Dremel for polishing parts?

happydaze

happydaze

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I'm thinking about buying my first Dremel tool. I'd like to use it for polishing aluminum and cleaning up other small parts. I'm wondering which model would be recommended for this. I definitely want a corded one because I don't want to have to maintain batteries for a tool that I won't use very often.

I'm thinking about getting the 4000 because it seems very versatile. It has variable speeds and accepts all attachments, and the brushes can be replaced. I'm not sure what they mean by 2/30, 6/50, etc. Is that just a matter of which accessories it comes with? It looks like the 6/50 comes with the most accessories, and it seems to be the only one that comes with the flex shaft adapter, which I think would be good to have. Are there any other accessories that I should make a point of getting?

I also want to be sure that I'll be able to get fine polishing discs & brushes for it before I buy it, since that's what I want to use it for.

Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.
 
Thanks. I have been poking around and it seems like the Dremel may not be the way to go. Looks like you really need a bench grinder and bigger polishing wheels to get a good shine.
 
+1 on what royboy sez.

Dremels are handy, but the risk factor has skyrocketed. The new models use a different driveshaft design that will easily bend with a misbalanced bit and then remain permanently out-of-whack. Then there's the bit shafts, what you thought was 1/8" may really be an undersized 3mm, and the newer aluminum collet may not keep it centered...
 
Just for kicks I bought a cotton wheel and an auger at my local hardware store. I'm going to see what I can do with that and a drill.

My first job will be to clean up my wheels. The reason I was thinking Dremel was for cleaning the spokes. I tested cleaning one spoke with a Scotch-Brite pad. It came up shiny but took a lot of elbow grease to get one spoke done. I'm going to try a wire wheel and then go back to the pad or maybe some wet sand paper.

I also bought a rouge compound stick and I have some polishing compound here. I may even try some Fast Orange with Pumice to help with the initial cleaning.
 
I thought you all would get a chuckle at my ONE clean spoke. At this rate I'll be done in ten years. LOL.

spoke-cleaning.jpg
 
Come back in the morning and it will be rusted. The stock spokes have a thin zinc coating, doesn't take much to remove it. My goto for spokes is COTTON web strap from a ratchet tie down you know the real el cheapo ones. Put some blue magic on the web, wrap and lightly saw back and forth. It's thin enough to fit between the spokes at the cross, strong enough to last a while and it doesn't unravel like strips of cloth. My back and I are old, we like the wheel to be up on the bench....
 
Thanks for the info. If it's rusted tomorrow I'll give up on this project. I can't believe anybody makes ratchet straps with cotton webbing. Doomed to fail.
 
Thanks. I have watched several YouTube videos on how to polish aluminum and stainless steel. The problem with cleaning these spokes is that it's very tedious and time consuming.
 
polishing can be a two edged sword. yu get additicted to it. be sure to wear a mask and not inhale all the dust and such. it has a learning curve but yu will get it.
 
I have (not) been seen brushing silver paint on crappy spokes. Not a show bike trick....
 
Well I'm not planning to do that! I do think that clear nail polish would last longer than wax though. It's certainly less expensive than relacing the wheels.
 
happydaze said:
I thought you all would get a chuckle at my ONE clean spoke. At this rate I'll be done in ten years. LOL. - - -
Click to expand...

Hi happydaze,
it will take far less time to re-lace the wheel with stainless steel spokes than it will to de-rust the existing spokes.
And you'll only have to do it once.
 
I'm sure you're right. I spent a couple of hours on one spoke. I may try relacing my own wheels but not until after prime riding season.
 
happydaze said:
I'm thinking about buying my first Dremel tool. I'd like to use it for polishing aluminum and cleaning up other small parts. I'm wondering which model would be recommended for this. I definitely want a corded one because I don't want to have to maintain batteries for a tool that I won't use very often.

I'm thinking about getting the 4000 because it seems very versatile. It has variable speeds and accepts all attachments, and the brushes can be replaced. I'm not sure what they mean by 2/30, 6/50, etc. Is that just a matter of which accessories it comes with? It looks like the 6/50 comes with the most accessories, and it seems to be the only one that comes with the flex shaft adapter, which I think would be good to have. Are there any other accessories that I should make a point of getting?

I also want to be sure that I'll be able to get fine polishing discs & brushes for it before I buy it, since that's what I want to use it for.

Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.
Click to expand...
..............hi i purchased my first dremel and whole bunch a small grinding stones and a heap of polishing flappers all from k mart in morwell they had a brilliant tool shop with a couple of guys that ride their sports bikes to work on a saturday/sunday ,,,and they were both a great heip ,, i polishe a dr600 motor and ported the head cleaned all the ribson the head with it as well ,,it cost very little to get the tool bits for it and fairly cheap ,,,,the bike came up great ,, i did get top dollar on ebay in aust.,,even the alloy rims looked great it was good fun regards oldbiker
 

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