Dremel too fast

Actually, my dremel is 15,000 low & 28,000 high.

As you may have read in the other posts, Dremel used to make a variable speed controller a while back, and you can generally find them on e-bay from time to time. The biggest problem with variable speed controllers is that they probably won't work with a Dremel that is already variable speed. I have a Dremel control box here, but you can't have it.

Don't know of any instructions to build one - sorry.

The newer Dremels have such low torque (as compared to the ancient ones from many years ago) that the best way I've found to slow one down to "Modeling Speed" is the flexible attachment. It puts some drag on the motor and will slow it down to creeping speed.

I do a lot of scratchbuilding in styrene and I swear by my three Dremels. I never could understand why everyone has so much problem with the speed. I do most of my shaping on high speed with no problem. The secret is coarse teeth and "light" pressure. Melting is not caused by speed specifically but rather by friction. For delicate and final shaping I switch to 5000rpm's. Try course teeth or grit tooling and light pressure. It might work for you.

i'll try buying the speed controller @ walmart and see what happends....about the pressure thing, even when i put it @ 5000 rpms and 1mm over the surface, it rips thru the paint and melts the surface (even with the felt tips)
I AM STILL looking for some schematics on how to build a speed controller myself, as so many ppl here on finescale have made....
dremel control box? GIMMIE more info on it please (i'll look it up myself but still . . .;p u can have ures)
lookin for some more answers here ppl...

Doom_Giver,
With you problrm with the speed controller that you have built for you dremal can you answer a few questions? What is the power rating of the dremal and of the light dimmer? Also i found when i made my speed controler for my dremal equivalent that i have to adjust both the built in speed controller and my additional one. Hope this helps?

Cheers Trev

Here is what i was referring to:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=29528&item=4324251636&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

The dremel power is @ 120v, 1.15 amps, 50-60 hz AC (MultiPro 3961-02)
The dimmer is @ 600 watts, single pole, and it says here that it works with 120v halogens...
hope this helps....i am beginning to see a problem with the dimmer being single pole, as the dremel isnt...hmmm...wonder if they make multi-pole dimmers.....
please help....thanx

Doom_Giver,

It sounds like it all should work. It maybe worth connecting the dimmer up to a light to see if the dimmer works. The only other reason i can think of is that you have wired it up incorrectly?

Cheers Trev

can you draw some kind of diagram showing how to wire this junk up?
i tried one method, (btw, the dimmer only has 2 wires and 1 grounding wire)...i split the powercord and connected only one wire of the 2 wire powercord to the dimmer, as if i connect both it will short circuit...the other wire in the powercord is untouched....i tried this on a light, and it worked fine....what am i doing wrong????
the dimmer isn't polarized....guessing that isnt right....
please help!

Are you saying that the dimmer has a total of 2 or 3 wires?

total of 3 wires, 1 input, 1 output, and 1 grounding wire

I have a fixed speed Dremel that I picked up on Ebay. You can't use a variable speed tool and then put a speed reducer on it. You will fry your motor/brushes. Find a fixed speed dremel or moto tool and then buy a foot pedal from micro mark. Or you can spend the bucks and get a foredom. I think they sell them at lowe's now for under $200. Seems high, but once you have one, you are set for life. The handpiece alone is a life saver. really smooth.

if you own a variable speed drill u can get a flexible shaft for that, safer too.

heh, look at a dremel in the scale of the model that you are working on, its HUGE and it spins at near "sonic" speeds compared to scale, you use it for BIG jobs mostly to cut and file down, if you use it the proper way you will be able to cut sprue like a mad man... hah! most times I use a dremel for jobs that are completely unrelated to modeling...

will the flex shaft reduce speed enough to say, sand putty and seam corrections on my 1/48 f-14b?

actually flex shafts wont reduce speed by that much. these days they are so efficient that they have hardly any drag. besides, causing drag aint fantastic for your drill. i suggest getting a vari speed drill that you can lock the speed in, and not have to hold the trigger. you know the kind that has a little knob........ that would be a worthwhile investment for the house too. but, i reckon for all but the most gargantuan, rough then smooth grades of sanding paper oughtta do it......

i already have a variable speed dremel...btw, dremels made nowadays are all mostly variable speed, and none of them have a "trigger" but rather have a lever that clicks to the speed wanted....oh well, i suppose the verdict of this forum is that no-one wants to share how in the world they got their dimmer switch to work with their dremels....i have found a few schematics, and we shall see if they work/if the foot petal works...

I made a speed control for my Dremel over 30 years ago and it still works. I took an old sewing machine foot pedel and wired it into a outlet box. With just a light foot pressure you can regulate the speed of a Dremel tool. I haven't tried it with the multi speed Dremels. I only use it with a two speed Dremel and keep my other multi speed Dremels for other uses.

You might also try the battery powered Dremels. The RPM and torque is lower than the corded type.

QUOTE: Originally posted by berny13 I made a speed control for my Dremel over 30 years ago and it still works. I took an old sewing machine foot pedel and wired it into a outlet box. With just a light foot pressure you can regulate the speed of a Dremel tool. I haven't tried it with the multi speed Dremels. I only use it with a two speed Dremel and keep my other multi speed Dremels for other uses. You might also try the battery powered Dremels. The RPM and torque is lower than the corded type.

The "Ancient" Dremel I had/have (Crapped the bed the other day while I was shaping bills for some diving plugs) actually has a Dremel(Brand) Foot Pedal to control the speed.
Don't know what I'll do now that it's broke....Hopefully it's something just as simple as replacing the brushes...maybe putting the comm on the lathe(Thank GOD for all my electric R/C experience!)

i have the single speed dremel w/ the speed box, but even at its slowest speed it still ran to fast for me. but if u remove the speed box cover you will see a small pot (potentiometer) with a insulated tool turn the pot with the box set at the slowest speed and the dremel on you can lower the speed much more. one word of warning, the single speed dremels are air cooled. if u run it to slow for to long you could cook the windings. better yet get a foredom, pricey yes but well worth it in the long run

I built a speed controller as well. Don't use a dimmer switch. Use a ceiling fan rheostat. (few more $$) Also, when running the variable speed on the Dremel make sure it is on its highest output, then dial it down using the rheostat.
HTH

you guys call that fast? I have a 35000rpm only

Hey Doom, I just bought a rotary tool that only goes down to 8,000rpm, and though I haven't done a ton of sanding, I put it to use this weekend and it didn't melt anything. Maybe you're just using too much pressure?

QUOTE: Originally posted by Hooker06 Actually, my dremel is 15,000 low & 28,000 high. As you may have read in the other posts, Dremel used to make a variable speed controller a while back, and you can generally find them on e-bay from time to time. The biggest problem with variable speed controllers is that they probably won't work with a Dremel that is already variable speed. I have a Dremel control box here, but you can't have it. Don't know of any instructions to build one - sorry.

jeez, my highest is 10000rpm!

My Dremel is an old Crafstman corded. Its settings are 1500 to 30000. Its grest, Idle to HOLY CRAP! I had to rebuild it 3 times so far with new brushes, but after looking at the new ones offered, Ill keep rebuilding this one till its too wore out to do anything with. If it wasnt soo used and abused I would give you guys the model# but the tag is as worn out as my X-wife
Scott

Honestly, the guys not even looking for answers anymore probably. But here's my 2 cents- dremel should NOT be used to sand puttied seams. That's ridiculous. That should be done by hand with progressively finer grades of sand paper.

I had in my hands Craftsman´s (similar to Dremel), US made Dremel, Mexican made Dremel (German Bosh owns the firm), I have a Dremel Minimite (battery operated), it’s bigger brother, a 270 old Dremel, a Dremel variable speed controller as well, a couple of those Chinese made mototools, a spanish one, and an argentine Dril-Kar (hanging foot pedal operated). The most I use, are the Dril-Kar, specially to do intricate work at controlled speed, the old faithfull Dremel 270 (full single speed), some times the Chinese cheap ones, by them selves or attached to a flex-shaft, so I try to use the most relevant characteristic of each one for the task. If you are trying to do a seam job, do what tankmaster7 says. If that is not a solution, try using Dremel´s Minimites, they have a two speed settings, relatively small and low weight, even you can get the ones made by Dremel for the ladies (to do nail work), which are AAA battery operated, if you do so get rechargeable batteries and a charger, so you don’t have to throw away batteries and save money. Yes I´am a modeler but some times I think I’ve got the illness some modelers have, and that is mutating to kits and tool collectionist.

On page 50 of the newest Micro-Mark catalog has 2 different special chucks that fit cordless screwdrivers and allow the use of small drill bits, sanding drums, etc. at the slower speeds. You can buy battery operated screwdrivers in the discount stores for $5 all day long.

The problem of high speeds in Dremel tools has come up several times in this Forum and others. Maybe what we need to do is form a lobbying group and tell the Dremel people what should be obvious to them: their tools just plain run too fast for model builders.

Every time Dremel makes a new rotary tool it promotes it by claiming it's faster and more powerful than the last one. The truth is that, for model builders, the ones Dremel made thirty years ago were far faster and more powerful than necessary.

The ideal rotary tool, in my opinion, would have the following attributes:

1. Small size - ideally the size of a pencil.

2. Rechargeable battery power (no cord).

3. Consistent high torque throughout the speed range.

4. A precise, infinitely adjustable chuck, with a size range of 0-1/8".

5. A built-in speed control (preferably adjustable with the same fingers that are guiding the tip of the tool) with a range of 0-10,000 rpm.

That's quite a list. Probably beyond the reach of current technology - within the price range most of us could handle. But I'm convinced Dremel could meet three out of the five if it wanted to. The old, battery-operated Mini-Mite came pretty close. If it had had a little more torque and a lower minimum speed....

I have the impression that model builders do make up a significant percentage of Dremel's clientele - and the truth is that plenty of other people would be perfectly satisfied with such a tool. (How many purchasers really need 35,000 rpm?) Dremel's missing a market here.

In the mean time, my current favorite rotary tool is one I bought from Woodcraft ( www.woodcraft.com ). It's made by a German company called WeCheer. It's about six inches long and an inch in diameter; it runs on 110 volts ac, but the cord coming out the end is thin and flexible. It takes Dremel chucks, and I keep it plugged into my beloved old Dremel "tabletop speed control" (which I bought about thirty years ago). By turning the knob on the speed control all the way to the left, I can start the tool at 0 rpm, put the drill bit (or whatever) precisely where I want it, and ramp up the speed gradually to whatever's appropriate. That, to my notion, is the way to use a rotary tool. I haven't had the thing long enough to comment on its durability, but so far it seems like a really nice tool - IF one has a speed control for it.

Dremel - are you listening?