dremel tool advice, and eagletac reply.

Eagletac was nice enough to reply to my "make a spot for tritium thread". They told me that the cigar wring on the t100c2 is made of polycarbonate and it would be easy to dremel out a spot for some tritium. Now for the question.

I dont have a dremel tool, what should i buy, and what size end piece should i get to make such small holes in polycarbonate , or in aluminum.

Thanks.

Most any dremel tool with a kit will do fine. One that has variable speed is preferred though. Usually the kit will include a 1/8" diameter cylinder shaped cutter. Using the edge will work. There are also other cutters in many kits. The Hardware stores often have lots of small grinders and cutters for sale....you could ask someone at such a store what to use. ( Try a real hardware store ).

This thread could fit in more than one place, but I think it should do best in Homemade & Modified, so I'm moving it there now.

Stick with a dremel, or a quality dental drill.
I have bought my last two dremels from pawn shops, for about $20ish. Remember negotiate, don't pay the sticker in a pawn shop. Always test it before you leave the store.

Do you have a harbor Freight tools near you? If so they usually have a big box of bits for under $15. not the best quality, but your going to break the dremel branded ones just about as quickly so buy the junk harbor freight ones. You can also buy it online. $17 $10 I buy 2 or 3 of them very time they go on sale.

Buy the keyless chuck!!!!
The tool is a total pain in the rump without it. Stick with the dremel brand on this item.

The add on flex shafts suck for the most part. Unless you have it mounted about your workbench on a rod. They bind up and just make me frustrated.

I own a proxxon, it's made a little better and should last a lifetime.

good advice, i am just buying it to make room for some trits on a flashlight, looks like it may be an expensive procedure.

For a lot less than a Dremel, you can get the one that Black and Decker makes. I've had 2 Dremels and 1 Black and Decker fail. B&D replaced it for free with a better model. I didn't try with the Dremels as they had to be shipped back at fairly high cost. Also, the B&D doesn't bog down on jobs that the Dremels did.

I think the Dremel is overrated due advertisement. I think the typical "professional" brands have equivalent tools but better quality (Like the B&D mentioned above).

Of course, I can be wrong.

Hard to wrong with the wired variable speed Dremel. Definitely better than the Sears tool - at least the older ones. Never used a B&D so maybe kevinm is on to something. The Dremel I have anyway, will bog down under load, true, but with a variable speed you can dial in power on the fly. Definitely agree on the keyless chuck- the best add on ever for a dremel, completely transforms it for general utility. The kit with various bits, cutting wheels, cutters is a good deal, cheaper than buying separately but I so far haven't needed the flexible shaft.