Just wondering I dont actually have one but there is one for free I can get a slyeus or somthing like that I just have to travel 70 miles to get it. LOL always a catch. from the times I have used one for other things the sanding wheels I would seem like would eat the pastic for lunch How many on you that has one actually use it and for what Just curiuos with gas prices the way they are I dont want to drive that far if its not going to be used. Thanks.
I admit, the one I use is probably overkill but I love it so I won’t use anything else. I also use it for work, and there is where it’s features really pay off. Variable speed control, switches for constant speed or foot pedal control, forward/reverse, gear reducer, and multiple ball bearings. I use it whenever I can, as I really enjoy it:
I use mine for drilling out gun barrels, thinning plastic, sanding parts, cutting off resin pour stubs, polishing paint, etc. If you get a rheostat control like a foot pedal, you can them very slowly which can help keep the melted plastic at bay. Also, instead of a sanding drum, try using a round bur. Seems to help me with this. HTH! [tup]
Did you use that to thin those drop tanks Frankie!?!
You have a pair, my friend![#toast]
I use these:
http://www.tamiyausa.com/product/item.php?product-id=74042
http://www.tamiyausa.com/product/item.php?product-id=74041
They are designed for plastic. Neither the drill or router has ever melted any plastic I’ve worked on. You can get them cheaper than listed on Tamiya’s website.
Jesse
Hi Daywalker,
I wasn’t able to tell from your photo what brand/make of rotary tool that is - can you let us know manufacturer and where you purchased it? Thanks!
Cheers, Rick
I can’t live without my dremels. Some people don’t like them for styrene but I have never had a problem using mine on plastic. Most of my work is done in 100% styrene with most of the shaping done with my dremels. So for me I really need them but if you just assemble kits your need for a rotary tool may not be very great. It really depends on the individual modeler. So for me, “You can have my Dremel when you pry it from my cold, dead hand”. LOL
LOL, I sure did! [:D]
Certainly! It is manufactured by NSK, here’s a link to a company that sells them:
A tad expensive, but worth it IMHO. [tup]
Dremel… [tup] These are great… Why would anyone have a problem using them with plastic? I.ve been using mine for years and I’m positive many others use them with GREAT results also.
“A tad expensive, but worth it IMHO.”
Kinda like saying a Bugatti Veyron is a “tad” expensive.
Dremels are awesome, but if you buy one, shell out the money for one with a wide range of available speeds. I spent 20 dollars on a cheap blue dremel and the lowest setting was too fast for any precision work. I am about to purchase my next once since the rechargeable battery died for good and the next one will surely be a wall outlet powered one (I HATED having the battery go out at the most inopportune times) with 5000 rpm minimum
Go check the local golf pro shop. Dremel makes a battery powered version of their Minimite tool for use by those who chase the little white ball around the yard. Its purpose is to clean & polish the spikes and irons. Instead of the rechargable NiCd battery (which often dies in a year) it is powered by 4 AA batteries. I’ve had one for several years and it is great, just like the standard MiniMite, but without the battery pack problem. IIRC, the price was about 20 bucks.
Its the wrong season, but Dremel also makes a pumpkin carving version that they sell in the fall. Instead of being green like the golf version, it is translucent orange. I saw these at the local Lowes. Keep an eye out the week after Halloween, I’ve seen them marked down to 10 bucks on clearance after the holiday
Wally World also sells them in their tool department - last one I saw cost about 21 bucks. I find that it is quite worth while to buy a second battery for mine - I keep one charging in the charger until the one in tool looses power.
I’ve been ranting for years that Dremel has consistently missed the boat in designing rotary tools for modelers. Whenever a new Mototool gets introduced, the company brags about how powerful it is and how fast it turns. The truth of the matter is that, for at least 90% of modeling purposes, the cheapest Mototools on the market are more than powerful enough, and, up to a point, slower is better.
I’ve got a relatively new, ball-bearing Mototool with a built-in speed control that lets me dial in speeds from 5,000 to (I think) 30,000 rpm. At 5,000 rpm a brand new, sharp drill bit will drill styrene or wood for a while without melting or burning it. But as soon as the bit gets even slightly dull, the results become disastrous.
I got my first Dremel Mototool about 35 years ago; it was a prize in a contest, and I thought I’d gone to modelbuilding heaven when I opened the box. When I got it home and tried it out, though, I discovered that it was virtually useless for my purposes. It had only one speed (it was, in fact, one of the cheaper versions of the era), which made it hopeless for working on plastic and wood.
So I went down to the hobby shop and, for the staggering sum of about $15.00, bought a Dremel “Tabletop Speed Controller.” What a difference. The tool plugged into the speed controller, which had a knob and a switch on the front panel. With the tool and the controller turned on but the knob turned all the way to the left, the tool would sit still. I could put the tip of the drill (or grinding tip, or whatever) exactly where I wanted it, then slowly turn the knob and ramp up the speed from zero to whatever I wanted it to be. I still contend that’s the easiest and most reliable way to use a rotary tool on a model.
Unfortunately Dremel quit selling the “Tabletop Speed Controller” quite a few years ago. Several similar gadgets from other companies are on the market nowadays, though they’re pretty expensive. (I imagine any speed controller designed for a router would work - this one, for instance: http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?FamilyID=3957 .) I eventually bought two of the old original Dremel versions, and I still have them; they work as well as ever. They come in handy for all sorts of stuff around the workshop. I keep my 30-year-old Unimat lathe/drill press plugged into one of them, so I don’t have to swap pulleys on it to change speeds. A Dremel Tabletop Speed Controller will control the heat of a soldering iron. It can even change the size of the picture on a black-and-white TV set. (Don’t ask me how I found that out.)
My current favorite rotary tool for most modeling purposes is this one: http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?FamilyID=3736 . It’s slightly thicker than a fat pencil, it runs smoothly and quietly, it has a flexible cord that comes out the back end and doesn’t interfere with the work, and it costs $25.00. It doesn’t have a speed control, but it works beautifully with my old Dremel ones (and, presumably, with their modern equivalents). Though the dealer doesn’t mention the fact, this little We-cheer tool accepts Dremel collets. That means it will hold anything from a no. 80 drill bit up to 1/8". I haven’t used it enough to make any pronouncements about its durability, but I figure at that price if it only lasts a few years the $25.00 will have been well spent. Highly recommended.
To dovetail off of Dr. Tilley’s post.
I recently built a speed control for my own dremmel that consisted of a scavenged heavy extension cord. A single pole dimmer switch and a 78 cent electrical box. Wiring it up was straightforward and now I have a remarkable amount of control over my one speed (28000) rpm dremmel.
Very interesting indeed, Gamewarden5. I’d often wondered whether a plain old dimmer switch would work for this purpose. The manufacturers of purpose-built speed controllers claim they contain special circuitry to maintain torque at all speeds. I imagine that’s true, but in most model-related applications torque doesn’t really matter much.
I do wonder what would happen if you plugged a variable-speed tool (one with a speed control built in) into this rig. I’ve tried that with my variable-speed Moto-Tool and my old “Tabletop Speed Controller” (in the hope of getting the motor to run slower than its “built-in minimum”). The motor sort of stuttered and juddered, and I was worried that it might overheat.
It looks to me like you’ve come up with a fine practical solution for building models with rotary tools. I see from Dremel’s website (www.dremel.com) that the company does still make a single-speed model - though hobby shops and places like Lowe’s don’t seem to stock it often. And I bet my little We-Cheer tool would work fine on your rig.
I have two Dremels. The Dremel 398 Digital has electronic feedback control, and is AC powered. The Stylus is LiIon battery-powered. Each meets different needs.
That NSK is gorgeous and sounds amazing, but it’s $998!!!
I’ve been using the same Dremel 395 Type 4 for over ten years now, and have only had to replace the collet… The Dremel’s my only motor-tool and I’ll keep it as long they’ll keep fixing it…
I also missed the boat on the “Table-top Speed Controller” but I used a regular household dimmer/rheostat for a sub… I wired it into an extension cord, then I just plug the Dremel into the cord… So far, so good…
There’s also the Proxxon line. For example, their #38472 Precision Rotary Tool sells for about $70.00 online.
I am COMPLETELY in favor of buying top quality tools, but I must confess that nearly a grand for a motor tool is a bit extreme for 95% of the hobbyists out there.
Glad that you are pleased with your (considerable) investment none the less.