Rotary Tools

About 3 weeks ago I got a Dremel. I had wanted one for a long time. So, when Angie got a job, I celebrated by getting something we could both enjoy: A Dremel Stylus.

Pretty neat, huh? Its cordless which is awesome. AND it's comfortable to hold for long periods of time. A bunch of people on the privateer press forums suggested this. If they're reading: thanks.

Just a few quick hints that I've found people commonly mention:

• Don't operate the Dremel at high RPMs when working on a model. High speed = high friction = lots of heat. White metal and plastic have melting points well below what a Dremel can produce at the contact point.
• Buy the quick change collet kit. The various Dremel tools have a number of collet size requirements. The orginal collet is a bit tedious to keep changing all of the time.
• Do not use the Dremel for pinning. See the heat issue. Also, you have much less control with the Dremel (vs. a pin vise) and could easily hurt yourself or the model. Though grinding/cutting the brass rod seems OK>
• Make sure you have the right attachments. The Stylus comes with a mixed bag of goodies - not all of them usable until you have the quick change collet. Additionally, things like the drum sander bit are sold separately from most of the drums.
  

I haven't had much cause to use this yet. I've done a bit with some base modification. Mostly I've just bored holes in random things.