should I wear protection when going at them with my rotary tool?

I think you're safe. They're not made of lead, but white metal. Mostly tin?

If drilling them was unsafe then Techno would be a complete barm-pot.


OK. Bad example.

Quote from: Paper on 31 March 2019, 06:33:30 PM
should I wear protection when going at them with my rotary tool?

Really?

On 10mm figures, with a rotary tool?

How many fingers do you have left?

11.

 

I'm mostly using it to flatten the bottoms

Also slower speeds make it easy to use diamond files for flashing.

Quote from: Paper on 31 March 2019, 06:33:30 PM
should I wear protection when going at them with my rotary tool?

Hi Paper.

When you say rotary tool.....Do you mean the little, metal circular saw ?

I've never used the one I've got on 10mm figures, as I don't think they're very safe.

Cheers - Phil

Quote from: Paper on 31 March 2019, 08:37:44 PM
I'm mostly using it to flatten the bottoms

Also slower speeds make it easy to use diamond files for flashing.

Most gamers I know use a semi round flat file.

This tool. Popular brand name is dremel. You can put lots of different tools in it. Including a tiny saw blade but that's not what I'm using.

I'm using a flat sand paper disk to flatten the bottom of the figures. Each one takes only a few seconds.

Mould lines can be removed easily with some of the diamond grit files.

It's been a while since I worked with metal figures.

Talk about overkill.

Eh it's only like $30 bucks? Pretty easy and cheap, also it's useful for so many modeling tasks.

Interesting thought, though I have always stuck with a blade and file for clean-up and that works enough for me. I think in this day and age, masking up for any job that creates dust is a sensible precaution and doing it in a non-domestic area also for the best. I use my dremel mainly to open the holes on tanks whenever the turret doesn't sit properly.

Quote from: Paper on 31 March 2019, 11:32:34 PM
Eh it's only like $30 bucks? Pretty easy and cheap, also it's useful for so many modeling tasks.

I've been using a similar tool called a Rotacraft which has most of the attachments shown in your illustration and is designed specifically for model making.  I use it for drilling, grinding and generally cleaning castings, and similar tasks, exactly as you do, and wouldn't be without it.  

There is no particular danger using it on white metal castings, resin or plastic, that I know of.  I do tend to wear a mouth and nose mask to avoid breathing in the dust, particularly when working with resin models, which is probably unnecessary but I'd rather not take the risk.  

As tools go it cuts time and effort dramatically, as you describe.

I just cut the bottom flash off with a Stanley knife. Takes two seconds a figure.

Some weird practises out there.

Whup, whup, whup with a file and the flash is gone.

Hi Paper.

It's a damn useful 'tool'.....I use mine an awful lot of the time.

OK...So it sounds as though you're using what I refer to as the Carborundum discs.
Those shouldn't give you any problems, apart from their occasional tendency to snap/shatter......but only if you use them 'carelessly'.
That's pretty rare, though.

I've never had one shatter and hit me in the face, which would be the main thing to worry about with those discs.
I'd only worry about a 'shard' catching you in the eye.....So, safety goggles if you want to be as safe as poss, perhaps.

I don't use goggles myself, as my eyes are 'protected' by my glasses...and they in turn are covered by my Optivisor.

John Cook's tip about a face mask when 'Demmeling' certain materials is a good idea.

Cheers - Phil

I'm with Paper*. I use the Dremel for bottom flattening, and for removing unsightly lines, and for drilling into tiny, tiny aircraft and ... lots of other things.

I have two Dremels. One for sanding, one for drilling. Love 'em.

I wear eye protection, but not a mask.



* Sorry Paper, probably makes it a minority opinion.

I've got two of the drills, as well, Nobby. 

The MkII is pretty old, and is really there as just a back up, as it's difficult to change the chucks (?) on that one. (OK...I took it to bits, once, to clean it out thoroughly.....and I couldn't get one of the parts back in properly. )

I burnt the motor out on the oldest (No. 3) Dremmel when I used a 'carb' disc to cut through an old rusted padlock, on one of the sheds....It did its job before it 'died', though. 

Cheers - Phil

I use the things that look like sandpaper Hola Hoops.

I know all the technical terms, me.

I'm using sandpaper disks they are a bit like the cutting disks but they generally have some sort of mount. The cheap ones I got are sticky backed sandpaper disks that mount onto a rubber disk. So you know a disk rather then a sanding drum (that's the hula hoop ones I think.

The nicer sanding disks are foam rubber bases and the sand paper mounts with Velcro.

I need to get a power drill for slower Precision jobs as even a varaiable speed router goes pretty fast.