Hello all,
I’m looking fo a Dremel tool but I have no clue as to what one to get. Theres a lot more than I thought!!! I have heard that some melt plastic and others dont. I have seen different ones priced from $120 to $55.
So my question, what is the best dremel for modeling (armor)?
And do I have to buy all of the accesories sepratley or are some sold in the box?
thanks alot[:)]
Dremels come in many different set, each set comes with a case and some bits. These bits differ in each set. Other bits can be bought in mini-sets or individually.
Dremels come as either a two-speed or a varible speed, I would advise getting a varible speed for more control. Shop around for the best deal.
John
helicopters don’t fly, they beat the air into submission
Hmmm, I have heard that the ones with the cord melt plastic. The battery operated ones are supposed to be slower. And from what I see, cheaper too.
Go with the variable speed corded type to start with. Later on you can add attachments such as flex shaft, tool holder and many others. The basic tool comes with some accessories, such as sanding drums, cutting wheel and polishing wheels. Later on you can decide which accessories you need to add to your inventory. The accessory packs are color coded for easy identification.
Later on you should get a cordless two speed. It has many uses for the model builder. I have two corded ones and two cordless and use all of them when building.
When sanding or working with plastic always run the tool at its lowest speed. Use light pressure to avoid melting the plastic. When you get one, practice on an old model or scrap plastic till you get the hang of how much pressure to use. Let the weight of the tool do the work instead of applying excessive pressure.
They are also great for projects around the home, other than model building.
Thanks for the help guys. So get a variable one with a cord. Ok. Thanks again!!!
A Dremel is the most worthfull tool i’ve bought.
With it’s accessories you can get almost anything done.
i have a two speed with cord which was a perfect purchase for my needs.
melting plastic is not only a matter of speed but also how long you got the tool on the same spot.
not sharp enough tools are causing a lot of heat as well and that must be avoided at plastics.
I’ve been fooling around with Dremel tools for about thirty years, and I regard them as about the most useful power tools for model building. But I also have a major beef with Dremel.
The first one I ever got (I won it in a contest, at a time when I wouldn’t have been able to afford to buy it) was a single-speed, non-ball-bearing, corded model. (They didn’t make the cordless ones in those days.) I quickly found out that it was almost useless for plastic modeling, so I sprang for about $15.00 (this was back in the early seventies) and bought a Dremel “Tabletop Speed Controller.” That solved the problem beautifully. If I turned the knob on the controller all the way to the left and turned on the tool, it would stand still; I could then put the drill bit exactly where I wanted it and, with the other hand, turn the knob to the right until the motor was running at just the speed I wanted. Great.
Since then Dremel has introduced all sorts of Moto-Tools, with each new one boasting that it’s faster than the previous one. To my notion, the company is ignoring one of its markets: to model builders such high speeds are irrelevant. Most of the current versions have 5,000 rpm as their minimum speed. For jobs involved in plastic and wood modeling (at least in ship modeling, which is what I’m most interested in), 5,000 rpm would be a good MAXIMUM speed. In my experience a #70 or #75 drill bit will drill a clean hole in a piece of styrene or hardwood at 5,000 rpm IF the bit is sharp. If it’s even a little dull, though, the plastic will start to melt or the wood will start to smoke - no matter how gentle the pressure applied to the bit.
My dear old single-speed Moto-Tool long since gave up the ghost, but I still have the speed controller. (It comes in handy for all sorts of things - including varying the heat of a soldering iron and changing the size of the picture on a portable TV. Never mind how I discovered that one.) When I plug my more recent, adjustable-speed moto-tool into it I get mixed results. I can slow it down somewhat below 5,000, but it stalls at a slightly lower rate than that. I also have a battery-powered “Mini-Mite,” which actually does pretty well for most purposes - but even its minimum speed is faster than I’d like for drilling with small bits.
Some months back I found, in the Woodcraft woodworkers’ supply catalog, a small motorized tool made by a German company called We-Cheer. After some thought I bought one, and I really like it. It’s slightly larger in diameter than a good-sized fountain pen, has a chuck that’s interchangeable with the standard Dremel ones, and has no speed control. When plugged into my old speed controller it can be adjusted down to zero - just like the good olde days. (I suspect a simple plug-in rheostat, or even a dimmer switch, would have the same effect.) I haven’t had it long enough to comment on how well it will hold up over time, but so far it looks like the best such tool for model building I’ve found yet. And it only cost about $25.00.
Dremel - if you’re reading this, give us a small Moto-Tool with a built-in speed control that runs from 0 to 5,000 rpm. Model builders will thank you.
The one I got is not a dremel, but is also a very nice tool.
About the size and thickness of a white board marker, corded and has a smooth dial to adjust the speed from 3.000~13.000 rpm and draws a comfy 16W.
Go cordless. Really, you’ll use it a lot more, much less hassle (tho’ re-charging batteries is a bit of a pill). They run slower (which you want for carving plastic), dinna have a cord dangling aboot, and now come with a more powerful battery.
Dremel does make a single speed rotary tool and a foot operated power control. I don’t have it but I’ve seen posts were others say it’s good.
Just my 2 cents,
Jesse
i use a bosch drill with a generic chinese-made flexi shaft attachment. i can vary the speed down to 1 rev per second or so. the only problem is that its a little difficult to weild. apart from that its great, especially since is really really really affordable.
Has anybody tried the made-in-Germany Proxxon range of tools?
I’ve been very apprehensive about purchasing a rotary tool just for the reasons stated above. I’m too afraid that whatever I get will simply be way too fast for cutting and drilling plastic.
I have this one:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=40457
It works well for me.
Can anyone suggest a good buffy attachment? I’m looking for something to give a high polish, but can’t find anything.
Give me a Dremel, a roll of Duct tape, and I fix anything in the house to perfection!
I got a Durabuilt brand flexi-shaft tool for Christmas(now I have three Dremels and this tool) and it seems to be a very solid variable speed tool. It comes with a hard case and the tool hanger. I see that Target has them for $24.99.
I have a Cordless Dremel MultiPro model 770 I bought about a year ago and it has been great for several projects including modeling.
It has 2 speeds & came with a bunch of parts & bits/tips.
Only thing I wish is what others have said here is that it’s speed was fully adjustable, however at low speed w/ the right tips it works well.
Also just last night i bought a few more parts for it , including a new Colet (like a chuck on a drill) which will allow the dremel to hold very small parts (down to a 1/32 sized drill bit) Also i got a Felt polishing point (which should be bettle then the wheel one I have now) And lastly I picked up a Rubber Polishing point (I don’t know if it is rubber but it is not metal or stone so it is alot easier on plastic when sanding) Last thing is my only complaint is the cost of a few of the tips/parts however there are not too bad
I Bet someone here Knows a Good website to buy Dremel Equip. at a good price. . . If so hopefully they will share [:D]
[C=:-)]
I have a Dremel two speed power tool, but have run into the typical high-speed issues others have already mentioned. I recently picked up a Black and Decker corded motor tool at Home Depot for about $20. It runs a bit slower, is adjustable speed-wise down to a level that I can use for many aspects of plastic modeling. Not a bad little investment.
Quick Question guys!! Can anyone direct me to where I can buy the old Dremel Cutting saw blades. I have not been able to find any for years! I really liked those cutters. ANy direction would help. Thanks
If you mean the circular saw type blades, I was just a a Super Walmart last night (to get some smaller colets for smaller drill bits) and they had some different sizes of the circular saw blades.