Jewelers Chain

[Elly3438]

Was wondering where people order their jewelers chain from for conversions, if they get it from an online store, or at like a Hobby Lobby or something... I checked Michaels, but I couldnt find any chain that was small enough for a mini.
Also, Im in need of a dremel, and I am trying to decide between the 300 and 400, is there any signicant difference between them? What about any specific bits that would be good for mini work?
Thanks for the help, Im just a converting newb, and know almost nothing when it comes to this stuff...

 

[Shadzar]

for the dremel you would have to choose based on how you would work. i choose the model that fits my hand best.

for bits i would say a quick-chuck or whatever its called so you don\'t have to mess with switching out collets for varying sized bits.

also a diamond point set.

maybe a few extra mandrels and some cut-off wheel if you plan to work with metals to cut off an arm or leg or whatever to mod. and have an extra wheel ready to go without needing to mess with the screw, jsut change mandrels with a new whel and replace them as you go.

i suggest getting a few extra motor brushes off the start. you never know when you will be working and they give out and you are stalled until you go buy another IF the store hasn\'t run out of the ones for your model.

being a bit of a bit fanatic i can never have enough so i am not sure which others to suggest than may or may not come with the model you choose depending on packages available.

i also got the router attachement for mine for small wood-working, as well as the grouting attachment...not sure what those would have to do with minis, but i am sure some base or display might need them, but i jsut had to have them. lol as well as the diamon cut-of wheel for harder substances rather than the little paper wheels.

a good pair of safety glasses shoudl also be gotten as things fly away quicker than you can deflect them at some of these speeds. heaven forbid a cut-off wheel structurally failing and shreading in the direction of your eyes.

as i said earlier, you don\'t need to get name brand parts and you can see if cheaper alternatives are available like form www.homier.com for the big 50 pc diamond point set. they are just as good and cheaper than the ones with the dremel logo.

just as long as the bits fit the diameter of the chuck/collet they will work, but i still do by the brand name for attachments.

 

[DarkStar]

I got my jeweler\'s chain at a sewing supply store.

Regarding Dremel, if you want a ton of cheap bits go check out your local flea market/swap meet. The one by me (it\'s massive) has at least 8 entire stalls just devoted to bins of bits, small tools, defective dental tools, chucks and other assorted \"miniature friendly\" tools for ridiculously low prices.

I walked out of there with two box sets of sanding/abrasive bits with about 30 bits per box, for two bucks. If you have a big flea market in your area do some scouring around you might have something like this there.

 

[freakinacage]

i nicked an old bracelet that my mum didn\'t want! (i did ask her first)

 

[Elly3438]

cool, thanks for the replies guys... I think there\'s some flea markets around, I just cant remember where...
and lol freak

 

[Undave]

I\'m also having problems finding suitable chain. None of the cheap jewellery shops have anything remotely useful and the cheapest I\'ve managed to find was a gold one at £15 per 30cm. There must be somewhere in the UK you can buy it by the metre because I managed to get some years ago.

 

[Elly3438]

What about a cordless vs corded? Any real difference? Cordless seems like it would be easier to use, but maybe has less power?

 

[Shadzar]

depends on where you plan to use your dremel.

if you need to be able to use it in various places and only plan to sue it for short periods of time then cordless should be fine. if it comes with its own cradle to hold the dremel when not in use and recharge it then that should be fine. of course this second one is a fashion of corded in my mind since you kind of need an outlet near-by.

i tried to get a flex-shaft for my model while they were still available, but missed it. OOP.

lickily for $20 from www.homier.com at a local trucklod sale i was able to get a knock-off dremel WITH a flex-shaft. this means i can attach this \"rotary tool\" to the wall near an outlet and use the shaft for better access in tight places.

the major concern i have with corded vs cordless at any time is simple and two part.

for cordless: i may not have an outlet handy at all times.

for corded: i may need to work on something for longer than the charge of a battery can be sustained.

in either case i don\'t own a cordless. one more thing i like about the cord is in emergency situation where i may not be able to get to the shut-off button i can jsut yank the cord and cease power flow to cease the motor and prevent more severe damage.

with the stylus model someone mentioned in another thread as geting for a present it seemed to have a trigger grip, and a trigger on button, that APPEARED to work only when the button was depressed. so releasing the buton would nullify my concerns with needing to find the off button quickly, unless mayhap a crap caused you not to be able to release the rotary tool for some reason.

i have however made my own mini dremel from an old small toy motor with a drill bit attached and a 9-volt battery. had the small drill bit welded to the motor by a friend so i didn\'t need a hand dril when working with something long ago. it worked good, and probably just a lazy mans pin drill. but in retrospect could prove to go agaisnt my prejiduce of battery power tools since the 9-volt eveready battery lasted long enough to perform the tasks it was used for...

great i just contradict my own darn stance. but i stand by my dislike of cordless for the lack of continuous unvarying output.