Re: So what do you use your Dremel for?

A Dremel - or similar tool - can be used for cutting, shaping, grinding, sanding, polishing, etc. In other words almost any modeling task, limited only by your imagination. My trouble is the hands don't always seem to follow what the mind contrives. It does require a certain degree of physical dexterity.

As with any tool, read all the directions and use it safely.

Very specifically, I use mine to cut plastic models (buildings) for kitbashes. I used the "fish tail" bit to drill out an opening in a brick wall for a door, and used a miniature saw blade (purchased from Micro-Mark) to cut full brick sheets.

Around the house, I actually just used mine today to ream out a slightly larger opening in a door strike plate.

Yes - I've reworked several doors and jambs in this old house with a Dremel router bit. Takes a good two-hand grip, but it's faster and cleaner (well, not as far as chips and dust on the rug) than breaking out the chisels. The strike plates I take out to the workshop and clamp down well before using an abrasive tool.

I would say its most often use is cutting then smoothing things. I use either the serrated-edge saw blade or the abrasive cutters, most of the time in the drill press attachment.

Rich,

The Dremel tool has 1001 uses and is extremely versatile. The two things I have used it mostly for (at least on the layout) are with the metal cutting discs to cut rail, and with the wire brush to clean up a piece of rail before soldering a feed wire.

Which leaves 999 uses for others to tell you about!

Paul - "The CB&Q Guy" (In Illinois)

I've started doing custom installation of lights on fire trucks, cop cars, etc and use it for drilling and reaming out areas for the lights.

For example, on Boley and Athearn HO emergency vehicles, I ream out the blue/red light bar pieces and mount SMD LEDs inside so I can simulate the strobes.

I'm also playing around with putting lightbars, headlights and taillights in N scale resin cop cars. That requires reaming out the area behind the fender. A Dremel makes short work of it.

Mike Tennent "IronPenguin" Operating Traffic Lights Crossbucks Special Effects Lighting

On Sun, 31 Aug 2003 21:08:18 +1000, Steve Magee shared this with the world:

That, and used mine to "pilot drill" all the screw holes in my benchwork. The proper (reversible, variable speed) drill had a screw driver bit in it to finish the job.

I've also used it for plumbing and automotive repairs around the house.

Oh, one other modelling thing. I set the Dremel up in the router table attachment, and used it to make scribed siding out of plain sheet wood. A bit excessive, maybe, but it did the job.

...And to cut the protruding tips of screws off from the underside of some modules, where they kept ripping my hands.

And trimming the weights in a loco to make room for a decoder.

Kent

I once cut 2 half moon keyways into a 1 in. axel on a 3 wheel bike with universals. Don't ever do that. I then bought a new Dremel. Rick Larson

Every day people are going away from church and going back to god. Lenny Bruce

Kent wrote: ..And to cut the protruding tips of screws off from the underside of some modules, where they kept ripping my hands.

----------------------------------------------------- This alone makes having a Dremel worthwhile.

Bill Bill's Railroad Empire N Scale Model Railroad:

I knew it was the wrong way to do it then. Yes it was a woodruff Key. I forgot what the name was. It was a long time ago. The next time I took it to a machinist, like I should have in the first place. Rick Larson

Every day people are going away from church and going back to god. Lenny Bruce

Yes, I commonly use drills in the #75 to #80 range, and I've drilled a lot of resin, plastics, and metals.

The drills DO make a big difference. Common 'hobby shop' drills are often lousy (poor shape, poor metal). Get some good ones from a machine shop supply, and keep them sharp. It doesn't seem obvious, but plastics are very abrasive (more than metals) to the drills, and dull them quickly. Learn how to sharpen them with a small oilstone, and a STRONG magnifier.

Lubrication is also very important. Oddly, soft materials (both plastic and metal) are usually more difficult to drill (or otherwise machine) than harder ones. This certainly includes soft, gummy resin. The soft material sticks to the drill and clogs the flutes. With resin, often water works pretty well as a drill lubricant in this material ... just as when sanding. In a deep hole (deep being more than a few drill diameters) you need to back the drill out, and clear the flutes often.

I DID say the motor tool is faster. But if you're getting THAT fast an action with the drill in a motor tool, you're probably melting the hole by friction, not really cutting out material. Not to say it doesn't work. As long as you end up with a useable hole that's not too big, and in the right place, you're all set. You can actually make holes pretty well with a hot wire, but it's hard to keep it hot at the tip with the smaller sizes of wire, it cools too fast. The broken-off sharp end of piece of piano wire held in a motor tool will often do passably for drilling into wood and plastic as well ... it deoesn't even have flutes ... just 'chews' or melts it's way through.

And, sure, if the manufacturer gives you a 'dimple' to locate the hole, make use of it. In older shells often you had to drill into center of a 'wart' instead of into a 'dimple' ... nasty job without a center hole.

Dan Mitchell ==========

JP wrote:

Hmmm...buy expensive drills from a machine tool supply shop which break just as easily as the cheap ones (maybe easier), oil them while drilling holes and sharpen them afterwards... or use a Dremel tool. I choose the Dremel as I think would almost any sane person. The idea of trying to sharpen a #80 drill is almost laughable. Are you serious? I can't tell.

I don't know what kind of resin kits you put together but Westerfield and Sunshine kits are not soft or gummy. I don't think they are as hard as steel, but then I wouldn't try to drill steel with a pin vise either.

Nope. I know the difference. I use a speed control to avoid that very thing. I learned that a long time ago drilling styrene. Melted holes are way to big for grabirons.

Are you sure you have drilled cast resin like that used for resin kits?

Older shells? Can you give an example of a resin "older shell"? I know of older shells made of styrene or ABS, but not really resin. The difference between "dimples" and "warts" has to do with the masters. Dimples are relatively hard to build into a styrene model- they are a pin in the mold, but easy to put into a resin master which is then used to cast the mold.

JP

The Dremel doesn't cut by speed (alone), it cuts by rotating a sharp edge or abrasive surface. All modern Dremel tools are variable speed and inherently give the user the ability to choose the optimum cutting or drilling conditions. The fact the Dremel has the ability to rotate very rapidly allows it to cut rather quickly in some situations where the use of a slower speed device. A hand electric drill with or without a flexible shaft is an example of a larger but analogous tool and the use of very fine cutter in it would be extremely tedious.

Norm

Well, if optimum is not below, say, 5,000 rpm!

Well, you got me there. What I meant was as long as the Dremel is whirring away at a good clip, the cut will make progress. When you have bear down on it, and the tool slows down to a crawl, the rate of cutting drops off too. Dremels don't have much torque, so a load on the cutter slows it down rapidly. For instance, mine doesn't have enough power to serve as a router in soft pine, at least not with anything larger than a dental burr. I'm thinking that milling brass with a tool that finds soft pine heavy going isn't going to be a real winner.

David Starr

You are exactly right.

Dremel tools are not at thier best milling anything tougher than plastic or a soft wood. They do best at light work.

I used a Model 2 (received in 1952) in a stand to mill belt rails off of plastic passenger cars and also to mill details off of ther plastic cars & locomotives.

With small decent quality burrs small details were ground off of zamac castings. This work was done with tool hand held (which I found gave better control) and not forcing the tool to extent it started to stall.

I used tool with abrasive cut-off discs quite a bit to cut rail, wood strips (in a jig/fixture when a number of like parts were needed] and small metal rods & strips.

I had a later model with built-in speed control but usually prefered the model 2 and no speed control. I would get speed control of sorts when needed by "goosing" the tool by flicking it on & off. When used in the stand to mill plastic I did used a foot speed control.

I had little luck using it as a drill press. Small (#70 and the like) drills seemed to work best in pin vise and bigger (1/8"] worked best in "real" drill press.

Milling of any consequence would best be done with a real mill. Just before I left the hobby I got a Sherline mill & accessories and although I never got to use it I think it would have done the job to mill frames, etc up to O Scale. Anything bigger would maybe be beyond capibilities of the Sherline.

Quite serious. While I don't do #80 very often, I sharpen #78 and #75 drills quite regularly. it only takes a couple minutes, and a few swipes with the oilstone. You DO need a strong magnifier and a good light. At over a dollar each, I'll keep sharpening them as long as they're long enough to use, thank you.

As for breakage, I find (many) hobby shop drills last maybe 25% as long as good drills (IF they work at all). They're often too hard (poor temper) and brittle, break easily, are poorly shaped (flutes are uneven and rough and clog easily), and are often very DULL right from the supplier. Take a GOOD look at them under strong magnification. I've seen LOTS of them brand new with NEGATIVE relief, uneven 'twist', blocked flutes, and uneven cutting lips. No way can they cut properly, if hardly at all. Let's not even discuss cheap taps!

I drill LOTS of holes, many in metals, and in all manners of plastic including resin. Some of this is hobby related, some in my job (instrument construction and repair). Yes, I sometimes drill steel with a pin vise, though as I stated, I MUCH prefer a sensitive drillpress for such work. I break only a few drills a year (and some of them can be salvaged by resharpening). I often get a hundred or so holes per drill, 'depending'. Sometimes more. And yes, I sometimes have a bad day now and then like everyone else.

I consider ALL plastics soft, and most 'gummy', especially resin ... even the early 'brittle' Westrefield kits. The newer stuff is lots gummier. It's not intuitive, but something that breaks like glass can be very gummy when machining it. Soft materials are far more likely to break a drill than hard materials (within the limits of the drill). Once the drill gets dull, or the flutes clog, or heat builds up, the drill may 'lock' in the hole and often snap right off. If not, it will start to drill a hole that's way oversize.

As for the 'warts', I was discussing drilling models in general, metal and plastic, not your specific resin castings. Older plastic and metal shells often had such warts as 'locators' for drilling holes. Often they were a make believe rivet or bolt head that you had to drill right in the center of. More of an 'anti locator' actually. Fortunately, newer model more often have 'dimples' to locate holes to be drilled. MUCH easier.

Dan Mitchell ==========

JP wrote: