Set of tools needed for cleaning up electronic components

I think I need something like:

I have things like it in my "SET 100". But, is the quality inferior to the above items I wonder. Perhaps someone here has experience.

Could do with the Pencil Rotary Wire Brush in steel, not brass. Seems like I get one in that item 16492, as well as one in brass.

BTW, why steel, and why brass? I mean, what does the brass wire tools do exactly, in comparison to the steel?

Early capacitors were in steel cases and careful use of a steel wire brush/wheel may be appropriate. However, from say 60s onwards, capacitors were in aluminium cases and use of a steel brush could well damage the relatively thin casings.

Bob

These capacitor items are steel. From Navy Receiver 1950 vintage.

I'm wondering what are the quality products in the 3.1mm size hobby accessories for hobby electric drills.

I see Silverline, Rotadrill. I must do some searvhing. Not sure who makes professional quality.

These capacitor items are steel. From Navy Receiver 1950 vintage.

I'm wondering what are the quality products in the 3.1mm size hobby accessories for hobby electric drills.

I see Silverline, Rotacraft. I must do some searching. Not sure who makes professional quality accessories.

Why not take the paint of chemically? Any rust can be dealt with electrolytically (google for method).

Bob

Well, there's Dremel, Proxxon, Kress in the prosumer area of the market

- but expect to pay a lot more than for Silverline or RotaCraft. There are even more expensive brands too.

But a 100+W highspeed drill with a brass wire brush will take off paint. I suspect your real problem is lack of power. Anything much less than

100 Watts, be prepared to take a very long time. Anything with a wall-wart transformer just plain isn't powerful enough for serious work unless it's on tiny workpieces.

For accessories, for everyday use I buy the slightly-better brands from my local cheap market stall or model shop - for instance Hilka or Amtech rather than Blackspur or Silverline, but still pretty cheap - rather than using real Dremel or Proxxon, which cost ouch!. Unless I need something special, that is.

For drills, this is good value for a quality drill, but it doesn't have a flexi shaft:

You don't need a flexi-shaft quite as much with a real Dremel though, as it vibrates less and is easier to use handheld than a cheaper drill like;

I don't know the Expo brand you linked to, but I have heard it's not rubbish.

-- Peter Fairbrother

Hi. Okay

Definetly I need over 100W watts.

It seems the better qualty tools in order of quality are:

*Proxxon*

*Dremel*

Then (I think) we get somewhat inferior quality in:

*Rotacraft* *Silverline* *Draper* *Minicraft* *Expo Zircon* *Bohler* *Clarke* etc.

There's:

Foredom (with an "e" - Fordom is an inferior chinese copy) Grobet Faro Vigor Wecheer etc

as well, if you are thinking of spending £100 - £300 on a "flex shaft tool".

For some reason they don't like calling themselves drills - fair enough I suppose, as they aren't often used as drills, and they aren't much good for drilling either.

They get even more expensive too.

I don't really rate proxxon myself, but some people do like them.

But for the rest of us, a Dremel 300 with flex shaft at around £60 is good enough; and if that's too expensive for pocket or purpose then one which looks like this:

at around £20-30 is second-best - afaict all the brands which look like that are much the same, I think they are all made to the same design and possibly in the same factory. Noisy, vibrates too much, concentricity is lacking and the speed control is crude - but it'll do most jobs.

-- Peter Fairbrother

Site metallurgists (who need to polish up cracks and defects in pipework, etc. in order to make replicas) all seem to use Dremel kit.

HS Walsh, and probably others, list steel cup and pencil brushes :-

I use and like 3M Radial Bristle discs, in a Foredom admittedly, but don't know if the same abrasive is available in a point or brush.