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Dremel Multitool - Use or ornament ?


Richard E

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Suspect this might attract a range of opinions and I might be answering my own question.

I keep looking at the entry level Dremel Multitools, particularly as I've got some money for Christmas, but as I mainly build 1/72nd scale aircraft I'm not sure if I'd make enough use of it to justify the price: if I need to cut something I've got a selection of saws and scalpels; if I need to drill a hole I've got a couple of pin vices and if I need to sand or polish something I've got sanding sticks and files. If I get a Dremel I suspect it might get used occasionally but, in all probability, it will simply be a shiny thing sitting in my tool chest which becomes less shiny as it gathers dust through lack of regular use.

Are there any obvious uses that I'm not taking into consideration..?

Edited by Richard E
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Their handy to have, and to be honest I like the Proxxon stuff better, although I'm not sure you'd use it that much for plastic as even on the low settings it may create too much heat for drilling or cutting plastic without damage.
Tamiya do a range of battery Drills/routers which may be a better option for plastic.
http://www.hlj.com/product/TAM74042/Sup
http://www.hlj.com/product/TAM74041/Sup

These if posted separately will not incur customs/parcel force charges

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Ruchard, I'd say invaluable - if you have to remove lots of surplus plastic. Don't expect to use it for detail - it's too unwieldy. I use it most on resin (grinding down Aires to fit), but also if I need to cut large holes. I use three tools most (144, 115 and 542), but have a lot of others most of which have been used a few times. Also useful for car rust spot removal, electrical contact cleaning and getting rid of lumps of plaster...

I had a Proxxon, but found it not powerful enough to keep its speed up when working. There again, it was bought in 1984... and still works.

Regards

Tim

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Ruchard, I'd say invaluable - if you have to remove lots of surplus plastic. Don't expect to use it for detail - it's too unwieldy. I use it most on resin (grinding down Aires to fit), but also if I need to cut large holes. I use three tools most (144, 115 and 542), but have a lot of others most of which have been used a few times. Also useful for car rust spot removal, electrical contact cleaning and getting rid of lumps of plaster...

I had a Proxxon, but found it not powerful enough to keep its speed up when working. There again, it was bought in 1984... and still works.

Regards

Tim

Not going all H&S but if you do use one to remove resin, your going to be creating a lot of fine dust which you don't want to be breathing in, or for that matter flying around the house

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I don't think you'd find much use for any rotary tool if you only build in 1/72nd scale. I've had my Dremel tool at least 20 years and find it indispensable for certain jobs such as removing large amounts of plastic, roughing out holes in plasticard, polishing metal, and for DIY projects around the house. However, I rarely use it on anything in 1/72nd scale; it mostly comes out for model railroad and 1/25-1/24th vehicle builds.

Edited by louiex2
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Has it's uses, rather fast speeds for fine work though. Recommended accessories are the drill hanging bracket/mounting, extension flexible drive and adjustable chuck, all of which I have set up permanently in the shed, clamped to the edge of my workbench. Ready for use on many household jobs as well as modelling. One job I remember was using the flex drive at arms length inside the guts of one of our old washing machines, cutting disc fitted, cutting rusted up old jubilee clips off the bottom hoses. I don't think anything else would have done that job.

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Not going all H&S but if you do use one to remove resin, your going to be creating a lot of fine dust which you don't want to be breathing in, or for that matter flying around the house

Agreed - I place a vacuum cleaner nozzle next to the workpiece to collect the dust as I create it! A face-mask is useful too.

Regards

Tim

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The battery powered one runs much slower and is more useful.

I have the diamond disc click lock cutter which is excellent for sanding resin and plastic and the chuck is pretty good for working sprue like a lathe with the aid of a file.

A plastic bag makes a handy dust catcher, especially for the resin dust.

Wouldnt be the same without it

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1/72 here too. I already had a Dremel 800 and bought a flex-drive, some Molding Flash Sanders from Hobby Elements and asked my dentist for any old tools he had.

I would say useful and a great boys' tool but not essential if you're prepared to put in some elbow grease IMHO (which I'm not!!)

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I find it as an ornament.....I have flexidrive, lathe attachment and have replaced it about 6 years ago with a variable transformer. I find I only tend to use it on Resin kits, where the circular saw blades fly thick and fast!!!! Suggest wearing goggles in this case. Last time I used it was on a Frog Gannet where the cockpit and undercarriage bays had to be cut out, but other than that, it sits idle in my spares draw. Its nice to know its there, but it may come out to play once or twice in a year. having said that, it depends on the project in hand that you are working on.................I used it more in Model Railways than I have done in plastic construction

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Hi Richard, save your money. If you are not into serious scratch build or modification then what you have already will do the job. It's a nice to have tool but not what you need. Get youself some good paint brushs instead.

Colin

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I have a cheapo 12volt one that is my paint stirrer via a variable speed train transformer, and a proper mains jobbie. Don't use it a lot, but I don't build 'shake and bake' so it has it's uses when butchering stuff. I tend to build 1/48 and 1/32. Buy a cheap one by all means. Remember as you get older and upscale, it will be useful, and cost a lot more in future. It's a good DIY tool as well.

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A motor tool of some kind is definitely worth having. I have a Dremel and do occasionally use it on 1/72 builds but its a bit too unwieldy for 1/72 generally. I get more use out of a low voltage (12V) Expo tool, going cordless is also probably a good idea. This is mine:

P1000287_zpse0c8186a.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...

A motor tool of some kind is definitely worth having. I have a Dremel and do occasionally use it on 1/72 builds but its a bit too unwieldy for 1/72 generally. I get more use out of a low voltage (12V) Expo tool, going cordless is also probably a good idea. This is mine:

P1000287_zpse0c8186a.jpg

I have one of those that I bought about 40 years ago! Connect it to a railway transformer so I can run it at any speed. Beware that it won't takes tools made for Dremels etc. They have a three millimetre shank. The Expo takes tools with a 2mm shank. You can get all sorts of tools from jewellery suppliers.

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Not going all H&S but if you do use one to remove resin, your going to be creating a lot of fine dust which you don't want to be breathing in, or for that matter flying around the house

Is there any particular concern regarding PUR-Dust? A quick search on the topic just brought up general concerns regarding particulate matter. Which means that the standard PS-Dust, of which we create loads in our hobby, is just as bad.

Edited by Hotel Papa
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Is there any particular concern regarding PUR-Dust? A quick search on the topic just brought up general concerns regarding particulate matter. Which means that the standard PS-Dust, of which we create loads in our hobby, is just as bad.

PUR dust in itself is inert and non-toxic. However it forms very small dust particles which tend to lodge permanently in the alveoli of the lungs and this is not a good thing (for particles of any material).

HTH

Andy

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I'm also in Proxxon camp and this little tool makes my life a lot easier - love it!

This is an example of huge time savings:

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234994454-172-airframe-short-s20-mercury/?p=2225385

Definitely, not an element of decor but valuable addition to the work bench, especially if you deal with vacu-resin-scratch-building

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  • 2 weeks later...

Sorry to be late to the party but I can add that having a rotary tool is very useful in many circumstances, even for a 1/72 modeller. Drilling holes is faster than using a pin vice and can be done easily on large parts (of course I'd never attempt at using a rotary tool to drill a 1/72 exhaust...). Removing excess plastic from short run kits is much easier and faster using a burr than with a knife and file. A sanding disk can be used to flatten curved parts (like I'm doing on my Spitfire XIX radiators in the made in Britain GB). Last but not least, the drill can even be used as a lathe for some works (I've reshaped spinners quickly and with good results using this technique).

As with most tools, everything that can be done with a Dremel can be done using other tools, however the results are better and achieved faster using one. If it doesn't break the bank it's worth buying it

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Quick comment:

Probably a good idea to find a dremel that isn't too large. Having said that, I am UNSURE if there are risks involved in holding a dremel with only one hand, if one imagined finding a dremel that was small.

I have a dremel, but I can't but help thinking that it seem too large

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