Thread: What do you guys think of a Dremel?

Yes I am using one that Randy borrowed to me.He uses a c-clamp on the foot pedal for controlling the speed. Just make sure that you do not lose the chuck LOL. I put the chuck on a retractable ID holder and put it on the handle of the machine. this way I never lose it. Randy would kill me if I did. LOL joking.

Originally Posted by Kees

Thanks everyone for their contributions.

So I guess I would be better of buying one of the rotary tools that has a lower rotary speed than a Dremel. Do all the Dremel bits fit on a Foredom knock off?

Yeah, most seem to come with an adjustable chuck. The two linked to in this thread both accept bits up to 5/32. Most dremel bits are less then that. There are some 1/4 bits, but I haven't run into them.

Originally Posted by Pyment

I have ruined a few blades with my Dremel. Thus I agree that care is warranted.

Just wondering, how did can one ruin a blade with a dremel aside from chipping the edge? I've caused a massive chip in one of my razors, but want to know if there's anything else I need to be careful about.

If you are not careful you can easily overheat the edge and ruin the temper of the blade. A friend of mine who was expert in the use of a Dremel to polish a blade (after 10 hours of hand sanding in progressive grits) would use a glass of water filled with ice cubes and dip the blade often as he polished with the Dremel.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

If you are not careful you can easily overheat the edge and ruin the temper of the blade. A friend of mine who was expert in the use of a Dremel to polish a blade (after 10 hours of hand sanding in progressive grits) would use a glass of water filled with ice cubes and dip the blade often as he polished with the Dremel.

How come dremeling ruins an edge but sanding doesn't? When I polish at 5000rpm with a felt wheel or tip, the blade feels much cooler than when I sand it for example. It doesn't even heat up at all from what I can tell.
I asked Glen about this since I expected a buffing wheel to overheat a blade more than any dremel and he said that it's highly unlikely to ruin a temper using a dremel. He told me to keep the blade below a temperature that would scald my finger.
I'm wondering if I use my dremel correctly though. I may be using it wrong and that may be why my blade doesn't heat up. I gently touch the felt wheel to the surface. I can't get the blade to shine up quite like others do. I've seen heavily scratched blades that are still very shiny, but mine are still a bit matte after emery compound and jewelers rouge. Does anyone have thoughts on how I can improve my polishing?

I usually start out cleaning up a SR with a dremel & stainless brush, but wear safety glasses or a shield, those little wires leave at an amazing speed!