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View Full Version : Anyone here got lightweight metal production facilities?



Darren Null
05-23-2008, 6:19 PM
It's a dremil-type endpiece that should be there, but isn't. I've looked in the 2007-2008 dremil catalogue, but it isn't there. Definite gap in the market, anyway.
Being cheap, I constructed a plywood-and-glue version before I tried to buy a proper one. It came apart at 14,000 RPM, nearly taking my manly parts with it. OK, I have my kids and am biologically obsolete, as such, but my 'lunchbox' has given me many happy hours over the years and I'm quite attached to it. Them. Whatever.

Oh yeah. Dremil. It has loads of polishing stuff, but it's all done with the edge of a round thing. Which means that you have part of an arc protruding into whatever you're trying to clean up. This is no good if you're colour-filling (with relatively microscopic holes) and need a FLAT surface doing the polishing.

You can get a similar thing to go on drills for polishing up car bodywork and getting rid of scratches (in conjunction with a wax/very light grinding paste combination; T-Cut in the UK, Terowax in Spain, dunno 'bout US). But they're big, and only really come with lambswool pads (which means you have to spend quite some time picking fluff out. But for lasering at least, a smaller polisher and a different material would be much better

I went into a hardware shop, fully expecting to buy one of these. They don't exist, apparently. So I spent literally minutes, drafting production-quality drawings of what I've been talking about. If anyone makes grillions making them, send me some. I'll buy the first one. But I want it signed.

Darren Null
05-23-2008, 9:54 PM
Oh yes. Forgot to add. The whole thing needs to be chinese-style monkeymetal of not more than 0.5mm thick or it needs to be decent quality aluminium of probably not more than 1mm thick. Latter is preferable, of course. At 12-14,000 RPM (for cheapo stuff like mine) to 36,000 PM (according to the dremil catalogue I'm looking at) for buffstuff; either way it has to hold together under serious spin. And it needs to be light so as not to kill the tool.

It's just the metal disk bit that needs making.

Ray Mighells
05-24-2008, 1:53 AM
You are citing a very common accessory for a multitude of rotary tools. You get a shaft in 1/32 or 1/8" dia that accommodates a wide variety of cutting, sanding, and polishing wheels. Wood Carvers Supply.com has an online catalog you can search and buy online. Catalog part #805601 is 1/8" shaft Part #805604 is a 5pk sanding disc. I didn't see the felt in the sanding section, it's probably under polishing/buffing. You can find polishing compounds also.

Lee DeRaud
05-24-2008, 2:22 AM
Something like this (http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/store/Abrasives___Hook_and_Loop_p_1?Args=)? Not really made for a Dremel-type tool (1/4" shank IIRC), but fits/handles nicely in a right-angle drill. Normally used with sandpaper, but a little velcro and felt (or leather maybe) would fix you right up.

For the life of me I can't see why you'd want to turn something like this at 10K+...sounds like gross overkill. At the very least you'd end up with a line of polish halfway up every wall in the room. I guess you could chuck it up in a laminate trimmer if you really needed that much RPM.

Mark Brandt
05-24-2008, 9:48 AM
I was reading some things my husband had bookmarked and ran across your question. What you are describing sound like a tool that I used to have for doing manicures. Try a beauty supply store, you may find what you need.

Darren Null
05-24-2008, 11:39 AM
Thanks guys- I shall have an investigate. I thought there would be somebody doing these things.

Why 14k RPM? It just doesn't feel right unless I have a power tool turned up to 11. For some reason my wife won't let me have a plasma torch....

Jerry Hay
05-24-2008, 7:42 PM
I have an auto repair garage as well as a laser. It looks a lot like a few tools I have. One would be a 3M pad it has the velcro back and plenty of discs to go with it. I use it mainly to refinish headlights and polish them. The other is like my gasket buffer. It uses the same type of base but it is called rolock discs. they actually screw onto the head for a secure mount. Go check at a auto parts store I bet you will find something close that will work.

Dan Hintz
05-24-2008, 8:20 PM
As Mark (his wife?) pointed out, manicure kits are a good source of low-speed Dremel-style tools. Before I knew what a Dremel was, I often absconded with my mother's manicure kit for several hours at a time... sandpaper tubes, polishing cloths, cuticle rub... er, if you slapped the word Craftsman on the side of it they'd fly off the shelves.

You may be able to piece something together from the powered handtool aisle at your local Borg store... they already make small pieces of sandpaper with velcro attached, you would just need to trim it down to size. Pick up a diamond wheel for the Dremel (pricey, but just the size you're looking for, I believe), add some Goop, and slap on some velcro.

Try to keep it below 11, even if everyone else's only goes to 10.

Bob Keyes
05-24-2008, 9:33 PM
Darren,

If you don't find what you want let me know. I'll make whatever you want.

Darren Null
05-25-2008, 12:50 AM
Thanks again guys, and thanks Bob in particular.

The shopping layout here in Spain is somewhat counter-intuitive and in extreme cases follows no known laws of logic. Postage stamps, for example, are to be obtained from tobacco shops. It took two bloody days to find that out. Medicines and prescription drugs are dispensed by pharmacies, but if you need some serious chemical (cleaning agents and the like) you have to go to a perfume shop. That kind of makes sense. I've been here too long.

Hardware is bought from 'Ferreterias'- general hardware shops. The inventory for any one shop is, I believe, chosen by means of a blindfolded game of darts with product catalogues taped to a wall quite some distance away. After a long lunch. The only place that sells a (1 model) of plasma torch in town is a ferreteria that specialises in doorknobs and drawer handles. There may be a logic to it all but I'm f.....da......I really can't see it.

Anyway, in my search, I took in the '4 most likely' ferreterias...2 of which are official dremil dealers and 1 of which has a stand containing dremil's best 2007-2008. I obviously need to look harder...I'll probably find it in an underwear and beach inflatables shop (don't laugh- such things acually exist) mere hours after I've order a massively expensive diamond-encrusted thing from the interweb. For €0.50. And for €0.20 if I argue about the price.

There's nothing like Borg stores here. There are handyman-type warehouses, but at best they sell you 10 of the thing you need 1 of at a stupidly inflated price and at worst they're stitching you right up. €55 for a 50x30cm piece of glass? Think not. I can get it 1cm thick, cut to size and probably bulletproof at half that.
I'll try car parts too. The best car parts shop round here is actually a hydraulic tubing shop -for JCBs and the like.

So. To sum up, after my rant. Now that I know the things exist, I'll probably be able to find one. Probably in a grockle shop or on the back shelf in a greengrocer's. Of course, now I've thought of those, there's no chance of it being there. I'll do the blindfolded darts thing on a town map. Yeah.

EDIT:
Did I mention that each shop has it's own open hours and days off? If anyone can be arsed to turn up that is?

Lee DeRaud
05-25-2008, 1:49 AM
"Ferretaria" sounds like it should be a self-serve pet store specializing in rodents.:eek:

From your description, the part you're looking for is probably sold either at a bicycle shop or a shop that sells sex toys, assuming of course that those are in fact separate stores.:cool:

Darren Null
05-25-2008, 2:28 AM
Aw crap. I was going to try a bicycle shop, but it's doomed now. The sex toys shop in town is run by an english person, so there's a somewhat disquieting consistency of inventory. I don't go in there much- it frightens me.

"Going to buy some ferrets" is the phrase we use. It generally is synonymous with being parted with an unreasonably large sum of money in exchange for some dangerous toy with which I will almost certainly injure myself later on. Only then will I read the instructions.

UPDATE: An incredibly kind person has offered to send me a tool of the sort I have been rambling on about. Thanks hugely. And thanks to everyone who has offered suggestions.