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The blade was a practice blade for honing...the hones didn't arrive today so I went and bought a dremel tool.
Sooooooooooo...How am I supposed to use the dremel? I doubt I'll be able to use it to sand anytime soon. I guess the polishing went well.
I'm thinking about taking it back.
Brilliant!
First I hope I am not misunderstanding here, but did you try to work on the edge with a dremel?
You need to make sure that the direction of rotation is away of the edge not towards. Also watch out for overheating, but with practice you can learn how to use the dremel effectively.
How did you damage the blade, do you have pics?
I'll limit my comment to the one most critical aspect of Dremels and razors.
ALWAYS think about the rotation of the Dremel wheel relative to the edge of the blade. The rotation of the wheel should always be from spine to edge. If you ever fail to think of this and approach the edge from the wrong direction, you risk serious injury and damage to the razor.
Don't ever forget how serious this is. You need to always remind yourself which way the Dremel wheel turns before you get anywhere near the blade.
There are a bunch of indentations on the blade. Grooves. Which bit is the best one for sanding? Do you move vertically or horizontally? I think my biggest mistake was using a bit that put deep grooves into the blade.
Is there a video tutorial?
Lynn's dvd is on the way...is there anything in there?
Also, I did use lots of safety precautions...googles, gloves, mask, blade secured to the table...
The best bit for sanding is not a bit. The best option for a beginner is plain old sandpaper. At least, that's my opinion.
what progression would you use???
Would a buffer be a better investment than a dremel?
JCsixx, I can help here alot, because I have been down this road recently.
I NEVER sand the blade with the dremel. It can only cause problems. If you have deep rust pits and you use the Dremel, you just end up with deep sanded pits. Just hand sand with a lower grit.
I only use the Dremel for:
Using the wire brush attachment to clean out jimps.
Use the felt polishing wheels after hand sanding to 2000 grit, applying a bit of Mothers Wheel polish to the blade.
Shaping scales to a rough outline shape with the drum sander.
Drilling the pin holes.
I just hand sanded a Dubl Duck that really looked far gone after my initial 1000 grit sanding. (thought it was only patina, boy I was wrong.) But Man! it came out great. Sorry I don't have pics yet.
I started at 220. Wrap the sandpaper around an old cork. Move in various directions. Circles, back and forth, up and down. THe I went to 320, 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1500, 2000. I swear this thing looks almost new.
I broke 2 blades and ruined another trying to go quick with the dremel. It isn't worth it. I can hand sand a badly pitted blade to new in about 5 hours. Crank up the music, and have fun.
Hope this helps.
Yes! It absolutely does! I'll have to buy you a beer sometime! Think I should return the dremel? I don't have any other use for it besides razors.
I would keep the Dremel. You can use it on the jimps, for polishing, and drilling holes in scales among other projects.
No, I would keep the dremel. Buy the stand for it that makes it a drill press ($47). Great for sanding scales to rough shape, drilling Pin holes, wire brushing jimps.
But that is just me, you can do those things with other methods, depends on your financial situation.
The only thing I would use a dremel for is to wire brush between the scales where a buffer can't reach. I really think there are better tools for any other job.
+1 on all of what Souschefdude has said. Great advice about the drill press stand.
Like him, I also find the wire brush to be a great attachment. It's the first thing I use, all the time. Second, if you have the 4000 kit, it comes with cutting attachments. This works very well if you don't have a shop or band saw....like me. It's basically a style of drill bit, with a guide, and it works.
Hand sanding is key. It's good practice, and a good skill to have.
As per Glen's advice, I use wd-40 on my higher grits (after 600). One pass, 600 dry, one pass 600 with lube. One pass 800 dry, one with lube, and so on, until 2000. The blades come out lovely.
Keep your dremel, a man should never give up his tools.
He who dies with the most toys...wins.
Good luck,
Maxi
You can use a dremel with the "abrasive buffs", the fine one, and a light touch. They are part number 511E. They come with a coarse (180grit) and medium (280 grit) grit buff in one pack. Mostly I use the medium one. Otherwise, I only use the felt buffing wheels and wire brushes. When using a felt buff, keep it moving and as ment9ioned above, and keep in mind the rotation. ALWAYS use safety glasses!
I have just started dremel work and it seems OK as long as you take the much-emphasised safety precautions (robust safety specs, uncluttered work area etc). Mainaman and ToxIk have posted excellent accounts of preparation of sanding sleeves for the drum accessory and how to approach blade restoration.
I have kept well away from the edge of the blade and used the tool as I would a fountain pen with very little pressure, using the flexible projecting lip of the sanding sleeve as recommended. I guess fool's rush in where angels fear to tread but so far I am unscathed...
Dremels can be very handy when unpinning scales. If you use it with a very small round diamond bit you can dish the pin below the washer - helps a lot when the pin has flared out and 'grabs' the sides of the hole near the top of the scale - dishing it here helps relieve the pressure and enables you to drift the pin out with a small drift bar.
Regards,
Neil
Reading my own post here I have had one of those light bulb moments and realised the fundamental difference between Mainaman's method and that of ToxIk. Mainaman's sleeve is some 2" long whereas ToxIk uses a short section (this is what I have been using so far).
I really must concentrate reading off the screen; it's a poor excuse but being something of an old-timer I prefer the written page, tending to skip when reading the computer display
i just used my dremel in it's stand to polish some handmade domed washers by cutting the head off a small screw, nipping the pointy end a bit and then screwing the washer on. dremels are very handy.
I respectfully disagree -- take the $47 you would have spent on the dremel stand and buy a small bench drill press at harbor freight (I got one /w a coupon for $43 out the door...) or on craigslist for a used one... you'll thank yourself later. The stability of the "dremel workstation" isn't particularly great since it is all plastic, and the dremel only screws onto the stand at one end and is not stabilized on the other. I owned one for a short period of time and after I decided to bite the bullet and get a "real" drill press I kicked myself for even trying the dremel workstation in the first place.Quote:
Originally Posted by souschefdude
I also agree keep the dremel though -- it is great for unpinning as Neil mentioned. Its the first tool I grab when I need to unpin a razor.
Exactly my experience, Brad! It looked like an awesome piece of kit, but it only took 5 minutes to teach me its true limitations. For precise work it is simply too unsteady. Heaven knows, a drill bit wobbles about a lot by itself, it doesn't need a non-rigid stand to help it any! How any engineer thought a marriage between a plastic gripping arm and a round column (Dremel - are you listening - make it all metal or at least a square-section column!) would be stable is being me.Quote:
Originally Posted by Undream
I now have a cheap all-metal, variable speed pillar drill. Not that the Dremel stand isn't still in service - I have an inquisitive lot of spiders in my workshop, and they love it - how could I deprive them of such a high-tech play area?!
Regards,
Neil
Plastic does not make for a stable drill press. And a wobbly drill is far from ideal.
Also, if you are new, handsanding is the way to go.
And even if you are experienced, for restoration it is still the way to go imo. I still use it for getting excellent results. Look in the wiki or do a forum search for my handsanding howto.
Stay away from power tools for doing the work, for now.
Just my 2 ct for now.