Well this is
it.......my all time favourite tool!!! I bought this tool a number of
years ago (8 or 10?) and it's been a treat to use. The newer units now
have a slightly larger battery, but the rest of the tool seems unchanged....no
sense redesigning a tool that works so well. We've all heard of the
Dremel motor Tool. Well this is the little version of the big 'plug in the
wall' unit. The larger Dremel tool has many drawbacks when it comes to
using it for plastic scale modelling. The biggest problem is the larger
unit spins too fast and with too much torque (power) to properly work on
plastic. The end result is the larger unit instantly melts the plastic
instead of gently grinding away the plastic. I have heard of people
successfully reducing the speed of the larger units and then they can be used
for plastic scale modelling, but I have to question the value of doing this
unless you already own the bigger Dremel unit. The bigger unit is more
expensive, nosier, heavier and has an annoying cord. Even set at the
slowest speed the larger 110volt Dremel melts plastic with franticly disastrous
results. I own both units, so I know what I'm talking about here.....I
NEVER use the bigger unit. If you read the labels on the two versions of
the Dremel tools you'll notice the speeds listed on them say they are similar in
rpm's....don't believe it....the 110volt plug-in unit spins much faster and with
much more torque than the rechargable battery Dremel
Mini-Mite.
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My
favourite attachments.
A: Drill
chuck.....great for
holding small drill bits or the smaller tips at bottom of this picture
B: Sanding
Drum.....ideal tool
for grinding edges of scratch built sheet styrene parts....works very fast
but controllable......excellent for metal as well
C &D:
Cutting tips......the
sides of these cutting bits can be used for a variety of jobs as well as
grinding away the edges of sheet styrene......giving finer results than
the sanding Drum. The flat end can be used to smooth high spots in
plastic....very much like a woodworking router tool
E: Saw
blade......I love
to use this one to all sorts of cutting jobs....but the coolest use for
this 'saw blade' is removing clear canopies from the sprue trees....this
blade permits a steady hand to get VERY close to the canopy when cutting
it free from the sprue trees. Then a tiny bit if filing and sanding
an the canopy is perfectly removed from the sprue tree....and it very
quick as well.
F: Bur tip......I
have 2 sizes of this tip.......I used this tip to thin plastic when I'm
installing aftermarket resin items and the kit parts requiring
thinning....a combination of this tip and sand paper can create perfectly
thinned kit parts (engine cowls etc) but this does take time and patience
to do.
G:
Metal Cutting wheel......this
is the tip you use for cutting metal....such as piano wire for
scratch building etc.
H: Spare
Discs for G....
I:
Tiny tips for delicate work....see
photo below for more info...
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The problem with the
Dremel Mini-Mite is it doesn't come with any attachments. The larger
Dremel unit is sometimes sold with a variety of attachments, but a modest
selection of attachments will be all you'll need to get full use out of your
Dremel Mini-Mite. In the photo above and below I show you the tips and
attachments I've found most useful.
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Tiny
finishing bits made by Dremel...must be used with drill chuck
These tips are
too small for the Dremel unit and require the use of the Drill Chuck
attachment to permit them to be used with the Dremel Min-Mite
1: Hole
enlarger bit....I
use this tip if I want to enlarge the diameter of an existing
hole
2: Rounded
Burring tip.....same
as tip F in above photo except this tip is very tiny.
3:
Angular burring unit.......this tip is perfect for more angular
jobs that tip #2 is not suited for.....I don't get too much use out of
this tip...but it does have it's uses.
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So should you buy a
Dremel Mini-Mite?.......that depends. If you add resin or Photo-Etched
detail items to your models, then the Dremel Mini-Mite will save you countless
hours of frustration and work and will become your favourite tool. If you
build your models out of the box, then the Demel Mini-Mite will be a fun
tool, but it won't be a critical item in your 'tool box'. Basically
if you've ever hacked or shaved plastic with an X-Acto knife or if you cringe
when you see the word "Grind" in instruction sheets....then you NEED
the Dremel Mini-Mite and you need one NOW!!! Quit torturing
yourself.
And
finally....DO NOT use this tool on resin....Resin dust is very bad for the
lungs......always wet sand resin parts whenever possible and wear proper
protective gear....do not ruin your lungs for a hobby...it's not worth it.
Steve Bamford
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