A micro drill, called an engraver, is often used to process small items. Using an engraver you can perform the same operations as a regular drill as well as grinding and milling various materials. The frequency of use and demand for a tool is determined by the quantity and quality of attachments available for it. Some of them are included with the main tool, but many have to be purchased additionally. Today, we will try to learn everything we can about engraver attachments.
Types of attachments for engravers
Nozzles for the engraver are selected depending on whether wood or metal is intended to be processed with their help. For example, for woodworking you will need:
- Polishing attachments - from sandpaper or felt.
- Ball-shaped attachments designed for tongue and groove applications.
- Smooth attachments for final sanding of wood surfaces.
- Cutting discs (can also be used for cutting plastic).
- Wood drills (usually small diameters, up to 3.2 mm).
- Milling cutters (necessary to perform work at a professional level).
Engraver attachments designed for metal work include the same varieties as those described above. The fundamental difference lies only in the material of the working surfaces. For example, for grinding metal, attachments made of more abrasive-resistant materials are needed - corundum or hard rubber. The same applies to cutting discs, only in this case the material used is high-strength tool steel (sometimes even with diamond coating on the working surface). However, there are also specific types:
- Diamond cutters, which are used to refine holes and cavities of complex configurations.
- Coarse sanding attachments. They are equipped with serrations and can, in addition to metals, also process chipboard.
- Cone-shaped nozzles designed to produce grooves. Usually offered as a set, with different sizes the width of its working part.
- Brush-shaped attachments that are used to remove scale from the surface of steel products.
- Carbide nozzles, with the help of which it is possible to obtain sufficiently deep cavities in hardened steel workpieces.
The value of attachments is determined by their versatility (many manufacturers offer similar products in sets), as well as by the manufacturer. It should be noted here that, as a rule, the company that produces engravers equips them with attachments that are suitable for their products, and not necessarily those for competitors’ products.
Purpose and capabilities
First of all, it is worth emphasizing that, due to its low power, a microdrill is incapable of performing any large-scale operations on metal or wood. Therefore, the dimensions of the tool, regardless of where it is produced, will not differ large sizes.
The determining point is the diameter of the landing part. For example, the diameter of the drill (like an attachment for an engraver) that can be used depends on the diameter of the jaw chuck. In this case, the profile of the clamping part is important. Manufacturers often implement the principle of point clamping, which simplifies the production and finishing of the microdrill chuck itself, but degrades the performance of the attachment, especially if the processing process takes a long time. In this case, the drill will run out, and since the number of revolutions of the engraver is high, the breakage of the nozzle will follow very quickly.
The second circumstance is the functionality of the size of the nozzles. For example, for grinding work there are various attachments with a diameter of up to 7.8 mm (for woodworking) and up to 3.2 mm for metal work. The diameter of cutting wheels can reach 19...20 mm, but this corresponds to working with soft materials (plastic, aluminum, wood), and when working with steel, a drop in the speed of the microdrill motor will lead to its failure.
It is important to pay attention to the material of the tool. In particular, engraver attachments that are made of tungsten carbide-based hard alloys (VK8, VK15 and their foreign analogues) are capable of working on heat-treated metal. They can also process glass, stone, and mineral ceramics.
Finishing is the main area where industrial diamond engraver attachments are used effectively. Since their cost is very high, they go on sale in small sets (up to 10...20 standard sizes). Diamond cutters should be used only for their intended purpose, otherwise the sprayed layer will quickly become damaged, which will immediately lead to intense wear.
The most diverse class of abrasive and engraving attachments. Their selection is usually made according to the color of the landing part. If it is red, then the nozzle is designed for working with metals, and the material used is highly resistant aluminum dioxide. Engraver attachments Green colour effective for engraving work with fragile materials– glass, stone, marble, etc. Sets for such work include up to 10 standard sizes of nozzles.
It was already mentioned above about the possible incompatibility of the diameters of the nozzles for the engraver with the diameter of the chuck of the tool itself. In addition, it is necessary to distinguish between professional and household sets. The former are more often produced German company Dremel, different high quality and price (experts note that the quality of the attachments that come with the microdrill is higher than those from the same company, but purchased separately). Domestic attachments for engravers from trademark“Zubr” is not much inferior in quality to German ones, but is significantly less expensive. For comparison, the price of an attachment from Dremel is 350...400 rubles. per piece, and a set of more than 150 standard sizes from Zubr - only 1800...2000 rubles.
Separately, it is worth mentioning the attachments for the Chinese-made engraver. Attractive price in in this case is completely offset by the low quality of the metal of the nozzles. This can only be permissible in cases where the tool is rarely used, or the task is to learn how to work with attachments of a certain type.
The basic rules for working and choosing attachments for an engraver relate, first of all, to tools in the middle and budget price category and are as follows:
- The choice of the diameter of nozzles from a specific set should be made in accordance with their subsequent use;
- For engraving, you can also use nozzles made in China; they work especially well with diamond nozzles with a spherical head;
- DIY attachments are an excellent option for experienced home craftsmen. You can use plywood as a material (it is superior to rubber in its durability), as well as felt, emery, etc. In particular, a homemade roller cutter using high-quality polishing paste will ultimately give a result that is not inferior in quality to that achieved with using an industrial nozzle. For polishing, diamond paste with a grain size of 3/2 or 5/3 is most suitable;
- In any case, when using attachments, you should use a respirator, otherwise the dust generated during work will completely get into your lungs.
"Dremel" (engraver, burr machine, mini drill etc.) is now a common noun.
Dremel is the name of a group of straight grinders designed for polishing, milling, drilling products (parts) from various materials and surface treatment.
It is advisable that the tool be equipped with a speed control system. A digital display that allows you to visually control the speed will not hurt at all. The ability to directly switch on the maximum rotation speed increases the convenience of using the machine and eliminates the need for unnecessary operations. The flexible drive shaft guarantees comfortable and precise work in hard-to-reach places. The machine comes complete with attachments selected to perform basic operations - grinding, polishing, milling, cutting, drilling.
I’ll briefly try to tell you about these attachments (which are included in the kit and made from available materials) in this review.
Let's start from afar - with basic safety rules when working with a Dremel :)
The first thing I strongly recommend is to use safety glasses and petal protective mask. A medical bandage or even any piece of more or less dense fabric is quite suitable for this purpose. The mask will protect the respiratory tract from the inevitable ingress of dust. Take my word for it, if you don’t wear a mask, then by the end of working with the Dremel you can shake a decent amount of ground copper or plastic out of your nose.
Glasses are necessary to protect the eyes from the same plastic dust and from metal fragments/balls flying into different sides when grinding, for example, copper dendrites. I do not advise you to use glass glasses to protect your eyes. The glass may break, damaging the gas, or be scratched by flying fragments. Don't skimp on glasses; buy plastic ones made specifically for eye protection.
Further warnings will be issued in small portions as needed :)
So, the attachments.
Collets.
Drills and replaceable attachments for engraving, cutting, grinding and polishing are inserted and clamped into them:
Collets are most often supplied with the Dremel and differ from each other in the diameter of the hole for attachments and drills.
Drill.
For drilling holes various diameters You need to have several different-sized drills on hand. And the larger the assortment, the better:) Drills become dull and break, especially thin ones (0.5, 07, 1 mm). The diameter of the hole usually matches exactly, or is better if it is slightly larger than, the diameter of the cord, pin, wire, chain or other type of stringing material on which the bead or other decorative element will be fixed later. On this photo– reduced with a cross-sectional diameter from 0.5 to 2 mm:
* The workpiece must be held very firmly with your hands so that it cannot break free and fly away. The flight is completely uncontrollable, and the speed is colossal. The shaft rotation speed in modern mini-grinders ranges from 9 thousand revolutions to 35 thousand. A bead that escapes from the hands is quite capable, for example, of breaking flower pot, standing on the window, or a vase at the other end of the room, or, much worse, hit in the face if you still... neglected the advice to protect him.
Never touch the rotating parts of the Dremel with your hands (attachments, drills, discs, collets) - you may be seriously injured.
As the hole is drilled, it will not be superfluous to perform reciprocating movements with the drill in the bead. This allows the drilled plastic to clear the canal for further drilling. Otherwise, the bead risks breaking.
If during the drilling process the drill bit gets stuck in the plastic, then it is better not to try to pull it out or drag it further along the hole. Immediately turn off the Dremel and carefully remove the drill bit.
Be careful when handling metal parts, you can burn your hand. The metal heats up quickly and intensely. Take breaks at least for a couple of seconds to prevent the part from overheating.
Metal brushes:
They are intended for processing metal surfaces. They differ in shape, density of bristles and ultimately stiffness. In this case we have steel, hard, brushes and brass, soft. The shape of the brushes can be flat, disc-shaped, as in the top photos, or they can also be brush-shaped:
The choice of brush is determined by what surfaces are intended to be processed - flat parts or textured surfaces, with a durable coating or with a thin, foil-like coating.
This photo shows plastic brushes:
These are soft brushes for gently cleaning metal surfaces in hard-to-reach areas. They are also suitable for more precise sanding of surfaces with a thin, weak coating (copper, for example).
* All of the listed brushes (metal and plastic) are not suitable for sanding plastic - they are too hard for this.
Grinding stones.
This photo shows attachments for grinding and polishing metal and plastic surfaces.
In the top row (gray and orange) there are nozzles made of rough stone. They are only suitable for grinding down serious roughness and are not suitable for fine work and plastic work:
Homemade flat sanding attachment.
This series of photographs shows a homemade attachment designed for sanding flat surfaces. I made such an attachment based on the stone that came with the Dremel, with a smooth flat surface (gray-green in the top row on the left):
IN construction stores They sell circles - “pancakes” with Velcro, for securing hefty ones (15-16 centimeters) grinding discs from emery:
These “pancakes” have a sticky layer on the back, smooth side. We cut out a circle from such a pancake, the diameter of a stone round flat attachment (photo above), peel off the protective layer, glue this circle to the grinding stone - and we get an attachment for replaceable emery discs.
* You can use ordinary Velcro, sold in any sewing store, by placing it on the surface of the nozzle stone with ordinary second glue.
Now about the replacement disks themselves.
The same construction stores :) also sell replacement sandpaper discs. The diameter of the discs is the same as that of the “sticky” one - approximately 15-16 cm. On one side they are ordinary sandpaper (with different degrees of grain, according to numbers), and on the other there is a mating part for the Velcro.
So, from these discs we cut many, many small circles (the diameter should be equal to the diameter of the Velcro or a millimeter larger, but not less!) and, as necessary - salting, we replace these homemade self-cut sanding discs with new ones:
Another view homemade nozzle for grinding and polishing round/oval beads.
This photo shows the rivets:
These rivets are designed to be riveted using a special gun. The diameters of the technological “tails” of these rivets vary depending on the size of the rivet itself. I have it selected in such a way that it exactly matches the diameter of the toothpick on which the bead was baked.
The sanding tool can be a sponge sandpaper or ordinary sandpaper of the required grain size.
In this case, an emery sponge is taken as an example (photo on the left). This soft material, preventing the bead from being too abraded when processed in this way.
A bead is placed on the long “tail” of the rivet. The tail of the rivet is inserted into a collet of the appropriate diameter, and the collet is fixed. Now you can turn on the Dremel and grind the bead, as shown in this photo:
* A rivet with a “tail” is just an example of the fact that you can always find something at hand that easily adapts to the tool. The rivet in the description can be easily replaced with an ordinary nail required diameter, fixed in the collet so that the head holds the bead, and the sharp part goes into the collet.
Base attachment.
This attachment is necessary for fixing coarse grinding stones, cutting discs, soft polishing discs and felt attachments on its rod. through hole, as well as all kinds of homemade attachments:
Next are several types of attachments, used much less frequently, but still necessary.
Felt polishing cones and discs.
They are used for finishing surfaces made of plastic and metal, but due to the fact that such attachments generate dust mercilessly at high speeds, there is absolutely no reason to use them.
In their image and likeness, it is quite possible to make homemade fabric ones, which will last much longer than ready-made felt ones and will litter the room much less with flying fibers.
Nozzles for engraving.
With the help of such nozzles, you can apply a design, inscription, make indentations, grooves, notches, etc. on a surface made of plastic and metal:
* In medical equipment stores, you can almost always buy diamond burs. Their range is very wide. The service life of such burs is quite long, and the accuracy of work performed with their help is an order of magnitude higher than standard engraving heads that come with a Dremel.
Now let’s talk about how you can get out of the situation if you don’t have a Dremel, and you can’t yet buy one, and you no longer have the strength to manually grind/polish...
Budget manicure set can serve for several months as a low-power grinder. This set usually comes with several attachments. This set included: a pair of sanding heads, a metal “pumice” and a flat felt attachment.
Grinding heads (with metal cones different diameters) and a flat metal one can be used without changing the design, but we modify the felt attachment in a barbaric way :) We rip off the felt, clean the plastic area with coarse sandpaper and, using the same principle as described above, we make a flat grinding attachment with replaceable discs. This is what we have after manipulating the production of Velcro-emery:
With this device you can easily (but not very quickly) grind flat surfaces. plastic surfaces, metal, wire and other things that do not require high speeds for high-quality processing surfaces:
These are the pies.
Thank you for making it through :)
Allows you to perform an impressive range of operations on processing materials of various kinds. However, it is impossible to fully realize the potential of such a tool without the availability of appropriate equipment. However, understanding the variety of attachments for drills will not be difficult.
The entire range of accessories for hand drills can be divided into three categories:
- Main - designed to work on direct purpose tool.
- Additional - expanding the capabilities of the drill.
- Other, allowing to increase the convenience of work, ensure repeatability and manufacturability of processing.
Each type of equipment has its own characteristics of choice and use, so we will consider them separately.
Basic equipment
The direct purpose of drills is to remove material from small areas of the part along complex profile and form. It can be done different ways, having previously determined suitable processing modes. In total, two groups of modes can be distinguished: cutting (milling) and grinding.
Milling attachments
The first and most extensive class of equipment for drills is burrs. various types. All their diversity can be classified according to a number of characteristics, of which the most important practical significance has the size and shape of the working part. The bur tip can have a needle-shaped, spherical, disk shape, and also have a profile of a flame tongue, a cylinder with a straight and rounded end, a straight and reverse cone.
According to their design, burrs can be divided into solid carbide, steel (including those with a carbide tip), and diamond:
- Solid carbide burs made of tungsten carbide are designed primarily for large material removals, their main working surface- lateral. These cutters are usually quite large in size and are designed to maintain cutting properties for a long time. The large size of the burs allows for a wide variety of side surface profiles, which contributes to high-quality shaped processing of grooves and grooves. For solid carbide, the cut pattern of the cutting edges, their size, shape and sharpness are extremely important. There are straight, cross and spiral cuts, which contribute to maximum effective removal chips, depending on which part of the cutter is used as a working part and what material is processed. A separate type of burr - spear-shaped, serving as a kind of analogue of gravers and single-flute cutters, as well as studded ones. These are extremely productive tips for roughing deep grooves and cutting edges.
- Brazed steel burs have general disadvantage- poor resistance to lateral loads, which often results in the working head breaking off. The main working surface of such burrs is the end surface; they are designed to form deep grooves and grooves complex shape. There may be no soldering, which makes such a burr unsuitable for working with dense and hard materials. The main advantage of steel burs is their relatively low cost with high durability; this tool is most often used in the manufacture of parts made of plastic and soft wood.
- Diamond burs- the most versatile tool. Thanks to the powder coating, all surfaces of such a nozzle can be equally effectively used as working surfaces. The disadvantage of diamond burs is their low performance at low speeds, as well as their relative fragility when processing viscous and consumable materials. The area of application of diamond burs is the processing of natural and artificial stone, bones and hard steel alloys. The durability of diamond burs is determined by the number of layers of diamond coating (1, 1.5, 2), as well as the degree of coverage of the cutting particles with a binder (35-60%).
Most varieties of cutting equipment are of dental origin, and the notation system was borrowed from there. Burs are distinguished by a colored band on the clamping part, depending on the fineness of processing. Carbide burs and green-banded tips are designed for quick removal of large amounts of material. Burs without a color designation, as well as with a yellow and white belt, have 8, 16 and 30 cutting edges, respectively. Color coding is also used for diamond burrs: black, green and unmarked tips have correspondingly increasing grits for roughing, and red, yellow and white - smallest size diamond grain for fine finishing.
Sanding and polishing
The second type of processing that drills specialize in is abrasive grinding. In part, diamond burrs could also be classified as grinding equipment, but in reality, during grinding, active wear of the working body occurs, while the powder diamond tools practically does not crumble.
Grinding using drills is used on final stages processing and is not intended for removing large portions of material. The characteristics by which grinding equipment is distinguished are the same as those of milling cutters: the size and shape of the working part, as well as the cleanliness of the processing.
Grinding stones are the most common type of attachment for rough processing of simple surfaces. Disc stones are used for grinding external surfaces, cylindrical cutters for internal ones. The color of the stone determines its grain size, but there is no general classification in this matter; each manufacturer arbitrarily determines the marking. Grinding attachments are also completely varied and differ in a number of ways:
- The design is one-piece or on a holding rod. The fundamental difference is small: replacement stones are simply more profitable for large volumes of work, but at the same time, serious problems with alignment may occur. It is recommended to use rods and nozzles of the same series, since the landing diameters are almost always different.
- By type of abrasive. There are abrasive natural stones, electrocorundum and silicon carbide on a polymer binder, as well as fine-grained abrasives bound by rubber. Each type of abrasive and binder is used exclusively for a limited range of materials specified by the manufacturer.
- In terms of size and shape, the situation is almost the same as with burrs. In this regard, the choice depends solely on the dimensions and type of the part being processed. By the way, most stones can be easily edited to give the desired profile.
- By the presence of plasticity. Grinding stones can be either absolutely hard or slightly elastic. The latter property makes it possible to process surfaces with a fine texture, but microscopic particles of the binder can become heavily packed into the pores of the material being processed.
Also included in this category of equipment are polishing attachments. These are discs, balls and cylinders made of felt, felt or muslin. Typically, polishing attachments are replaceable and are used in conjunction with a landing rod. It is possible to mount with a screw or on a cone thread - there is no fundamental difference. Such attachments are designed to work with abrasive pastes: dry polishing is also possible, but for materials such as wood this often results in burns.
Additional equipment
Other types of processing tools can also be mounted on holder rods. This type of equipment is mainly used for rough and preparatory work. We have specially placed this type of attachments in a separate category: they are completely short-lived and rather belong to the category of consumables.
Cutting and grinding wheels
Cutting and grinding wheels can be mounted on a standard rod with a tightening screw. The latter are often made by hand using round cuttings from ordinary abrasive paper. Cutting wheels are designed on the same principle as discs for angle grinders, but most of them do not have a reinforcing cord, which is why they quickly fray and crumble under strong pressure. Diamond cutting discs are the most durable type of additional equipment; they are mainly used for cutting stone and other hard, infusible materials.
Flap-type cylindrical grinding heads, as well as cylindrical clamps for abrasive belts, are widely used. There are also flap sanding discs used for cleaning complex textured surfaces. Metal and polymer-abrasive brushes are especially popular. Disc accessories of this type can also be mounted on rods with a screw clamp.
Features of choosing collets and flexible shaft
All described types of equipment have standard diameters shanks 1.6, 2.35, 3 and 6 mm. Some manufacturers, such as Dreamel and Proxxon, may use individual shank sizes for certain types of nozzles. The problem of incompatibility is solved by selecting collets of the appropriate diameter or adapters. Particularly popular are extended adapters for dental cutting heads. Adapters must be selected for each individual drill, taking into account the diameter of the mounting hole in the spindle.
For greater ease of operation, flexible shafts can be used to provide access for the working body to hard to reach places. Almost all flexible shafts on the market have the same range of characteristics, only the length and diameters of the connections differ. Thus, the flexible shaft can simultaneously serve as an adapter for a different shank diameter. Flexible shafts are designed mainly to work with grinding and auxiliary equipment: working with cutters requires a rigid connection to the spindle, while the shaft core has significant radial elasticity.
Other devices
To conclude our review, we will mention some devices whose task is to make work easier and further expand the range of capabilities of the tool. First of all, this concerns vertical feed stands, which allow you to turn the drill into a small drilling machine.
One of the most popular accessories for drills is the milling support platform. This element must be selected individually for your drill model, because quite often the tool and the equipment do not have the same thread pitch and density. At milling sites, the list of housing attachments is not limited: there are also dust collectors, limiters, various kinds of stops and jigs, but their acquisition or manufacture is usually associated with the need to perform some complex processing operation.
An engraver, also called a mini-drill, dremel, straight grinder or drill, is a multifunctional tool. With its help, not only engraving is applied, but also drilling, grinding and performing other operations for processing various materials, for example, wood, metal, glass, stone. The device is widely used both in everyday life and in various industries, in jewelry, and in the creation of advertising and souvenir products. All the variety of functionality of the equipment is due to the fact that there are different attachments for the engraver.
Attachments for frequently performed types of work are supplied complete with the tool. Milling cutters for more specific operations must be purchased separately. In order to work correctly and efficiently with a Dremel, while achieving high quality processing of parts, you need to know existing varieties equipment, as well as for what work each type is used.
There are a large number of varieties of equipment for working with a mini drill. The wide range on the market allows you to select attachments for wood and many other materials that engraving equipment can work with. Also, individual craftsmen make them themselves.
Structurally, the attachments (burs) consist of two parts;
- tail, clamped in the tool chuck (diameter from 0.8 to 8 mm);
- worker who processes materials.
Equipment is classified according to two main criteria:
- by the type of material from which they are made;
- by area of use (purpose).
By type of material processed
Based on the material, engraver cutters are of the following types.
There are also combination burs that have a steel shank and a carbide working part. Their area of application corresponds to the material of the head.
Carbide equipment is of high quality, durable and is one of the most expensive consumables for Dremels. The shape of the tips determines the features of its application. With the help of such peak burs, it is good to process bone, plastic, and make tracing (indicate the contours of the picture). Diamond bits They are also distinguished by their quality, even if the kit they are included in is classified as cheap consumables.
On the market you can find a set of burrs, all the elements of which marked with any color– it indicates the level of sharpening. Those marked black are the most productive burs, while the sharpness of green or blue ones is worse. Labeled yellow nozzles are optimal choice when performing finishing processing of workpieces.
By purpose
You can use an engraver with attachments not only for engraving, but also for performing other work operations. The breakdown of consumables used in the operation of straight grinders is presented in the table below.
| Work performed | Nozzles used |
| engraving | the varieties discussed above are suitable |
| drilling | performed using steel or carbide drills |
| polishing | circles made of felt, cotton, felt, sandpaper, leather, and also special devices(holders) that can be wrapped independently (for example, with felt) |
| grinding | grinding stones ( various shapes and from different materials) and circles (from sandpaper), diamond rings, rubber cylinders |
| tongue and groove | burs with a spherical working part |
| cutting | cutting discs |
| milling | cutters |
| cleaning surfaces (for example, from rust, scale) | wire (steel), thread, fabric brushes |
| finishing of holes or cavities | diamond cutters |
| creating grooves | cone burs |
Consumables from each group can be used when processing various materials. Wherein milling equipment used mainly by professionals.
Dremels, which have a flexible shaft installed, are equipped with any types of consumables that fit the diameter of the tool chuck.
Review of the most popular attachments for working on wood and metal
Wood is one of the most commonly processed materials for engraving, along with glass, metal, and stone. Dremels are often used for carving wood, drilling miniature holes in it, and applying images to surfaces. of this material, grinding, and creating small grooves or tongues. Therefore, popular types of attachments for woodworking are:
- wood cutters;
- drill;
- cutting circles;
- polishing, grinding wheels and cylinders;
- spherical and cone-shaped burs;
- diamond and carbide bits of various shapes;
- felt balls.
There are also specific types of wood cutters, but they are used very rarely even by specialists. Purchase Consumables to process wood different breeds using directly grinding machine, recommended as a set. Thus, everything that may be needed when performing work manipulations will be collected immediately in one case.
Review of professional attachments for engravers
Professional tools constitute a separate (high-quality and expensive) category of equipment that can withstand significant operating loads without negative consequences. Such devices are usually equipped with appropriate consumables.
Professionals do quality work the smallest details blanks That's why they need such a wide variety of consumables to get the job done.
Experts who professionally engrave various materials recommend purchasing sets of attachments from famous brands, such as "Dremel" or "Dexter". The significant cost of the products of these companies is fully justified by the fact that their products are reliable, high quality and durable. The use of burrs for wood, metal and other materials produced by these companies increases the accuracy of workpiece processing.
Often, specialists have several sets of equipment designed to process different materials and perform various operations. Also individual elements, included in their composition, have their own design features. Typically these sets include:
- cutters for metal, wood and other materials, of various designs;
- drill;
- felt, diamond, and abrasive cutters;
- wire brushes for cleaning surfaces;
- engraving rods;
- cutting discs.
The kits also include a straight edge cutter.
Straight edge cutter Topfix
Replacement equipment of the Dremel and Dexter brands can be used not only by workshop specialists, but also by home craftsmen who want to improve in the art of engraving.
According to professionals, one such tool can last as long as 10 low-quality attachments from an unknown manufacturer.
Some engraving artists recommend products "Zubr" company, lower quality than Dremel or Dexter, but cheaper. The set can include up to 180 units of consumables of popular varieties. But products from Zubr, in general, fall into the semi-professional and household categories.
Typically, a milling attachment for an engraver is included with the purchased tool. But with constant use, it wears out over time. Also, cutters may be needed for specific operations - then you need to buy new burs in order to continue working with the Dremel.
The ideal option is to purchase products recommended by the engraver manufacturer. In such cases, the warranty from the companies for the device in use is retained. But it happens that original consumables cannot be obtained for some reason, or they will be very expensive given the small volume of upcoming work operations. Then you will need to purchase analogues or even use homemade ones. In this case, the main rules of choice are as follows.
- You should focus on a Dremel chuck that fits shank diameter: most often it is 2.4 or 3.2 mm.
- You need to purchase attachments for metal and other materials depending on the type of work you plan to perform.
- To engrave, you can use inexpensive sets, for example, Chinese or Russian production.
- For constant, long-term work with a mini-drill (especially with hard materials), it is recommended to purchase high-quality, professional sets, and for occasional engraving, household ones are sufficient.
When learning various Dremel operations, inexpensive products are suitable. Over time, they should be abandoned in favor of better quality equipment.
Homemade attachments for the engraver
You can buy attachments for the engraver not only factory-made, but also make them yourself. Workshop specialists and home craftsmen have come up with many options that are suitable for performing various operations with different materials.
To make your own polishing, grinding, milling, drilling consumables for a Dremel, as well as cutting devices, use the following materials and parts:
- plywood;
- sandpaper;
- leftovers abrasive wheels different thicknesses from an angle grinder (grinder);
- felt;
- felt;
- various fabrics and rubber;
- steel wire;
- a wheel from a cheap lighter;
- old burs and drills (they are sharpened);
- electric razor knives;
- hacksaw blades;
- metal caps, for example, from beer bottles;
- champagne corks;
- an ordinary dowel (its head has teeth) and others.
The photos below show some ready-to-go practical application homemade devices to a milling type engraving device.
Additionally used with homemade products special (for example, diamond) pastes. At the same time, specialists achieve the result of finishing processing of workpieces of different densities, comparable in quality to the use of factory analogue burs.
Homemade engraver attachments are suitable for performing a variety of jobs in domestic conditions. They will also save you money cash through the use of available, cheap materials and parts from improvised or broken (unnecessary, old) mechanisms.
A wide variety of different attachments allows you to use a Dremel to perform a wide range of different jobs with different materials. It is better to select consumables that comply with the recommendations of equipment manufacturers. Professional kits- This is a guarantee of product quality, but they are expensive. In order to economize, necessary equipment you can make it yourself. Just keep in mind that in this case the warranty service for the mini-drill is lost, and during operation the load on the tool may increase.
