IPMS Product Review: Dremel 75th Anniversary Rotary Tool

Dremel Company

75th Anniversary Rotary Tool

Stock Number: F013039519

Reviewed By Keith Pruitt, IPMS# 44770

Dremel Rotary Tools and accessories are available in numerous configurations and price ranges from online stores and from most all hardware, craft, and hobby stores. Their website is www.dremel.com .

From Wikipedia:

"Dremel Moto-Tool" is the name given to rotary tools developed by Albert J. Dremel, who founded the Dremel Company in 1932 in Racine, Wisconsin. In 1993 it was purchased by Robert Bosch GmbH, and today it is a division of the Robert Bosch Tool Corporation and located in Mount Prospect, Illinois.

Dremels are extremely versatile tools and are used extensively by model makers, hobbyists, and do-it-yourselfers. They may be likened to the pneumatic die grinders used in the metalworking industry by tool or moldmakers. The Dremel tool rotates a bit at high speed; the bit is held in a collet. Variable-speed versions may cover a range of 3,000-35,000 RPM. The Dremel uses its speed as opposed to torque to get the job done. By inserting an appropriate bit (or burr) the tool can perform drilling, grinding, sharpening, cutting, cleaning, polishing, sanding, routing, carving and engraving. Both battery-powered and corded models are available. Recent additions to the line of Dremel options include a miniature planer attachment and a saber saw attachment that lets the Dremel act much like a small reciprocating saw.

This particular edition of the Dremel tool represents a special, 75th anniversary edition packaged in a commemorative silver box and including, appropriately enough, 75 accessories along with a Multi-Tool (think Swiss Army Knife on steroids). Not all of the attachments, bits, brushes etc are directly applicable to plastic modeling, but many are. If 75 attachments don't meet your need to own tools, don't worry - hundreds more are available through their catalog as well as in hobby, hardware, and other retail outlets.

Not surprisingly, Dremel starts their Owners Manual with safety rules. The first 1-1/4 pages are general "Power Tool Safety Rules", followed by 1-1/2 pages of specific "Safety Rules for Rotary Tools". Much of these recommendations are common sense, but some are worth special note:

Always unplug the power cord before making adjustments or changing accessories. Make sure the collet nut is tight after changing attachments. Keep your fingers and body parts away from the spinning bit. Wear eye protection, always! Dust masks or respirators should be used to avoid inhaling dust particles.

It is amazing to see the myriad applications of this tool. There are available attachments for cutting drywall and ceramic tile, removing grout, and sharpening chainsaw and lawnmower blades. For this review, I wanted to focus on applications specific to our hobby. Having absolutely NO experience with a motor tool like the Dremel, I decided to do a test-type review, using a kit needing some work as my test subject. Please bear that in mind when you read my comments below.

Maybe, this review SHOULD be titled something like "CAUTION! MOLTEN PLASTIC SHRAPNEL WARNING!! ROTARY TOOL ROOKIE AT WORK!" This tool is very efficient at removing plastic, but it will quickly generate enough heat to melt the plastic, too. It will also remove flesh just as easily, if not more so, so the cardinal rule is: Be Careful!!!

I chose a kit with a) some fit problems, and b) modifications that would be necessary for a specific version. First, let's look at the fit problems … this particular kit, a Testors 1/72 F4U Corsair, does not have alignment pins/holes for the fuselage halves. It has ridges on the port half and a trough on the starboard half. Unfortunately, the ridge is too close to the model surface, so it causes a misalignment that leaves a nasty stepped seam on the fuselage spine. For the version that I wanted, an F4U-1A, I would also need to remove the four rocket launcher stubs (for the F4U-1D version) from the bottom of each wing. I decided to start working on the wings, and set the fuselage aside for later.

On the port wing, I used an old-fashioned tried-and-true technique as a baseline test. I removed the two outer stubs with a sprue cutter, and then sanded the area smooth with a medium-grit sanding stick. This produced predictable results: a relatively smooth surface, ready for primer, with about five minutes of work. That is pretty much what I would have expected, after several years of practice in that basic technique. For the two inner rocket stubs, I used the drum sander attachment for the Dremel. Even with a fairly light touch, and the slowest speed setting, I still melted the plastic, creating a rough surface that will need more sanding to smooth it enough for paint.

On the starboard wing, I used the sanding disk attachment for the two outer rocket stubs. Again, even with the lowest speed setting, I melted and gouged the plastic in the area. This area will probably need sanding, putty, and more sanding to ready the surface for paint. On the two inner rocket stubs, I used the conical grinding stone. This gave slightly more control, and allowed me to remove the stubs with a little less surface damage. But, I will still need to do some sanding and puttying on that surface before I can paint.

I moved on to the fuselage. I used the smaller sanding drum attachment for this part. This seemed to work a little better for me. Having some practice with the wings, I was able to remove the ridge fairly easily, but I didn't melt the plastic quite as badly. I left a little bit of the ridge in place, and then smoothed the joint surface with a sanding stick. However, the improvement in the results may have been more from my practice with the tool, rather than the choice of a particular sanding attachment.

So, my "Rotary Tool Rookie" conclusion? The Dremel is extremely proficient at removing plastic. The downside is that heat can be generated, and that, coupled with too much pressure, can easily and quickly melt the plastic. It is obvious that a rotary tool such as this requires patience, a light touch, and adequate practice to produce the best results. I know that tens of thousands of modelers own one or more of these tools, and I suspect that they go through the same learning curve that I did (or more accurately, will…). Work slowly, use good lighting, and check your progress often, to be sure you're getting the results that you want.

There are many projects that would be much more easily completed with a rotary tool. The tool is quite versatile and very easy to operate. As modelers grow in skill, and tackle progressively more difficult projects, the Dremel could very well become invaluable. Personally, I think every modeler should have one of these on their bench. With practice, the Dremel will be one of the best tool investments you'll ever make.

I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the Dremel Company for this review sample, and to Hannah Schroeder and Jennifer Christopher of JSHA, Incorporated, who handle marketing for Dremel.

Information, images, and all other items placed electronically on this site
are the intellectual property of IPMS/USA ®.