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Hi guys,

I managed to get a very nice little jewellers drill/flexible shaft tool like this;



It is pretty good, and does low speeds (with some skill) but I am looking to really put it to use cleaning up mold lines.

I have a brash brush attachment that does a very good job, but does obviously cause a fair few scratches that then need to be tidied up.

Does anyone have an idea of some attachment that will let me lazy as all hell and just make moldlines disappear?

And, while we're at it, I want to get a really good set of sprue cutters, and would love a recommendation

Thanks

Lazy as in not paying close attention or lazy as in supa fast?

For not paying attention...jeweler's points are going to be your friend. They are a bit like a pencil eraser with a bit of grit embedded in them. Come in different shapes and hardnesses...but because they are a rubber base that is consumed in use, you are less likely to get distracted only to find out you just decapitated your figure (and the tip of your finger).

http://www.widgetsupply.com/product/XKJ3-RA8121.html

For something a bit more aggressive - burrs. Diamond burrs work well for metal and hard resins. Carbide of HSS burrs for plastic and soft resins.

You will need to watch the speed (those rotary tools generally run at very high RPMs...though hopefully you did get the foot pedal with it that will let you dial it back and avoid melting things). Also, watch your fingers. I will occasionally use a diamond burr to "fix" a metal master for casting purposes. Works well enough, but it is fast...can be good when you are paying attention, bad if you are not.

You don't want to try to hold the miniature in your hand while you try to control the bit in the other. To hold the figures - I use one of these:

http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=31175&cat=1,41659,41667

I also have a mount that holds the post and pivots. Lets me lock the figure in and use both hands to guide the tool (bit like how I airbrush).

For sprue cutters...Xuron.

Thanks for posting Sean, really appreciate it mate.

I will grab some of those rubber polishers and burrs for sure - I do have the foot pedal, and found that pulsing it does get a nice slow speed going (it is rated for 500rpm at the slowest, but I can do slower).

Good idea about the vice, I was worried about putting it through my hand when I was drilling something the other day.

I can also apparently buy those Xuron cutters here, which is a rarity for Australia sometimes.

Thanks again for your help

I should point out - that vise tool...Lee Valley is not the cheapest place to get them, just a place that I know carries them.

I think Widget's has one, and I know Amazon has them as well. Should be able to find them for about half the price of Lee Valley.

Go through Amazon, if you want that vice. Micromark also carries them, but tends to price like Lee Valley. I'll never buy from either of them, but God do I love drooling over their catalogs!

Another option for holding parts is a jeweler's ring clamp/vice. Can't search and link from here, sadly, but it's a very simple tool. You could build several in an afternoon, if you don't want to buy, provided you have the tools, materials, and a shred of woodworking know-how. The design is like a chunky clothespin - two wooden arms, tapered at either end, that pivot on a central pin. Instead of spring pressure, a simple wooden wedge is pressed into the gap at the bottom to close the gap at the top. A little leather or dense neoprene padding on the jaw will let you hold anything from a pin to a slotta base to a loose arm firmly, without marring the part or deforming the wood.

The new Dremel Micro is a really nice tool too. It is really small and light and is battery operated, with speeds very low to higher than you'll need for miniature hobby. I prefer it to my dremel flex shaft.

I'm not sure what you mean by "really good sprue cutters". Basically, any pair of small diagonal cutters will do the same thing; you can't avoid finishing the point where you cut the sprue off, you can never cut too close to the model, or you'll damage the model. Plus, every pair will dull as you use them, and they aren't practical to sharpen (at least, not for me).

If you want a pair that looks nice and feels good, and you want to spend a whole bunch of money, the Games Workshop diagonal cutters look awesome and feel great (the weight is fantastic), but they are a totally unnecessary luxury that won't save any time or make the finished product any better.


And/but: remember to put a new blade on your hobby knife pretty much every time you start a new session. The new blades cut much, much better, and they dull very quickly. You can get them in boxes of 100 pretty cheaply if you hunt around.

oadie: yeah, I stopped myself from looking at Lee Valley's site too much, I value my marriage. There are a few jeweller's supply places here which will no doubt have something similar - it was a real eye opener to see the price differences when you put "hobby" in the name.

Talys: I will check it out, sounds pretty good - might get one when this thing dies. As for sprue cutters, the set I have now are basically some old electronics ones - they are fine, but cause too much separation pressure (I am sure there is a term for this) when I am cutting stuff off the sprue. I just wanted a good recommendation that wasn't GW I also bought a ton of new blades for my knives the other week, you're right about how much of a difference it makes.

Thanks guys, appreciate your help

 oadie wrote:
Go through Amazon, if you want that vice. Micromark also carries them, but tends to price like Lee Valley. I'll never buy from either of them, but God do I love drooling over their catalogs!

Lee Valley gets far too much of my money - but I don't mind. In many cases they are what GW wants to be when they grow up. Nothing even comes close to Veritas when it comes to precision machining, fit and finish...I just spent about $400 last week expanding my handplane options from them (as well as a few hundred in hardware to finish up various Christmas presents).

Places like that get my support because they actually deserve it.

Talys wrote:
I'm not sure what you mean by "really good sprue cutters". Basically, any pair of small diagonal cutters will do the same thing; you can't avoid finishing the point where you cut the sprue off, you can never cut too close to the model, or you'll damage the model. Plus, every pair will dull as you use them, and they aren't practical to sharpen (at least, not for me).

You might be surprised. I have been using Xuron tools for quite awhile now, and compared to my regular dykes I use for cutting brass pins...there is no comparison. Normally, I will actually pop parts off right at the part, the cut is that clean with the 2175ET. Just a couple of quick passes with an emery board to deal with a very tiny ridge created at the bypass and the part is ready to be glued up (assuming no flash to deal with).

If you have a Hobby store nearby, I recommend you try them out. If you don't - I really recommend buying them...the time saved with not having to mess about cleaning up cuts makes them worth a bit more than hardware store wire cutters.

Provided you stick to soft materials (plastic, resin, white metal...) you likely won't ever dull the blade either. Because the two blade edges never actually touch each other (they are offset by a tiny fraction of a hair) - the main cause of dulling is eliminated (when the two hardened steel cutting edges but together). My original pair of flush cutters from them is still sharp now, even though they are around 10 years old and have cut thousands of parts of sprues. I only replaced them because...well, I am a tool junky, and there is a nick in the blade where my wife borrowed them to cut some sort of steel beading wire with.

I've had my Xuron Track Cutter for 20+ years and it's gone through everything from lead to pewter, brass and aluminum. They could probably go through steel rod if needed, but I value them too much. They cut one side flush and a quick pass with my diamond files gets rid of any burrs/flash from the cut. They normally retail at about 15.00. My father gave me mine from his toolbox.

Yep, the track cutter is nice too. The blade is a little thicker than the sprue cutters are in order to stand up to things like nickel plated brass railroad track - but it makes a nearly perfectly flat cut on the one side of the cutter to allow for easy end to end connections of railroad track for model RR people.

They also make some which are designed for working with etched brass that have a really narrow blade set to get in between tight etchings. Those can actually withstand mild steel (I use mine on etched stainless steel from time to time) provided it isn't too thick.

Very nice and worth every penny IMO.

 Sean_OBrien wrote:
For sprue cutters...Xuron.

These arrived yesterday, the difference between what I was using (a micro set of electrical flush snips) to these is amazing - so little pressure on other components, and clean cuts. I got the sprue cutter and the 410T (I think), they are both better than I was expecting.

I got some rubber polishers as well, and the full set coming from widget supply, so I will see how that goes.

Thanks again to all of you for your advice, I greatly appreciate it.