Dremel Tool

[DanP]

Greetings all, new member here. Just ordered a new Dremel tool for general
workshop use including minor gunsmith stuff, knife repair/rebuild, and reloading
activities. Any suggestions from tool savvy folks on uses beyond the norm, or
uses that may not immediately come to mind? Thanks in advance for your assistance. dp

 

[Pat-inCO]

My suggestion is to build/make several fixtures out of wood to hold both
the tool and the part. That gets you used to using the tool and when you
go to working parts, you will save many times the cost of a few 2x4s and
plywood in the parts you do not destroy.

Been there, done that. :wink:

 

[bogus bill]

Comes in handy to buff my fangs. I broke a hammer spur this summer and bought a dremel to snub the hammer. Worked great and paid for itself the first use. Cheated a gunsmith. Haven't used it since though.

 

[Jeepnik]

Little late now, but what size? I've found you need both a small one for delicate stuff and a larger one for heavier work.

Also, use the right bit for the job, don't try to fake it. And, have enough buffing, grinding, sanding and cutting wheels.

 

[Don Lovel]

go to a jeweler and ask him if he has any old bits you can get from him, great way to get some good cutters as those too dull for jeweler bench use do great with wood and bone and antler and plastics, etc

Oh yeah, wear safety glasses, I got a piece of a cutoff wheel stuck in my cheek when it grenaded

 

[caryc]

Well...if you ever start making gun grips, you can use it with a flex shaft to sign and number the back of your grips. That's about all I've ever used mine for. :mrgreen:

It will come in handy though the first time you ever need one. Better to have it on your shelf than in some store.

 

[loaded round]

Go slow! You will be amazed how much material you will remove very quickly. Practice with your tool first before you destroy something expensive.

 

[Fox Mike]

Have used my Dremel for buffing stainless, sanding rough outline on grips. Just bought a Dremel coping saw for the "little" projects I am working on. The key is to NEVER be in a hurry!

 

[DeletedMember275]

I assume that your new Dremel is a variable speed model. For probably 90% of the work that you'll do, you will very, very seldom need to have the speed control maxed out. Most work is done at medium speeds. Some grinding tips and such are not rated for the top speed of the tool, and will come apart if used at those speeds. Always wear eye protection, as already stated.

 

[graygun]

Beyond the norm (sort of) : Used the drill press and tool to drill-out a broken pin in a circuit board. Another time,used several cutting discs to cut a bolt in two.

 

[SAJohn]

The buffing wheel can be used to put the final spit polish finish on most any firearm's trigger sear surfaces.

 

[toysoldier]

i just used my Dremel tool with (many) cut-off wheels to get the cast iron frame out of an upright piano. After gutting everything else, I dropped the piano on its back (not without injury---that's another story) and used the Dremel to groove the cast iron in several places. Several blows with a 3-pound hammer broke the frame into managable pieces. I've used it with cutting wheels more than anything else.

 

[Number9]

I use to get carbide dental burrs from my dentist(biohazard now), Good for marking metal, even titanium and stainless. You can still get them on eBay.

Marker for pet grave, made from stainless plate...

 

[DanP]

To all respondees:
Many thanks for all the tips you passed along.
In printed form will go in the tool case.
Regards, dp

 

[gramps]

I have an battery powered dremel that I got to remove a lock from my gate when some creep damaged it to where my key wouldn't work. Now 21 years later the battery is toast! I need to buy another battery. As others, I mostly use the cutting and polishing discs.
gramps

 

[redhawker]

I've got one that's two speed, slow and fast. The slow is almost useless and the fast is almost too fast. If I were to buy another one I'd get the variable speed.

 

[SR1911SHOOTER]

I use mine to number the magazines for my pistols. Helps keep track of the
troublesome mags.
Blackie

 

[contender]

I own a Dremel, as well as a Foredom jewelers tool,,, that's like a Dremel.
Biggest tip I can offer is to learn how to use that tool on cheap, disposable items BEFORE EVER tackling gun parts. Many are the guns ruined or butchered by a "kitchen table gunsmith" who thought the Dremel was the answer. I've never used my tools for the delicate & precision stuff on my guns. Hand tools only.
Dremels have their place,,, but just be very careful.

 

[caryc]

I own a Dremel, as well as a Foredom jewelers tool,,, that's like a Dremel.
Biggest tip I can offer is to learn how to use that tool on cheap, disposable items BEFORE EVER tackling gun parts. Many are the guns ruined or butchered by a "kitchen table gunsmith" who thought the Dremel was the answer. I've never used my tools for the delicate & precision stuff on my guns. Hand tools only.
Dremels have their place,,, but just be very careful.

Good advice. Sometimes using the Dremel can just be a way to screw it up faster.

 

[Jeepnik]

I use mine to number the magazines for my pistols. Helps keep track of the
troublesome mags.
Blackie

I use a ballpeen hammer for that. If mags act up and cleaning doesn't work, I smack them once with a ballpeen hammer and toss them in the recycle can.

Mags are cheap, not worth the bother.

 

[Spleenless Dave]

I have a variable speed Dremel and it's a great tool. I used mine while working on prop replicas, and with the flex shaft and some tiny diamond tip bits, I was able to engrave tiny detail in to movie prop replicas I was making, like this Han Solo blaster from Star Wars, using a Denis replica mauser. I found that Sears has a good section with lots of bits and accessories for the Dremel.

 

[Ruger Redhawk]

My Dremel has come in handy several times. I'm sure as little as I use mine it will outlast me.

I bought a Kahr CM9 and they left the top edge of the barrels chamber like a razor blade. Same with an SP101. The top flat edge of the crane was also real sharp and I used the Dremel on both of them. The best part is you'd never know it.

I use the little polishing pads quite often. I put just a touch of that red polishing compound on the polishing pad and polish my feed ramps. I keep saying Polishing pads. I think they call them the felt pads.

As mentioned go slow ,getting in a hurry won't do anything but get you in trouble. Unless there's allot to be done I generally try to do it by hand. Dremels are great but it takes time getting used to them. You can always take more off but putting it back on is the hard part.