Hi, I am looking to buy my first dremel tool. It will be mainly used for my handguns. Is there any specific model and attachments that you have found to be handy. I have been reading reviews and have noticed that some models are cheaply made and some are not. I like to buy right tool once and would like the advise of the knowledgable people here at the forum. In my younger days I have made the mistake of buying the cheapest and having to work my way up, when I could have bought the one I ended up with at the beginning and could have saved allot of disappointment and money by not starting with the cheapest. Thanks for any help that you can offer. Jesse.

Based on your comments about buying once and not making mistakes on quality or performance I would recommend a Foredom tool. I have owned a couple of these for close to twenty years and replace brushes in both once only. They supply the brushes and it's done a few minutes.

You want reversible and vari-speed then after that either the hanging model which I prefer or bench mounted that many I know prefer ?? The next big choice is the hand piece and type of chuck. I have one with collets and another with a three jaw Jacobs style minature chuck. I like them both and can't say which is better.

They are not cheap but last forever and can be used for carving, general gunsmith work etc etc etc. I just sold one on Craigs List about four months ago for 120.00 with hand piece and that was a bit under the going rate for used one around the New England area.

Good luck

Thanks, exactly the kind of answer I was looking for. I would have never known of this brand. This looks like a great tool. Anyone else with your favorite dremel or dremel type tool as dremel may not be my only choice now.

I smithed for some years and the phrase "Dremel to use on my handguns" still causes me to cringe many years later. It took me roughly 20 years to wear out my first Dremel, frankly there aren't many legitimate uses for them in handgun work. Please note the use of the word "legitimate".

Using Cratex tips or equivilent one can polish toolmarks off feed ramps. A specific type of wire brush and polishing compound allows smoothing the interior of revolver frames. Both these tasks require a very light touch. You're deburring, not hogging out metal.

I've seen several ruined 1911 frames and barrels due to feedramp alterations performed by Dremel equipped folks trying to duplicate what they saw in some gunzine.

What you say is very true. There seem to be more and more who use these machines instead of a file or stone both of which require practice and a feel for the work. I use mine with Cratex wheels, felt polishing bobs, a few stones for special jobs and a lot of carving work on grips or bedding jobs with some rifles. I really don't think there is anything that works as well for some kinds of jobs or anything that will get you in trouble faster.

Regards

The most important accessory for a Dremel Moto-Tool is the flexible extension that you hold like a pencil. I have had a Dremel tool in my Shop for over 35 years and use it almost daily. Not so much on Firearms, for other things that I repair, modify and build around the house. If you do buy the Dremel, get the one with variable speed control as all the tools do require different speeds to be used properly.

IMHO the Dremel and guns don't mix well - MAYBE with the exception of skilled and experienced GS's. Just about the only abrasive I use on a gun is an extra hard miniature Arkansas Stone which measures 3/16 X 3/16 X 3"long.

On a very RARE occasion I will use a Dremel tool with a RUBBER polishing wheel on a gun part, but that's about it. These are extra fine rubber wheels that I get from my dentist and require a special small Colette to be used in the Dremel. these are used for final polishing for a part once in a blue moon.

DON'T........ Billy Magg

Dremel + unskilled = disaster.

I've owned a Dremel tool for years, never used it on any revolver/pistol. It is great to remove wood when glass bedding rifles. Come to think of it, that is why I bought it. I've used it on many other projects. The extension that allows you to hold it like a pencil that someone mentioned above is a necessary item.

Where are you guys finding Cratex bits? I've been looking to replace those I've had for years, and can't find them anywhere!

Dremel tools and guns don't belong in the same room together.

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S&W Accumulator

I would venture to guess that more guns have been ruined with a Dremmel than by all other tools combined.

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Thats a big 10-4. My ex gave me a 395 25 years ago and it's a handy tool, for everything but gunsmithing. It's been great for cutting tile, cleaning grout, cutting metal, and sharpening chainsaws. I tried using it for routing hinge mortises, but gave up and bought a real router.

About the only legitimate gun work I can think of is wood shaping. Even then remember a dremel is nothing but a small, free-hand router. Free-hand routing (router not mounted in a table or supported on a flat base), is dangerous. The two-cutter wood bits they sell for Dremels are quite aggressive and can do amazing things when you hold it like a pencil and touch that piece of HSS spinning at 30,000 RPMs to a chunk of wood. Most of them are bad.

Maybe a buffer wheel? That's about the only use I could see on metal parts.

Thanks for all the answers. I learned an important lesson- dremel tool and handguns don't mix. You all probably saved me from ruining one of my handguns. I am still going to get a dremel or similar tool for my workshop with the flexible shaft as suggested as they sound very useful. Thanks again, Jesse.

First its REAL important to know what your doing when you take the sideplate off a S&W revolver. Everytime you pick up a file or stone you can cause a series of problems that will cause more problems.
A 6" stone and a file can do wonders if your experienced. A Dremel is scary at best.
Bob St.George
Chief Armorer Instr.
S&W (ret.)

As everyone is rightly commenting. Keep your rotary power tools away from your guns. I'm experienced with working on all my own guns, and have spent decades doing silver-smith and jewelry work. Yet, I still won't put a rotary bit anywhere near a gun.

But that's not to say that you shouldn't own a Dremel. I think every handy guy or gal should have one in their garage. The Foredom units are substantially more powerful (read: more torque) than Dremel. They're really the cat's meow. But they're also quite a bit more expensive than even a very comprehensive Dremel kit. If you just want a hand rotary tool for random tasks, the Dremel is still hard to beat.

But again. No gun work!

I use a dremel style rotary tool to polish up small parts. I just buy the rechargable Wal-Mart brand that is battery powered. I like to cut a 'Q-tip' in half and chuck it up to polish bright parts that are stained. I have 3 of them because I forget where I put them from time to time. I've never used them to reshape a part or remove metal because they are hard to control... even the battery powered ones. I use my mill for that kind of work.

Every once in a while the old Dremel will come in handy to do some odd task,,but it's really few and far between.

Never to do basic polishing or shaping of metal. They just run away from you,can't control them.
I polish most things on a 4x48 belt grinder and have no hesitation using that. You are in control when the machine is solidly mounted and you have the part comfortably in hand.

Some use them for stock inletting. But even with the troubling thought of the cutter running wild on you aside, just the start up and shut down of the tool each time to do simple shave cuts during the process takes longer than using sharp chisels. No noise either.

I do have a Foredom that I use with an MMC Checking attachment. That works nicely and has great control.
I've never used it as a Dremel type machine simply because I don't have much use for a Dremel in gunsmithing.

Other peoples Dremels have produced a lot of work for me though over the years.
I'd put hand held electric drills and soft buffing wheels in the same catagory.

Foredom tool is best bet.

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the world is round everywhere

If there's anyone you should take advise from about working on S&W it's this guy. He's trained many an LE armorer with two left thumbs including me.

Cratex polishing tips can be found at Brownells.