Thread: Redneck Dremel speed control [RDSC]

Motto: If you don't have what you need, make do with what you have. My dilemma: I had an old Dremel model 275 with a single speed which was Whoa Nelly. More accurately, that means 30,000 rpm! I wanted to use the tool to removes pins from a razor but felt the speed would be difficult to manage for such an intricate job. Figuring it would be less expensive than ordering a new Dremel with variable speed I ordered a speed control device from Amazon. It arrived and was packed up and returned the very next day as the controller simply did not do anything to control the speed. So there I was with my 100 mph Dremel and no way to control it. That's when an epiphany struck and I went to the closet where my wife's sewing machine, long forgotten and forlorn, was located. I "borrowed" the foot pedal for an experiment and it worked. I am doubtless not the only person to ever think of this but here was my take on the matter. I could not maintain a consistent speed with the foot pedal. So I decided to enclose it in a box with a knob to adjust and maintain the speed and viola,I had a working speed controller. I used it with exceptional results on my first two razor pin removals without a blemish on the scales and both sets of scales came out whole. I found the Dremel some what clumsy but was able to control it.

So without further ado, here is the Redneck Dremel speed contol:

Okay, you may be laughing, but it actually works. I will be making a post soon titled: Easy Peasy Pin Removal where I will show the first two pin removals I ever did with this set-up. Keep a watch out for the post. Pin removal in 30 seconds and the scales remain unharmed (at least in my first 3 attempts).

The RDSC works, but it started to vary in speed at times and needed fine adjusting. Though this may be a make-shift device for doing a few pin removals, I wasn't satisfied it would stand up to the test of time. And remember, I just "borrowed" the foot pedal for experimentation.

As I was smoking a cigarette and drinking a beer in my shop (my garage), a mental equivalent of a hurricane swept through my mind and blew away the mental fart that was lingering there. With a fresh perspective on things, I remembered I had a Rotozip variable speed tool and said to myself: "Self, I only need a flex cable to use this tool for the purposes I intend". A shopping trip on Amazon, $15 and two days later with Prime service, I had my new rig set-up and ready to go. What a wonderful dream this has become. Slow speed when I need it and very precise control of the bit with the hand piece. I only wish I had thought of this at the very beginning!

The foot control will be returned to the closet from whence it came and the Dremel will be retired again. Maybe I will sell them both on eBay as antiques. But for anyone who does not have the resources I had at my disposal, the RDSC can and does work.

Thank for stopping by.

Randy