Dremel question

[Elly3438]

I just have a quick dremel question... I just got a new dremel, haven\'t really used it before, and in the manual it says before using on anything to make sure it is clamped to something secure. So, for minis, how would you go about clamping them down? Probably cant hand hold it right? Unless I want to lose a part of my fingers~~
Thanks!!!
~Jeff~

[ScottRadom]

I jusy hand hold it. I foresee any bench vise just squishing you\'re work.

What kind of bit are you using? If you\'re not comfortable using a high speed saw blade near your fingers then you may have to invest in a bench vise and secure the model by the base.

[Elly3438]

Hi Scott! well, I have the stock set of bits that came with it, plus someone suggested that I buy some diamond bits for minis, so I got those... just trying to remove some unwated details and mold lines~~ so what kind of speeds do you use it at?

[lahatiel]

Yeah, clamping things as small as mini parts generally isn\'t feasible so I\'ve always just held them when using my Dremel -- I have the Stylus, and highly recommend it, or it least the flexible shaft, for better control. I use a combination of two things to help protect my fingers when doing Dremel work with such small things: 1) wearing a leather work glove (I just went with a low-end cheap pair of work gloves, but it\'s still better than a stray spinning bit making contact with my bare flesh!); and 2) I put some shrink tubing over the ends of some needle-nose pliers -- get this from the electrical section of a hardware store; it\'s a small, thin length of rubber tubing designed to slide like a sleeve over where two spliced wires are joined, then you use a hairdryer to shrink it for a tight protective covering. I put some over the tips of my pliers and shrunk it to fit, and can use the pliers to hold small bits without quite as much fer as damaging them.

[ScottRadom]

Originally posted by Elly3438
Hi Scott! well, I have the stock set of bits that came with it, plus someone suggested that I buy some diamond bits for minis, so I got those... just trying to remove some unwated details and mold lines~~ so what kind of speeds do you use it at?

I use a crappy \"Mini-Mite\" cordless at 10k for mould lines with a diamond bit. Anything faster and I grind all detail away at a touch. Anything slower and I have to go back and clean up the dremel lines I find.

[Dragonsreach]

Well clamping mini\'s is a right PITA. If I\'m Drilling it\'s not really a problem but grinding away detail as I have done recently for a Figure for ScottRadom ( :D Hint Hint :D) I found it best to use a pair of heavy duty Gardening gloves. Stopped the Heat transmission to my fingers and allowed me to have a better grip.
As regarding Speed, as with most things in life, Slow is best.

[freakinacage]

i just hold it. safety be damned. hence my scarred fingers! mind you i have a stylus too so it doesn\'t happen very often (you can select a very low rpm)

[donga666]

I used to clamp the dremel and move the mini. I have subseqently burnt out the dremel and I\'m using a cordless drill now:)

[Hard Cover]

I hold everything with my hands. I have a black and decker RTX (With the router mount which is really useful for cutting out unit trays and display bases.

When drilling and grinding, I use the slowest speed and don\'t put much pressure on the mini. It gives me a slightly better range of control on the mini.( and if it\'s plastic the friction form the higher speeds will start to melt the plastic) for removing mold lines, I actually like to use the round sanding stones, and use the diamond tips for larger things that need to be removed, (tallismen, unit markings, ect)

[ScottRadom]

Originally posted by Dragonsreach
Well clamping mini\'s is a right PITA. If I\'m Drilling it\'s not really a problem but grinding away detail as I have done recently for a Figure for ScottRadom ( :D Hint Hint :D) I found it best to use a pair of heavy duty Gardening gloves. Stopped the Heat transmission to my fingers and allowed me to have a better grip.
As regarding Speed, as with most things in life, Slow is best.

You ground off all the detail on the mini for me? Uhm... thanks!lol

[Dragonsreach]

Originally posted by ScottRadom

Originally posted by Dragonsreach
Well clamping mini\'s is a right PITA. If I\'m Drilling it\'s not really a problem but grinding away detail as I have done recently for a Figure for ScottRadom ( :D Hint Hint :D) I found it best to use a pair of heavy duty Gardening gloves. Stopped the Heat transmission to my fingers and allowed me to have a better grip.
As regarding Speed, as with most things in life, Slow is best.

You ground off all the detail on the mini for me? Uhm... thanks!lol

Not all, just enough to make it unique, with a little help from my friends.

[daddyo]

In my real job as the printed circuit card repair guy at the shipyard, I have access to some really fine (tiny: 0.1 inch or less) high-speed steel grinding bits for cleaning out the holes in printed circuit cards. And run at low speed, they can hog off a bunch of lead post-haste. They work wonders on solder, which is eerily similar to the pewter in our minis. (wonder why?)

I haven\'t been thru the Dremel catalog in quite awhile, so I don\'t know about availability in the real(?) world.

As for clamping my workpieces, I just grab the poor little victim in my fat grubby fingers. If the piece is too small, I have already epoxied a pin into it, so the hemostats get a workout.

And, please remember to wear some form of eye protection! Chunks of lead in the eyeball are quite uncomfortable. (experience here)

[Elly3438]

Thanks for the responses!! I tried using mine today and hand held it just fine, using a generic leather glove to protect my hand.
But this leads me to another question, you guys say you use it to clean off mold lines, I tried but it made the surface rough and I ended up going back over with the needle files again to smooth it out. Is that normal?
Thanks again! :)

[mickc22]

take a small container to your dentist and ask them if they wouldn\'t mind putting their old bits in it instead of in the bin

I got a load from mine and I was even cheeky enough to get some from the dentist across the road :D

so long as you provide the container they\'re usually reasonable

you\'ll never need to buy any bits again

[Einion]

Originally posted by Elly3438
I just have a quick dremel question... I just got a new dremel, haven\'t really used it before, and in the manual it says before using on anything to make sure it is clamped to something secure. So, for minis, how would you go about clamping them down? Probably cant hand hold it right?

I hand-hold a lot of pieces when using a motor tool on it for grinding. Sometimes I\'ll pin pieces first and hold by the pin, but sometimes you need a level of fine control that you can\'t get this way.

I don\'t wear gloves; one of the old-school rules of thumbs is if the metal is getting too hot to hold the tool is set at too high a speed or you\'re going too strong. Slow and careful wins the day; since lots of motor tools won\'t go down to low enough revs that you\'ll get no significant heating of a metal kit you just have to grind a bit, remove, grind a bit, remove. The risk of dropping, or having the piece snatched out of your hand, seems higher when wearing gloves.

Originally posted by Elly3438
But this leads me to another question, you guys say you use it to clean off mold lines, I tried but it made the surface rough and I ended up going back over with the needle files again to smooth it out. Is that normal?

The bit is the important, er, bit. A diamond burr or a steel cutting head will remove material but leave a rough surface, one of the silicone-rubber abrasive tips will leave a fairly smooth surface - you can even get v. fine ones that leave a near-perfect polished surface on most metal used in kits.

Previous thread that might be of interest interest: Dremel Polishing Pins.

However I would recommend that you remove most of your mould lines by hand! Knife, file, abrasive paper and steel wool; even at low speeds it\'s very easy to damage adjacent edges and remove detail with a single skip off the area you\'re working on.

Einion

[Elly3438]

thanks for the response Einion! I need all the help I can get for modeling minis, I can paint, but I model horribly ><

[fiesta0618]

I have a variable speed dremel--one of the ones with a speed wheel from 1 t0 10 at the base--and I just use the stock cylindrical metal grinding head to remove exposed mold lines. At speed 3-4 (I\'d guess 12000 RPM?) it leaves no scars and does not heat significantly. By the way I use bare hands to hold my stuff, DO catch my fingers, and the worst I get is a rug burn. It really isn\'t that bad, unless you\'re pressing so hard that you haven\'t got full control. I mean, the Dremel is a very powerful tool, it will do the work, no need to bear down with all your strength.

[Aliengod3]

I normally hold my minis when I use mine but be careful because the friction from the dremel tool will heat your mini and can burn your hands.