Pendant Drill

[theresa]

Hi
Can anyone recommend a good pendant drill?
I am on my 2nd one now. While nothing wrong with the motor, the hand tightened hand-piece will not hold burrs securely and they slip down which is annoying to say the least!
Is the Foredom snap in any good? I've noticed a lot of people seem to use them.
Thank you
Theresa

[Lucie]

I have this exact problem - except the burrs don't only slip. They come free of the drill completely and fire across the room.
I'm hoping for a new one for Christmas before I take an eye out!!

I'm having trouble deciding between a foredom micro motor and the Milbro with a quick change hand piece.
Does the Foredom have a model number- I couldn't find the "snap"?

I found this link. Not sure if it's useful?
http://www.suttontools.co.uk/vtr-foredom-pendant-drill-kit

[Dennis]

Before you change get someone to take your existing tool to bits in case the chuck/collet can be tightened. Or do it yourself, why not? All the respectable makes such as Foredom have this facility, of course. Dennis.

[Tabby66]

Is it just the hand piece that you're both having a problem with??

if so, take it into your local supplier, it may well be that the collet needs adjusting, I have a foredom quick release handset and had a similar problem, I could not sort it and in desperation took it on to Cousins (where I had bought it from, when they were in Birmingham), they sorted it, showed me how to adjust it and it's a doddle now!!

(....and money saved to spend on other goodies!!)

[caroleallen]

I've got a Milbro and a Foredom. They both have quick release handpieces. I think I prefer the Milbro but that's probably because I'm more used to it.

[Patstone]

I had this problem a year or so ago. Someone who lives in France and is banned from this forum now told me to email foredom in america and complain, every time I used it as a drill it just stopped turning. After a few emails back and forth they sent me a chuck handpiece for nothing. My daughter had the same problem and they sent her one too. Strange they did t tell me you could tighten them. Come one Dennis you are good at explaining things it would save me a bit of agro if I could use the quick release all the time and just use the chuck one for bigger things. Pleeeeeease.




I have this exact problem - except the burrs don't only slip. They come free of the drill completely nd fire across the room.
I'm hoping for a new one for Christmas before I take an eye out!!

I'm having trouble deciding between a foredom micro motor and the Milbro with a quick change hand piece.
Does the Foredom have a model number- I couldn't find the "snap"?

I found this link. Not sure if it's useful?
http://www.suttontools.co.uk/vtr-foredom-pendant-drill-kit

[Myosotis]

I had this problem a year or so ago. Someone who lives in France and is banned from this forum now told me to email foredom in america and complain, every time I used it as a drill it just stopped turning. After a few emails back and forth they sent me a chuck handpiece for nothing. My daughter had the same problem and they sent her one too. Strange they did t tell me you could tighten them. Come one Dennis you are good at explaining things it would save me a bit of agro if I could use the quick release all the time and just use the chuck one for bigger things. Pleeeeeease.

Peter posted instructions on how to adjust the handpiece, I did point that out to you at the time you said you had the problem http://www.cooksongold.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3649&page=3. The instructions sorted my handpiece problem out and it's worked fine since.

[Dennis]

I don't actually have a Foredom Pat, I have a micromotor now, and each handpiece over the years has had its own method of adjustment: some with a spanner and some with a tool like a screwdriver with a gap in the centre.

All I ever did was take off the outer sleeve and work out how it was done, because I could never find the instructions by the time they were needed. If you can't do it yourself, maybe you know someone who is good at adjusting gadgets. Dennis.

[theresa]

Thank you everyone, certainly enough food for thought here!
I bought my pendant from Axminster Tools, their own make, so I will now phone them and see what they have to say.

[Tabby66]

Let us know how you get on Theresa!!

Tabby xx

[ShinyLauren]

Hi Theresa,

I had the Axminster one and it served me well for the past four years. It wasn't until I used a Foredom at my stone setting class that I realised the Axminster had probably had it's time! I now have a Foredom with No.30 handpiece, which I love. It's faster, smoother and quieter than the Axminster, and I also got a little stand you can bolt it into that turns it into a pillar drill - brilliant!

[Patstone]

I am fairly competent at making and putting things together, and can normally work out how things work, but the allen key doesnt seem to do anything just goes around. We have a shop in Exeter that sells tools, in desperation I may take it in there.

[Myosotis]

I am fairly competent at making and putting things together, and can normally work out how things work, but the allen key doesnt seem to do anything just goes around. We have a shop in Exeter that sells tools, in desperation I may take it in there.

The allen key is for removing the collet completely, to adjust see my post on the other thread. If it still doesn't work you must have a duff one

[Tabby66]

The allen key for the handset I have is used to adjust the tightness /grip of the handset collet, the first one I had was duff, the replacement works like a dream!! (and was much easier to use once shown how)!!

[Patstone]

Presumably you mean that the allen key is duff, not the handpiece. I will have a look later on. Its 4.23am and I got woken up by owls shouting their heads off, so came down for a cuppa. Not really corpus mentus yet, going back to bed in a mo. I did fleetingly try another allen key last night but not sure if it was imperial or metric so will try again, my daughter has one the same and she has trouble with hers but only when she is sanding, and she cant pull her tool out without releasing the lever, mine comes out quite easily, it doesnt fly out but it only takes a bit of pressure to pull it out.

[Tabby66]

yes Pat, the allen key, exactly as you describe!!

[Patstone]

Well I will have a look in the garage for another allen key. Better wait until my neighbours get up, I dont suppose they would appreciate me spuddling around on a Saturday morning at this hour.

[Dennis]

They come in metric and fractions of an inch, but for a USA article I imagine it would be the fractions of an inch one. As you know, there is a slight difference. What puzzles me about all this, is that the correct key must have come with it.

[Patstone]

I have spent hours trying to solve the problem and by cutting the end off the allen key that came with it, it at last seems to work. All my burrs have been bought from reputable suppliers, mostly Cooksons and a couple from other well known companies, My daughter also noticed that some of my burrs were slightly thinner than others so perhaps that could have been adding to the problem. It was too small for me to notice, so a paper thin difference but enough to make a difference. Thank you all for your help and advice,.

[Dennis]

You've been the archetypal British bulldog about this Pat and I'm glad it finally worked out. Dennis.

[Tabby66]

They come in metric and fractions of an inch, but for a USA article I imagine it would be the fractions of an inch one. As you know, there is a slight difference. What puzzles me about all this, is that the correct key must have come with it.

Yes Dennis!!!! That was part of my frustration, it was the supplied allen key that seemingly didn't work, when I took it in to Cousins, in desparation and asked, it was just hang on a minute, replacement allen key produced, worked and given to me,......I don't think I was the first!!

[Dennis]

You cant see it, But I'm shaking my head in disbelief. Even Ikea wouldn't be like that these days.

I have always thought that jewellers are poorly served by many of their suppliers and they seem to accept it.

When I first started, I took back some ring pliers marked with their logo to a firm in Hatton Wall, now long closed. Would you believe it, one beak fell off while I was using it to bend up a ring. Although they knew me and I had already bought my ring stretcher and my rolling mill there, they argued every which way to avoid responsibility.

I also took back a small riveting hammer to Exchange Findings, later taken over by Cookson. It was pretty and shiny when I bought it, but very quickly the shine came off in flakes, because it was plating, and the face of the hammer distorted because it was made of some soft metal, probably die cast. The manager hid out of sight somewhere in the back, while the assistant shuttled back and forth between him and me, relaying negative messages.

Even now, at least when I last called, there is a distinct difference in tone between sales staff, who are very friendly and the scrap purchasing department.

Dennis