Want to remove old paint without making a mess? Undo vinyl baseboards? Loosen stuck bolts and nuts? Thaw frozen pipes? There's one handy tool that does it all. It's a heat gun -- a great helper for pros and home craftsman alike. Electric-heat guns are like souped-up hair dryers that blow super-heated air (as hot as 1000 degrees) for a multitude of uses. They speed up hard work and soften up tough situations -- literally. A heat gun softens old paint so it can be easily scraped away. It softens old adhesives, caulk and putty, too. Its super heat loosens all types of stuck threads, and speeds thawing of frozen pipes. Heat guns cost from $20 up, with better models offering dual wattage and variable-heat settings. You'll find them at hardware stores and home centers like True Value (http://www.truevalue.com). Remove old paint? Tile? Baseboards? Loosen fittings? Bolts and nuts? Thaw frozen pipes? Want to get all this done -- and more? Get a heat gun. And that's the On The House tip for today.