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Gadgets, Gizmos, and Dohickeys => What Equipment to Buy and Where to Get it. => Topic started by: Nirena on December 05, 2016, 09:45:50 PM
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I've been using 2 dremels and their engravers since forever. Is it worth it to get a foredom? And if so from where? Deals, comes with accessories that are useful?
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Foredoms are awesome! Do a search and see what kind of deals you can find. It's before Christmas, so I don't there are probably lots of sales. Don't get another piece of equipment until you get your rusting problem fixed!
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Foredoms are the greatest thing since sliced bread. :) The range and depth of accessories is amazing. A foredom has been my right hand for 35 years of professional goldsmithing. With that in mind, there are some alternatives. There is a foredom clone out there that will take all the accessories, has very acceptable power, and is priced right at $115.00, IIRC It's like the difference between Craftsman and Snap-on tools...depends on how much you use it. These are available from www.cas-ker.com. (I hope the link works...I am a computer dummy :) )
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Hmm.. I'm thinking Christmas present. I don't want to know what the acid did to the sticky insides of the dremel...Blech!
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Unless you're doing metal smithing, buy just the basic tool & handpiece. The bits in those kits are all for working metal, wood & plastics. You'll want diamond bits. Buy the tool hanger at the same time, or the bench motor mount.
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Unless you're doing metal smithing, buy just the basic tool & handpiece. The bits in those kits are all for working metal, wood & plastics. You'll want diamond bits. Buy the tool hanger at the same time, or the bench motor mount.
ABSOLUTELY correct, every accessory kit I have ever bought has left half the pieces unused. Buy accessories and bits as you need them.
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Ok you think the Foredom clone is the best to go with. I'm paying for half so going all out. Any special attachments. I saw a bezel vibration end or something. Would be fun to play with. I want it to chisel? Is that the correct word? Vibrate back and forth for bezel pushing, etc. Anyone use a foot pedel? Any links are greatly appreciated. Live in Alberta never seen one before just Dremel's. Oh, everything stopped rusting. Just took awhile to clean as I got ill big job having to wash under every inch of furniture and soaking, scrubbing, then oiling takes so long for everything. What's the best little polisher for cabs and jewelry? Cleared out a ton of junk have room for more. Thanks!
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The foot pedal is a must if you want to be able to control your tool speed.
Never seen a bezel pusher. Maybe something new for Foredom ? Nearest thing I've seen is a chisel head for carving wood, bone & such.
If the cost difference isn't too great, go with the genuine Foredom. Most of the knockoffs are made in China. Ya gets what ya pays for.
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I think you're talking about a hammer handpiece for bezels. Here's a link you can browse and see all the different models and hammer handpieces. If you are going all-out, get the Foredom. Definitely need the foot pedal to work with the Foredom.
https://www.riogrande.com/category/tools-and-equipment/flexshafts-and-rotary
Glad you got your mess cleaned up! :icon_sunny:
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So am I, thank you so much!! :Worthy: :hello2: :hello2:
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So many choices. Getting the hammer handpiece. What's the best one with tons of stuff? would have to order right away. I can't choose.
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I would get one of the Foredom SR models. It has the capability to run forward and reverse, which is quite handy. The #30 handpiece is the standard and has a chuck. There is also the #20 quick change handpiece. Which handpiece you get (besides the hammer) is up to you. The #20 saves time, obviously, but since I'm not a professional jeweler, I never worried about a couple of seconds. All the kits with accessories basically have the same things in them and like the others said, you're going to end up buying diamond burs and different polishing buffs to fit what you're working on.
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The # 30 handpiece for sure. You'll be able to use bits in a wide range of shank sizes, without the trouble of having to change collets.
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This quick change hand-piece is a great price,
I ordered one some time ago from this company.
Free shipping to Canada.
http://www.banggood.com/FOREDOM-T30-Quick-Change-Handpiece-Chuck-Key-Rotary-Machine-Tools-p-958583.html?rmmds=myorder
and - I was surprised to find out when mine arrived - it was a made in Italy product - not China as one might assume.
I've ordered from this company several times with no issues.
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Nirena:
Are you carving? I'm guessing that you are, since you had some rust issues.
I have gone through 3 Dremels; the switches give out. I half-killed a Grobet, which is really similar to a Foredom. The motor only runs at half speed. It lasted about 4 years, the Dremels lasted a year or so.
I've been using a 2 Foredoms for about 2 years each, so the jury is still out. I have the hammer piece, but haven't really used it much. I made a graver head for it and used it as an engraver some, but I had more control doing it by hand so abandoned the idea. I haven't tried it to bezel set yet.
That's a great price on the quick change handpiece, but I notice that it seemed to be almost as large as the standard handpiece. I don't have particularly small hands for a woman, but those larger handpieces are obviously designed for larger hands. When I carve, I'll carve for hours, and the big handpieces made me have horrible cramps after a while.
Wecheer makes a slim handpiece http://www.woodcraft.com/product/147228/wecheer-detail-handpiece.aspx#REVIEWS (http://www.woodcraft.com/product/147228/wecheer-detail-handpiece.aspx#REVIEWS) as does Foredom https://www.riogrande.com/Product/Foredom-H28-Slimline-Handpiece/117591 (https://www.riogrande.com/Product/Foredom-H28-Slimline-Handpiece/117591). Your Dremel collets will work in both. I don't have the Foredom slim handpiece, but I do have 2 of the Wecheer and I think they're great. Much less fatigue and they run true.
If you look on this page https://www.riogrande.com/search/go?w=foredom+handpiece (https://www.riogrande.com/search/go?w=foredom+handpiece) you'll see that they have a quick change slim handpiece, but it has the same length as the hammer handpiece. The length makes the handpiece hard to maneuver and awkward to work with.
Just something to think about. I wish they had the small, slim one with a quick change feature.
If you are using the Foredom or Foredom clone for jewelry polishing and the sort, it's likely that your machine will last a lot longer than mine did. I put a lot of wear, tear and hours on mine. Be smart, buy the Foredom lubricant when you get the one of your choice and get in the habit of cleaning and lubing the shaft. It's dirty but easy and will add years to the life of the shaft and machine, even a Dremel. I've known folks that have never cleaned or lubed their flexshafts and then wonder why it makes that horrible noise. It's recommended that you do it after 40 hours of use. It takes about 5 minutes, and if you need help, post here or message me. I check in every few days.
Debbie
PS: You absolutely want the foot pedal!
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I have a couple of hand pieces that I use in mineral & fossil prep work. In a second I'll post a pic. In front is the #30, and behind is a spring type that my old hands find quite comfortable to work with. Mine was made in Austria for Foredom many moons ago, but they are still made. They are a quick release type, but are very limited to the size of tool shanks you can use It's about as big around as a fine tip Sharpie.
(http://i907.photobucket.com/albums/ac274/jakesrocks/Dons%20Fossils/Mineral%20and%20fossil%20prep%20tools/000E1132_zps46bb3dc2.jpg) (http://s907.photobucket.com/user/jakesrocks/media/Dons%20Fossils/Mineral%20and%20fossil%20prep%20tools/000E1132_zps46bb3dc2.jpg.html)
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Nirena:
Just checked your posting history and read about what caused the rust. Since I dabble with chemicals, too, I wanted to know exactly what happened.
What kind of pickle did you have in the crock pot? Where did the ferric chloride come from and what did it get on? You fumed with HCL acid, was it a dilute solution? And you added kosher salt.
What an awful nightmare. I stupidly put my pickle pot under all of my hammers and the predictable happened, but nothing like what you're describing.
Re: the mill. Depending on what kind it is and how pitted/rusted your platens are there are some things to do and try. I bought an old rusty mill and restored the rollers: I took them off and turned them on a lathe and sanded them. If the rust is light and all over, not dripping down in one spot, you can try a polishing cream like Simichrome. Unfortunately for me, mine had been stored in a garage and condensation had dripped down and rusted and pitted the bottom of both rollers, so I had to reduce the diameter of each roller quite a bit.
Wax will help to stop steel from rusting, too, for the things you don't want to soak in oil. I hope that this has really and truly stopped.
Debbie
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Debbie, have you checked out the Faro quick-change handpieces? That's the one most of the professionals I know use. It's pretty slim and the only drawback is it's limited to 3/32" bits. You might like the duplex spring option but it's pricey. I think these are still made in Italy. I know there are cheap Chinese knock-offs which I'd avoid in favor of the former if they're still available.
http://www.gesswein.com/p-2001-faro-handpiece.aspx
I've had one of the Austrian duplex-spring handpieces like Don's for years but it's always given me problems -- it doesn't tighten enough and won't hold bits securely. Maybe I got a lemon but I gave up on it after sending it back to the factory once and having the same problem again. It's limited to 3/32" bits too.
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Thanks, yes, I have. The price deterred me, and the fact that I use all sizes of bits and burs. I finally settled on having 2 tools with different size collets, it saves some time.
I actually got a couple of dental handpieces, and I had always been convinced that these would be the "magic tools"; you know, the ones that will make you a better carver by some mysterious method. Well, not so much. Only works well in really specialized circumstances.
The older I get, the more I use hand tools. That way I get to make my mistakes really slowly.
Debbie
PS: Don, are you snowed in?
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LOL, Nope Debbie. Frozen, but very little snow. About 30 miles north of me it's been one blizzard after another.
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The older I get, the more I use hand tools. That way I get to make my mistakes really slowly.
Debbie
Now that made me laugh! I really identify with it because it's been exactly my own experience. I bought a hammer handpiece for bezel setting but after a coupe of rather sad experiences I immediately went back to my original engraving block/hand-held setting tool and hammer. I've had similar experiences with other "automated" procedures. Too much speed!