What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

Dremel Questions

M

mlwynn

Well Known Member
Hi all,

After a few decades of radio control building, I am quite fond of my dremel tool. I have been trying unsuccessfully to use it for deburring and fine work on my RV 8. I have tried aluminium oxide stones, and they keep loading up. They get completely covered in aluminium, which I cannot figure out how to get off.



(This is not a great picuture, couldn't figure out how to get my camera to focus any closer).

I am leary of using silicon carbine and am not sure what the dremel sanding drums are made of. What kind of fittings do most people use? Are the sanding drums okay? Any suggestions on cleaning my AlO2 stones?

Thanks,

Michael Wynn
RV 8 Fuselage
San Ramon,CA
 
Dremel woes

I used the Dremel sanding drums some on my 9A, but just about any stone grinder is out with aluminum. That goes for the larger variety, also. Al will gum up lots of tools, and for the cost of Dremel bits (okay, they ARE overpriced) you may as well replace them. You may try cleaning them with another piece of grinding wheel or the dressing stone Dremel sells, but I wouldn't get my hopes up.

For the run-of-the-mill deburring, nothing beats about three turns with a good metal deburing tool from one of the good suppliers (small holes) or the 5" deburring wheel (at around $50) mounted on a grinder. Hand sanding works well in areas there the other methods won't work. YMMV.

Bob Kelly
 
Turn the speed down. You are creating enough friction to partially melt the alum.

It will help.

Bee's wax is an old trick to keep cutting tools and abrasives from loading up, I have no idea if it will work here, but I would first try it on some scrap.

Not sure if the residue from the bee's wax will be bad for the plane ???

Mike
 
dremel for cutting

I've used my dremel a couple of times so far with the little steel end-mill type attachments to shape aluminum. For example, I used it to make the big cutouts in the fuel tank end ribs. It is very controllable. I haven't had any luck or need to use it for deburring - lots of other ways to do that.
 
Stones Explode

mlwynn said:
Hi all,

After a few decades of radio control building, I am quite fond of my dremel tool. I have been trying unsuccessfully to use it for deburring and fine work on my RV 8. I have tried aluminium oxide stones, and they keep loading up. They get completely covered in aluminium, which I cannot figure out how to get off.



(This is not a great picuture, couldn't figure out how to get my camera to focus any closer).

I am leary of using silicon carbine and am not sure what the dremel sanding drums are made of. What kind of fittings do most people use? Are the sanding drums okay? Any suggestions on cleaning my AlO2 stones?

The stones will break up when loaded with soft, heat-expanding materials like AL, just like a 6" or 8' grinding wheel. Not a good tool choice for what you're trying to do.
Click to expand...
 
Dremel w/scotchbrite wheel

Look in the rotary tool section at Lowe's. I found actual 3M Scotchbrite wheels for the Dremel. They are about 1" around, and maybe 3/16" thick? I don't know the part #, but they work great.
 
Mike,

I often use Dremel-like tools for any number of jobs on the airplane. For reaching and deburring difficult limited access areas....ESPECIALLY holes drilled into steel weldments...I like to use high speed cutters similiar to the one in the first link. Such cutters will quickly tame the toughest of steel burrs. For me, the best all-around deburring class of tool accessories for the Dremel is the Tungsten Carbide type, especially the ball cutter as illustrated in the second link. I have found that even the wheel type within this class of cutter seems to work well for me.

http://www.dremel.com/en-us/attachm...accessory-detail.htm?H=188537&G=66237&I=66261

http://www.dremel.com/en-us/attachm...accessory-detail.htm?H=188537&G=66241&I=66301
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top