or a small fan exhausting air away from you is the minimum, and a respirator rated for particulates and organic vapours is a sensible step up. Younger makers should have an adult present and hands-on whenever the gun is running. Check the specific temperature settings and cool-down guidance in your tool's own manual, as output varies between models.