Dremel

[Anonymous No.614851]

Dremels can do anything! tell us about your dremel exploits, what have you done? what are you thinking of doing? what went wrong? what went right?

[Anonymous No.614878]

I have 3 corded dremels and 2 battery operated ones. What should I get next? need something with more muscle.

[Anonymous No.614882]

>>614878
Dremels are pretty crappily made. They're good for cutting small enclosures and stuff, but it's a shame there aren't any popular alternatives for this. Sometimes it's the only tool you can use.

Get an angle grinder with a cutting disc for more muscle.

[Anonymous No.614896]

I want a dremel 4200 but I keep reading everywhere that some stores like Lowes treat it as a discontinued product (selling it at 50-60 instead of 150) and that tons of people have it crap out in 4 minutes out of the box or within the week. Problem being the brush, the switch or the motor and some have had it break 4 times after the company having it fixed.
Is there a stronger alternative? I'm about to cut into some old-tech transceiver that has a case more sturdier than a pc's (small side project).

[Anonymous No.614901]

>>614896
It's the flexible coupling that goes out first because they are made out of a plastic/rubber material . Flex Shaft is better but you pay a price for them

[Anonymous No.614906]

>>614878
I got a Proxxon rotary tool from Amazon. Costs roughly the same as a Dremel, but is ridiculously quiet and doesn't feel cheap at all.

[Anonymous No.614915]

>>614906
Have you used a Dremel before? Do you have any quality comparisons?

[Anonymous No.614918]

I have a single speed Dremel, which stone do you guys think will be good to do pic rrelated?

[Anonymous No.614920]

>>614882
You've never heard of die grinders I take it. Just about every major manufacturer makes them and they are priced pretty reasonably.

[Anonymous No.614923]

>>614920
They're great tools, but are almost always air-powered.

[Anonymous No.614926]

>>614915
Yeah, but not recently. And to be fair, I have not really put this Proxxon through its paces yet, but I always remember the Dremels being very loud, so when I was looking for this tool I made it a point to go for a quieter tool. It has a keyless chuck as opposed to the brushings, but I think you can get a Proxxon with the brushings if that's what you want. In short, Dremel is good because of marketing which may or may not be based on some good older models, but any of the recent ones I've tried seem cheap by comparison.

Use Google to read up on comparisons if you are interested. All I'm gonna say is, if I had to buy it again I would still go with the Proxxon.

[Anonymous No.614927]

>>614923
Nah, there are plenty of AC powered ones out there. Makita has made many good ones over the years going back to at least the late 80's. They aren't the only ones. Have a google.

[Anonymous No.614932]

I burned up three 400XPRs ($80-100+) in the course of about 8 months, I think I only paid for one though cause I was doing exchanges through Home Depot. One burned out within about 3 minutes using the barrel sander on a tiny piece of pine. I like the flexible shaft but stopped using it cause the additional load it puts on the motor. Also burned out a lower model cordless one before switching to the 400, but it lasted me at least two years. Most recently I bought a 200 (corded) for like $18 bucks and I've been going at it harder than ever and have had good success for about two years as well. I've sanded, cut 1/8 aluminum, some 20 gauge mild steel, plastic, pretty much anything with no problems. My advice to anyone who wants a Dremel would be to just stick with the corded low end ones. A lot of the problems Dremels have originate from the variable speed selector (0-10), of which the lower models normally only have low and high speed, which is more reliable and probably the only speeds you'll use anyways. Having to recharge when you need to work is always bullshit. Also pay close attention to the heat cause they really do get smoldering hot quick before they let the smoke out, the duty cycle is not indicative of how long you can reliably use these.

[Anonymous No.614936]

Much better than a dremel style rotary tool in most applications.

[Anonymous No.614937]

>>614932
btw to clarify I think the 400 series has been replaced with the 4000. I like the picture dremel has on their website, how casually and loosely the guy supposedly maneuvers this monster (approximately 5 lbs). You can see on their own website the more expensive tools have worse reviews. It's also worth mentioning the lower (and corded) models are normally smaller and lighter, but you could've guessed that.

[Anonymous No.614972]

I made this copper pickguard and did things to it with chloroform fumes

I thought it was nicer with a natural copper finish but it wasn't for me

[Anonymous No.615215]

>>614936
Fordom tools are the best!
Commercial quality, changeable handpieces, powerful motors.
I'll never buy or use a Dremel tool again.

[Anonymous No.615228]

Rotary dildo

[Anonymous No.615249]

Cut off a bad section of LED panel, then used the dremel to re-shape and clean a corroded soldering iron tip, give the tip a new chisel point, cut a heat sink into a manageable size after drilling holes with the dremel, and put all those white LEDs on with the soldering iron reconditioned with the dremel.

Dremels fucking rock.

[Anonymous No.615253]

Dremel fag here, i got a workstation but i cant fucking plug this 2 pieces of shit, and apparently they are needed for it to work as intended,

am i missing something here?

[Anonymous No.615259]

>>615253

>am i missing something here?

The instruction manual?

[Anonymous No.615293]

>>615253
Are you serious? They should go into the exact 2 holes in the assembly behind your hand. The left one allows you to change the angle that the dremel is at and the right is the stand clamp so you can move the mounting assembly up and down on the pillar.

[Anonymous No.615294]

>>615293
If they wont screw into those holes then the holes haven't been threaded (manufacturing fuckup) and you need to get it swapped out.

[Anonymous No.615317]

>>615215
What's a good brand?

[Anonymous No.615320]

>Dremels can do anything!

What are they like at 10Ghz?

Can they move 5 tonnes of soil in an hour?

What are they like powering a container ship?

[Cogito ergo sum No.615402]

>>615253
> i got a workstation but i cant fucking plug this 2 pieces of shit

You're kidding, right? It's not that fucking hard!

[Cogito ergo sum No.615403]

>>615320
>What are they like powering a container ship?

Depends on the cargo ship. One that has a payload of 6 oz can go from jamaica to brisbane in about half an hour.

It would take like 6 yrs using your ajax variable speed 18v drill.

[Anonymous No.615413]

>>614851
>Dremels can do anything!

They can't hammer, like in the old TV ads.

>what have you done?

What haven't I done with a Dremel? Engraving, glass work, and polishing I've not done.

>what are you thinking of doing?

More stock removal, knife making for kitchen applications. I love those super thin knives made from old crosscut saws and ulus from old circular saw blades.

>what went wrong?

Dremels overheat too easily. Single speed ones are much better. Variable speed ones have no duty cycle to speak of, like 2/10 duty cycle before overheating.

>what went right?

Lots of stuff. But, if I ever rake up enough money, I'll buy a Foredom rotary tool instead of these 10-12 Dremels I have laying around. Thankfully most of those were gifts.

[Anonymous No.615419]

>>614896
>dremel 4200
> tons of people have it crap out in 4 minutes out of the box

Because it is variable speed. The duty cycle for the variable Dremels is super low. You have to stop every two minutes of use and let it sit and cool off for about ten minutes. If you use a flexishaft with these it'll strain the motor even more and you have worse heating issues in faster time.

>>614896
>Is there a stronger alternative?
>>614878
>need something with more muscle.

Foredom

>>614926
>Dremel is good because of marketing which may or may not be based on some good older models, but any of the recent ones I've tried seem cheap by comparison.

Yes, this is very true. Older ones 10-15 years old or older are very good compared to the new ones. I had a single speed (that someone fucking stoel) that goes strong while the new ones have died countless times.

>>614932
>400XPR
>variable speed
>burned out within about 3 minutes using the barrel sander on a tiny piece of pine.

Yup. 1 minute past the 2/10 duty cycle limit. lol

>>614937
Battery powered ones are just plain crap. The corded ones are so much better. Flexishafts are terrible for Dremels, but Foredom + flexishaft = god tier.

[Anonymous No.615433]

>>615419
I've got a 400xpr that I've always used really lightly, even when it starts to get warm...I definitely use it as a light hobbyist's tool for now, but I'll be sure to invest in a Foredom if I'm ever needing to do some more serious work.

[Anonymous No.615436]

>>615419

> tons of people have it crap out in 4 minutes out of the box

That's also because people don't read the damn instructions on how to break it in during it's first start-up.

[Anonymous No.615455]

>>615419
>Because it is variable speed. The duty cycle for the variable Dremels is super low.

Not even. I run mine for ten or more minutes at a time working on projects, still going strong after 4 years, no problems. Learn to keep your hamfists away from the air vents.

[Anonymous No.615475]

>>615455
Ten minutes is still a very low duty cycle, definitely not for serious work.

[Anonymous No.615494]

>>614972
What did the chloroform do to it?

[Anonymous No.615574]

>>615475

If you can't get the majority of your serious work done in ten minutes, you're not doing somethign right.

[Anonymous No.615609]

>>614878
>What should I get next? need something with more muscle.

Foredom flex shaft tool.

I'd reccommend a K.2220 for jewellery applications, a K.5240 for hard surfaces like wood, or the K.SRH440 if you're doing really hard work.

that said, I have a K.5240 and its good for heavy work too.

[Anonymous No.615615]

>>615609
a propper die grinder

[Anonymous No.615752]

>>615574
>>615455
That's terrible runtime. You can run a Foredom all day long without cooling down once. Yes, you have to keep the air vents clear, but there are no air vents being covered when you are using a flexishaft.

>>615615
A die grinder is a different tool for different applications. They are meant more for grinding and polishing. If you need to do serious sanding or grinding/cutting out then you use a die grinder. For all the smaller and more delicate things you need a rotary tool then a flexishaft for even smaller stuff.

[Anonymous No.615965]

>>614851
My brother burned a stew and that black shit got all through the stainless steel pot. So I used a metal bristle attachment and ground it out. No soap I owned including straight bleach so reels it was.

[Anonymous No.616016]

First time buying. You people are making me a bit nervous.

Should I go with the Dremel 4000 for $175? It has variable speed, though.

Alternatives include a shitty knockoff from the local electronics store for $30 that is fixed at 12,000 RPM and 16W. Comes with 110 different attachments that look rather mediocre. It doesn't even have any visible heat vents, which is concerning.

Living in Australia so things like Foredoms aren't a viable option yet.

[Anonymous No.616033]

>>615965
does your brain hurt when you think?

[Anonymous No.616073]

>>614851
>Dremels can do anything!
ORYL? Foredom master race reporting in.

[Anonymous No.616083]

>Dremels heating
lemme tell you a story.
a couple years back I decided that my dremel heated up a lot around the bearings, and didn't spin very easily by hand. so I thought that maybe it needed new bearings. I looked into ceramic bearings ($140) but decided to use hybrids instead (ceramic balls /stainless races, $30)

you need machine tools to get the bearings off. there is a nosepiece and the fan you have to pull off the motor shaft, and then you have to pull off both bearings,,, without damaging the motor shaft. you need a press and press plates to do this. I had them, and did that. (pic related, getting the nosepiece off)

after I got the new fancy bearings in, I noticed two things:
1--it spun by hand about as hard as before. so most of what I felt was the magnetic resistance, not bad bearings at all
2--the new bearings heated up as well,,,, so it may be inductive heating that is making the bearings heat up, and not mechanical friction at all. Only full-ceramic bearings would escape the induction heating, being non-conductive.

[Anonymous No.616091]

the nosepiece (the green part in the diagram) is a bitch to get off. you have to drill a hole through the center of it, hold the nosepiece by its outer groove in a notched plate, and then press through the center hole of the nosepiece with a punch, to push the motor shaft out. And it don't want to go.

...I also tested the speed at a couple spots on the throttle before and after, by mounting a metal disk with a hole in it on the dremel and then using a photocell + frequency counting multimeter.

the dremel spun a couple hundred RPMs higher at the lowest setting with the OLD bearings. At the middle and upper end of the throttle there was not much difference before and after.... i think this was just the new (tight) seals on the new bearings. Old bearings often spin easier than new ones, due to the seal drag of new bearings

[Anonymous No.617715]

>>614851
one of the first things i did when i got mine to make a custom mandrel out of a jewel case for AOL CDs.

i don't like in that place anymore with holes from shards that embedded themselves in the drywall and hollow door.

[Anonymous No.617718]

>>614851
Black market dental work. Made a killing, also there was all the killings.

Also you need the wiggle shaft and a 90° end thingy. Floor foot speed petal is a plus too. Lead free solder makes decent fillings. When someone wants all their teeth pulled for dentures make sure you keep the good ones, you can make crowns out of them.

[Anonymous No.617726]

>>614851
Hey new to dremal's
Are they just small powered cutting/multi tools
Whats the cheapest one(and still somewhat good)

Looking for something to do some machining on small(under 5 inches) metal and maybe some drilling
Dremal or other tools

[Anonymous No.617855]

>>617726
>Whats the cheapest one(and still somewhat good)
What's your actual budget?

And where are you based? US I presume but we don't want to guess.

[Anonymous No.617861]

>>614923

FYI: both the tools in the image you quoted are electrical.

You can see more detail when you use your fucking eyes, bro.

[Anonymous No.617890]

>>617855
I am looking in the <100$ range and if it doesn't do everything for ever i might as well get a hacksaw and some files

[Anonymous No.617896]

>>617890
get one from harbor freight, but not the one that looks like a dremel. The one that looks like foredom. Big metal motor with a speed control foot pedal and a flex shaft attached to it. Like $75 and better than a dremel. Cones with a pretty good grab bag of bits too.

[Anonymous No.617915]

>>617890
I agree with this guy's recommendation >>617896

By the way when it comes to bits, grinding heads, stone abrasive wheels, sanding drums etc. NEVER buy name brand.

The unbranded stuff from China that you can find online in a few places is often the exact same quality for a small fraction of the cost. I've gotten entire sets of diamond burrs for like 1/3 the price of a smaller set from Dremel.

Tungsten-carbide burrs are the worst, got a large set (12 or 16 pc) from China for what ONE branded one costs from someplace like MicroMark.

[Anonymous No.617929]

>>617896
3rding

[Anonymous No.618057]

>>617896
>>617915
Thanks for the response guys looks like i will have to start saving up. I don't even have a work desk/bench yet. DIY HO...

[Anonymous No.618066]

>>614851
>Dremel marketing research team

[Anonymous No.618072]

>>614920
My father gave me a box full of tools and this die grinder was in there. When I looked it up online, I saw that it's priced around $600. Why on earth does it cost so much? I've seen many others no where near that price.

[Anonymous No.618131]

>>614972
I think I remember you posting that. I think It was an interesting project and I liked the patina it developed. Well done.

I'm sorry you didn't seem to get a lot of responses, but I'm sure a lot of others liked it too

[deleted No.618133]

>>617718
Why lead free? Real dentist fillings are made with fucking mercury.

But, here is why the work: the mercury actually kills the bacteria that cause cavities.

Yeah, it's basically medaeval technology, but the government can't say it was wrong now. So the spend 40 years to "phase in" ceramic fillings.

[Anonymous No.618134]

>>618133
Most heavy metals kill bacteria! it's pretty neat. silver is best at it, I believe.

[Anonymous No.618135]

>>618072
Because you aren't looking in the right places. I found some selling it new for $330 and used for $250.

[Anonymous No.619814]

>>618057
>I don't even have a work desk/bench yet. DIY HO...
You can work on any table. Any flat surface for that matter -- I know someone who does almost all his work on a tray in his living room, while seated in his armchair! It sounds odd but it would actually make for a very stable working position, plus being very comfortable of course.

[Anonymous No.619820]

>>618072
>My father gave me a box full of tools and this die grinder was in there. When I looked it up online, I saw that it's priced around $600. Why on earth does it cost so much?
$600 is a bit optimistic. $300 for an industrial-grade tool (with industrial-grade support) sounds about right.

another example: if you look for cheap bench grinders at Harbor Freight, you can get one for around $25.
if you wanted an industrial-grade one, one of the cheaper (US) brands is Baldor, and their *cheapest* single-speed model costs about $250. the deluxe model is around $1K.

the Baldors don't grind ten times as well, but their overall finish and durability is higher than the generic China stuff. Also if you need a part for a Baldor grinder there are easy sources for that.

[Anonymous No.619827]

>>619820
Sometimes the cheap shit is the most economic way to buy stuff.

I know a carpenter who only uses $35 circular saws - they come with 2 blades which are better than the sub $10 blades, he uses them until the blades are fucked and then gets a new one.

If anything goes wrong, he brings it straight back for a replacement.

[Anonymous No.619829]

after much research I've concluded that Proxxon makes the best dremel, even better than dremel brand dremels, also with the drill press attachment

[Anonymous No.619830]

I used a dremel once to perform a lobotomy on this rather rude man. I had my girlfriend at the time upstairs, she had fallen asleep after an emergency surgery and I was in the middle of preparing dinner. Long story short, the dremel wasn't working properly and I had to use a cleaver to remove my left hand (above the wrist I'm afraid). Fortunately I did get to share a and it cost me my nice meal on the flight I took afterwards.

[Anonymous No.619831]

>>619830
Share a nice meal on the flight. Don't know what happened with that. Stupid laptop.

[Anonymous No.619834]

>>619829
The cheap ass no-name one I have works much better than my real dremel.

[Anonymous No.619842]

Saw pic related at a local store. Worth it? I live in Australia btw.

[Anonymous No.619861]

>>619842
Alternatively I can get a 130W Dremel 3000 for $128 or $97 without the flexible shaft. The only other local option is a Dremel 4000 (175W) for $199.

I mean I'm willing to drop $199 if it's going to be decent, but I'd rather spend $40 if the motor is going to burn out before even one year of use, you feel me?

[Anonymous No.619868]

>>619861
Sorry to keep bumping. Just found this and was pleasantly surprised at the price:

http://www.bunnings.com.au/ozito-120w-rotary-tool-kit-rtk-2100-with-218-piece-accessory-kit-_p6290301

Looks kinda awful but they talk it up to sound alright. Any thoughts?

[Anonymous No.619869]

>>619842
a bit pricey.
I paid mine around 25 euros.
They're not that good, but they're cheap and get the work done.
If you plan to use it a lot, go for a more expensive unit (I've tried a dremel and it feels sturdier, as well as better made, it was the small wireless one and costed around 100€), but if it's your first try buy it and see if you like it.

[Anonymous No.619872]

>>619869
ah, pic is what remains of the first one I bought. It burned down really early, I didn't use it much so it was out of warranty but I actually used it only 4-5 times for small jobs (small cuts, polishing, a bit of woodwork and things like that, nothing really heavy).
I don't exclude the possibility that I was inexperienced and hence it was my fault, or maybe it was just faulty.

[Anonymous No.619880]

>>619842
You get what you pay for. Expect to burn out the motor...

[Anonymous No.619882]

>>619834
Unfortunately that's not a recommendation.

I took a chance on two no-brand ones, hoping they'd be good enough and while they work ok the first has a problem with the alignment of the centreline so the tools wobble.

The second has these 3 replaceable collets instead of a single clamping collet like I expected would be on it. OK fine, maybe they'll do the job but on top of that when screwed home there's a bit of play so same basic problem: tip of the tools wobble.

While the motors worked fine this made both tools effectively useless to me and I haven't been able to bodge a fix for either one to make them do what I need.

>>619868
I was literally just about to type that it looks just like many so-so quality ones I've seen in various coloured casings and with various badges, and then I looked at the pic in >>619872

You could get lucky, but you always take a risk with an unknown quantity like these are. Coold be decent so you got a bargain, could be shit in which case you've basically wasted your money.

And in case you're thinking it: the accessories don't really make it worth it if the handpiece turns out to be a POS. You can pick up all that for maybe US$20 directly from makers in China.

[ard No.619908]

>>614851
Attached a cutter wheel for metal to my pneumatic dremel and cut stained glass with it. Also, my neighbor inadvertently dragged a corner of his rider's mower protective shield: bent and peeled a piece towards the ground. The rider mower was inop until I cut that piece off. Took a little awhile though, got to lubricate the section you are cutting with gun oil to keep it from case hardening. That piece was the consistency of thick cast iron like an old fashion frying pan. Have since gotten a central pneumatic 3/8" reversible air drill.

[ard No.619915]

>>619842
Just purchased a central pneumatic/2 Horsepower, 8 Gal., 125 PSI Portable Air Compressor for $100 and central pneumatic/3/8" reversible air gun for $30. Pneumatic tools will last a long while if u take care of them and their motors will not burn out.

[ard No.619921]

>>619868
Look at this http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result?q=dremel.. Go pneumatic, I realize you will be investing way more money for a compressor. Speaking for myself, I feel vulnerable without one.