Heat Shrink Tip

When soldering it is a good idea to cover a solder joint of wires with heat shrink.  Sometimes if you have a solder joint with a bulge or sharp edges sticking up you can cause the heat shrink to tear when it is heated and shrinks. 

To avoid this:
  1.) Cut the heat shrink tubing so it will more than cover the solder joint of the wire.
  2.) Place the heat shrink over the solder joint of the wire.
  3.) Apply heat first to the each end of the heat shrink so it shrinks around the wire
  4.) Apply a modest amount of heat to the center of the heat shrink so it shrinks but is not too tight around the solder joint.

For larger solder joints you can use a thin covering of electrical tape around the soldered wires then use a large diameter of heat shrink tubing.  This will help protect against sharp edges of the solder from tearing through the heat shrink.

And if you are used to using a lighter for heat shrink, think about investing in a heat gun.  It'll make your projects much easier and safer.

Happy Roboting!