I'm scared of my flex shaft!

[Petal]

Another tip I heard (and use) is to tape or clamp your sheet, so it doesn't move about when you are drilling/hammering whatever. That way you have two hands free.

[Lindyloo]

A pedal tip from a sewing machine user. Sometimes, I find that my foot is a bit heavy on the sewing machine pedal, and it gets a bit fatigued having to be held above the floor. So sometimes I turn the pedal around and use my heel to depress it for a while.

[geti-titanium]

OK let me get this right from what I have been reading:

Problem:

You're frightened that your Foredom shaft is going to shoot out of your hands and whack you in the face whenever you go near it even though you are only lightly touching it and you haven't tried using any attachments due to inexperience.

Remedy:

A nice firm grip as if holding a potato peeler (or a courgette) and use your thumb to steady your hand whist tickling the ivories.

Don't run the tool fast for fear of burning it out too quickly - slow and steady with plenty of lubricant saves the day.

A quick release can be beneficial.

Above all keep practising.

OK - gottit now.

[ps_bond]

Yeah, yeah... Or, spend thousands on CNC kit, code it and sit back with a large bottle of alcohol.

[Lou]

OK let me get this right from what I have been reading:

Problem:

You're frightened that your Foredom shaft is going to shoot out of your hands and whack you in the face whenever you go near it even though you are only lightly touching it and you haven't tried using any attachments due to inexperience.

Not the handpiece shooting out of my hand more like the piece I am working on and the handpiece shooting off and shaving off my fingers, practice it is then!

[geti-titanium]

Yeah, yeah... Or, spend thousands on CNC kit, code it and sit back with a large bottle of alcohol.

Oh yes I agree Peter. It's a lot better with the proper kit. I remember as a lad doing my toolmaking apprenticeship, stripping down compressors as big as a house and rebuilding them the hard way. Machining 'by hand' as it were, to 10th's of a thou and scraping to similar tolerances. CNC's had only just started coming out in those days and I wasn't allowed on them - it's much better now. Mind you any, smug ba****d can programme a CNC, (if they can afford one!) the real skill is the engineering mind and thought that goes into making a component and knowing how metals machine, not sure about sitting back though, you need to have your wits about you at all times, they also cost thousands to put right if you crash one!

Personally I wouldn't allow anybody who had been drinking anywhere near my babies - perhaps a teaspoonful in the coffee a couple of times a day for flavour, but that's about it - I'm sure you would agree.

[Dennis]

Hi Lou, those were the good old days. Now back to the flex shaft. Once you are more confident, you can sometimes shortcut casting and PMC, by carving a scrap of thick silver directly with burrs. Here is a skull ring requested by a grandson. The shank is a strip of sheet, with some grooves turned on the mini-lathe to add detail. The front was slightly curved on a swage block and carved with burrs. It was finished with a small Scotchbrite mop and radial discs. The two parts were then soldered together. Hope you are getting on well, Dennis.

[Lou]

Hi Lou, those were the good old days. Now back to the flex shaft. Once you are more confident, you can sometimes shortcut casting and PMC, by carving a scrap of thick silver directly with burrs. Here is a skull ring requested by a grandson. The shank is a strip of sheet, with some grooves turned on the mini-lathe to add detail. The front was slightly curved on a swage block and carved with burrs. It was finished with a small Scotchbrite mop and radial discs. The two parts were then soldered together. Hope you are getting on well, Dennis.

Wow that ring is awesome! Thank you for the info on what you used, maybe one day I will be able to carve such a marvel! I can't image those little burrs doing all the carving.
Lou

[Gemma]

Great ring Dennis!!

I'm not scared of my flex shaft but probably should be! I have a lovely gash across one of my fingers from the other day when I managed to slip with a sanding roll thingy and wrap it round my finger. Ooops. Also many scuffed nails. And I loose count over how many times I have to stop to go hunting for the piece that's just gone shooting across the room...
Practice, practise, practice I suppose. I do hold it like a potato peeler though so at least I'm doing something right!