jim hatch

[jalama]

the upholstery needles that i have been able to locate (wal-mart) come 4 to a pack ranging in length from 6 inches up to 12 or 14 inches and that was a great deal of my problem (the post from jlm is mine) the ligh bulb finally came on for me and i cut the needle back to the 2.5 inch length which makes all the difference in the world. a 12 inch needle with foam plug off-center on the end rotating in a dremel can wreak much havoc on your hands and fingers as the needle bends more with each rotation.

i have yet to find the eyes you use yet. any suggestions?

[rookie]

jalama,

Forgive me for laughing, but reading your post, I can see that 12" needle in the end of a Dremel rotating out in an umbrella fashion catching everything in it's path including parts of you.

Glad you are ok.

[Jim Hatch]

Hey Jalama,

Danged, I wish I still had a good caliper to mike
the needles with. For a while there I was just
mailing everybody one of the right size along with
the corresponding collet to fit it. It finally got
too expensive.*G* Next time I go to Walmart, I'll
pick up another package of suitable needles and post
a picture or part number.*G* I suspect the cut down
version is still somewhat too large in diameter to
work well. The hole through the fly will be too big
to be practical on your smaller flies.*G* Hang in
there buddy. Warm regards, Jim

[mathcarver]

I use a needle put out by tandy, I think. You can pick them up sometimes at wally world if not there then at michaels or hobby lobby. They will be in the leather section. They have a good size point on them but get flat shortly after the point and this really helps to keep the foam from spinning on the needle while trying to use the dremel tool. mathcaver

[ducksterman]

I don't do any dremel work but am interested and so may start....I seem to remember a thread about needles [there's been a number of them]....in this thread if I remember correctly someone was in JoAnn's looking and the clerk knew exactly what he was talking about with the dremel stuff and said what he wanted were doll needles.....have I got that right and why them??????

[Buddy Sanders]

Duckster,

I tried several different things that I already 'had' around before seeing the light and getting the needles that Jim uses from WalMart.

They are in the fabric/craft section, and mine came in a three or maybe a four pack. They are short, about 2 1/2 inches as Jim noted, and run around a buck or two. Fit perfectly in the collet and stay centered.

I've also used some sharpened 1/16 inch drill rod, the same size drill bit, and some untempered welding rod (THAT didn't work very well).

Seems the 'taper' of the needle is important. Adds to the holding power of the mandrel. The straight shank mandrels I tried all worked to an extent, but left too large a hole and seemed to loose friction more than the needles do.

But, the big 'key', as Jim keeps stressing, is the foot switch. I tried it without for several dozen attempts. Couldn't get the foam plug to keep from spinning. The hole glazed too quickly and the plug became a bearing.

You can easily rig one of these if you can use a drill and attach wires to components. I made one out of a momentary contact switch from Radio Shack, a metal gate pull (to mount the switch through), an old extension cord, a duplex outlet I had handy, a cheap plastic box for the outlet (less than 50 cents at Home Depot back then), and a piece of 1 X 6 about 12 inches long. Took about twenty minutes to build.

I can plug ANYTHING that needs a momentary contact foot switch into this, but it was made for the dremel lathe and lives on the floor under the fly tying bench.

You really do need that foot tap contol to do this properly.

By the way, some times the foam plug will want to spin, no matter what. Don't despair, just add a drop of CA glue to the mandrel and reposition the plug. Wait a few seconds for it to cure, then turn the body. It will break loose easily and you can clean the mandrel off with a razor blade.

Good Luck!

Buddy

[Jim Hatch]

Hey Buddy,

Thanks for the confirmation.*G* As you mentioned,
as have I several times, keeping the needle from
spinning up to speed while seating a foam plug is
very much the key. Too fast and in a mere fraction
of a second it seems the foam can glaze and will
defy all efforts to keep the foam from spinning. It's
so easy to do it right and avoid problems. I wish I
could take 5 minutes and sit down with everyone who
wanted to give the dremel bugs a try and show them
what has worked for me. My dremel bugs have been
trouble free and I actually have had problems with
the foam adhering to the needle too tightly to easily
remove the finished body. *G* In those cases, I
simply squeeze the body with my fingers and spin the
dremel up to speed, instantly glazing the foam
around the needle and making removal simple.
Thanks for your input. Warm regards, Jim

[Jim Hatch]

Hi Folks,

Here is a random example of a suitable push button
switch for making a foot control I just pulled off
of the net. It's called a universal starter switch
and sells for $2.50. You local auto parts store may
have the same or similar. It would be pretty easy
to design a simple slanted box to install the switch
in to make a comfortable foot switch. Split a single
lead of a short extension cord and make the connections to the switch. Install it in a box to
prevent shock hazzards. Plug the extension cord into
your outlet and the dremel into the plug on the cord.
You now have a suitable switch. Instant on and off
switch for very little outlay. The 12 V switchs are
generally heavily constructed and quite suitable for
for operating your dremel. Warm regards, Jim
http://www.crossingrider.com/cross2/pro ... id=froogle

[ducksterman]

I'm confused...isn't the idea of the switch to have variable speed control as with the sewing machine foot pedal...wouldn't the push button switch be either off or fast?????

[Jim Hatch]

Hi there Duck,

Some folks do seem to prefer a variable speed foot
control. Not I. Just a simple on/off works great.
Through experience, I know what speeds work best for
shaping the foam. I preset my dremel for those
speeds, which may vary slightly for the density of
the foam I am working with, and I am good to go.
Often, I can turn as many as say 50 bodies of a
particular size/type in less than half an hour. Just
a matter of getting in the cadence of things.*G* I
like having my speed pre set. Generally, the middle
range of your standard dremel is a good speed for
turning foam. A notch slower or faster may produce
a finer finish on a softer or harder than normal
piece of foam. Experience is the best teacher and
for most of us the learning curve should be very
fast. Results are instantaneous and the whole
process can go very quickly.*G* Warm regards, Jim