I am interested in buying a Dremel Moto tool for shaping foam popper bodies. I would appreciate suggestions on which model to purchase. There are quite a few models
to choose from and some have fixed speeds, one or two speeds or multiple speeds. Also, which shaping attachments would be useful to own?
Thanks
Rick
Perhaps this would help…
http://www.flyanglersonline.com/flytying/fotw2/010603fotw.html
Rick,
First off, if you have not read the article on Dremel bugs published here on FAOL by Jim Hatch, then I recommend you do. That being said, I think you absolutely should to buy a variable speed model. My setup is not as fancy or permanent as Jim’s since I simply mount the upholstery needle directly in the Dremel chuck, but it works well for me. I also think that the adjustable chuck is a good investment for holding/changing the needles or Dremel bits. One thing that I think is critical is selecting the right type of needle. Use only HEAVY duty upholstery needles. The first time I tried to make a Dremel bug, I used a large sewing needle and accidently slipped the speed on the Dremel up to 25,000 rpm. In less than a second, the needle bent at a right angle and smacked me on my thumb nail. It was one of those times when you grab the injured finger and squeeze it tight, not really daring to look at it for fear of what you might see (or not see) as the case may be. I was very lucky that it did not rip the nail right off, but it hurt like it had. Use the right needles and start the Dremel at a fairly slow speed until you get used to the process.
Good luck. They’re tons of fun to make and you can get as creative as you want for only a penny or two per popper body.
Jim Smith
Problem with Dremel is that you will not be able to use just for one thing.
Once you start using the darn thing you will keep on finding new uses for it until after a while you will wonder how could you live without it. :lol: :lol:
In the light of this you need to buy as much too as you can. Corded are much more usefull around the house and more powerfull. If I was buying one today it would be one of the larger Dremel 400 XPR kits…
Dremels are worth every single penny.
The more up to date Jim Hatch article is
http://www.flyanglersonline.com/flytying/fotw2/062606fotw.html BILL
This may be unanswerable…I suspect it’s a matter of feel…but do you have a minimum and maximum rpm with in which to work?
Thanks for the advice folks. And I know I will use the tool for more than just flies. Inletting the stock on the flinklock I want to build comes to mind.
Rick
I just picked up a Ryobi at Home depot for $29. It is multiple speed with digital readout. Comes with every attachment imaginable including a flex shaft. Im sure that it is not of Dremel quality but it is doing a fine job of turning out foam popper heads and IMHO very inexpensively.
Isn’t Ryobi supposed to have a good reputation?
Larry do you know what the lowest speed is?
Before you buy a Dremel, check out a contraption made by FOREDOM.
It’s a sort of dentist’s drill with a seperate motor and a “Gooseneck”.
It’s quite a bit more expensive, but it’s also a LOT more versatile, and about ten times more powerful.
It has a chuck that you can use up to a 3/16 drill bit, etc. in.
Muley
Yes ckeck it out but i doubt you would pay $350 for a foam shaping tool,when the most expensive Dremel is $70. The Foredom is used for carving, jewelers etc but it wont cut a bolt off of my car exhaust pipe. BILL
Duckster:
The Ryobi has a range from 10,000 to 35,000 RPM and is adjustable within that range in 1000 RPM increments. I am sure that it is not the most powerful unit on the block, but IMHO it does a satisfactory job of turning foam.
I used a Ryobi for years and now have a top of the line Dremel and to tell the truth I can’t tell the diff and neither can the bass.
Rick:
I have been doing foam bugs with a Dremel for just over ten years now. During that time I have used, and still have, two different instruments. The original is one that I have had for close to 30 years and it is a “two-speed” unit: it is either off or it is on. My new one is a two speed. Both are corded, and I highly recommend the corded ones, as the batteries always peter out at the most inopportune time. There are only two Dremel tools that are essential, One is the perfectly round stone tool for cupping the faces of both balsa and foam bodies. The second is a sanding drum. I glue, using a contact cement, a strip of 320 grit sandpaper cut to size, over the grit that comes on them, which is WAY TOO COARSE! They will eat up a body in the bat of an eye (PLEASE don’t ask me how I know). The thing that I do differently is that I DO NOT use a needle in the construction of my bugs. I simply cut a slit to proper depth to accept the hook down the center of the bottom with my Rappala fillet knife. I typically use a cotton or polyester thread to cover that part of the hook that will be glued inside the body. I use CA glue to glue the hook in. Old spring-type clothes pins make great gluing clamps.
When I first started making foam bodies, I would hold the hook in one hand and the Dremel in the other and would shape the bodiy to my desired shape. This approach works great for maybe 6 bodies, after which time the muscles in the fingers of the hand holding the hook get tired, but you are totally unaware of it. It is really quite a fright when the bug, hook and all, flies out of your hand like a Polaris missile! Finding the crazy thing can be a real challenge. I had one go missing for three days in my tying room some years ago. The solution to the problem is very simple and inexpensive. A good pair of haemostats will do. However, some years ago my friendly neighborhood hardware had a clearance sale and had the nicest pair of small vice grips on the table. They are fabulous as they have an “unlocking” lever built in that makes opening them a snap.
I am in the process of getting some photos organizerd to post on the Foam Fly thread.
Good luck!
Yepper! Next door neighbor is a wood carver and has one…great tool…but $$$$$$$$$$
do not get a cordless its a pain to have to charge it 15 times during a project!
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Buy the tool that gets the job done for ya. If you can justify the cost, get something that works good and lasts.
I haven’t tried poppers on mine, but I’m planning on it. This is what I do with my Foredom. These are tietac/hatpins made from elk horn.
Please note that this thread was originally from 2007 it is three years old some links might not work
Those fish you’ve mad and painted are really nice. Do you sell them?