Pendant drill or micromotor?

[enigma]

And which one?

I was looking at this Foredom:
http://www.suttontools.co.uk/power-t...plete-kit.html

Or this micro motor:
http://www.suttontools.co.uk/strong-...romotor-1.html

Any recommendations from you experienced folk please?
Will I be able to use all my Dremel tools on either? and do I need to buy separate things like with the Milibro which all looks rather complicated or are they ready to use?

Thanks

[Aurarius]

For the micromotor all your burrs will need to have a 2.35mm shank. The flex-shaft you've linked to comes with a quick-release handpiece and you will also need to use 2.35mm shank burrs in that. However, you can get other Foredom handpieces for their flex-shafts that take burrs with thicker (and, I think, thinner) shanks.

There are cheaper micromotors and flex-shafts than Foredom available, and some may be absolutely fine, just as some are undoubtedly turkeys. Genuine Foredoms are probably less likely to be turkeys.
I got my micromotor from here, and received good service at a good price.

I'm not sure what you mean about "buying separate things like with the Milbro". With the Milbro there are two motors to choose from (12,000 rpm and 18,000 rpm) and two handpiece arrangements (fixed, or slip-joint, i.e rapid change). The seller should make it clear to you which combination you are buying. If I had the pennies I'd go for an 18,000 rpm slip-joint Milbro with a Faro or Badeco handpiece.

ETA: If you want, you can get the Foredom micromotor with a collet fitted that will take 3mm shanks or a collet that will take 3.18mm shanks, but you wouldn't ever really need to use burrs with shanks other than 2.35mm for jewelry work. Don't think about buying different sized collets and changing them over as and when needed as it's a bit of a tedious business swapping collets over. A different and much quicker arrangement for switching between one thickness burr and another is to use a collet adapter. These are readily available on the website I linked to.

As for which is the better choice - micromotor or flex-shaft - it really depends what you're using it for most of the time. If you're going to be doing a lot of setting I'd say go for the micromotor; if you're going to be doing things that regularly require a lot of torque you might be better off with the flex-shaft. Of course if you've got the funds you could just get the more expensive Foredom micromotor, which will give you plentiful torque as well as do away with the relatively more restrictive cable that inevitably comes with a flex-shaft.

[Dennis]

Mark has given you a pretty complete answer. I would only make the following points:

Micromotors consist of a control box, a handpiece, and an optional foot on/off switch, or an optional foot operated speed control

They are useless if they don't have sufficient torque and keep stopping when you press on them. I have read that even some expensive ones are guilty of that.

Maybe I was lucky, but I bought a Marathon one from Amazon as a standby for very much less money and liked it so much that it is now my main motor.

One other thing, looking ahead: you might one day like a hammer hand piece, for setting, texturing, or even engraving. So you would need the facility to change handpieces.

[enigma]

Brilliant thanks for so much information Mark and Dennis !

[vsilvered]

Hi Dennis,

May I ask which Marathon micromotor model you bought?

[enigma]

Dennis, just wondering what the engravings like with a hammer hand piece?
I had a graver on my wish list for some point but would be great if the pendant motor could do both.

Also had a doh! moment when I realised why I can't burr out real slow like Soham does on the vid- not enough torque on the Dremel I guess? It just sticks at slow speed.

[Dennis]

Hi Dennis, May I ask which Marathon micromotor model you bought?

I see amazon don't have any now, but there are some which seem similar to mine on ebay. I think that they are all made in China and the appearance of the control box gets changed from time to time. If you are a gambler at heart, you might choose this one:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Marathon-N...3D161407708636

There will be some added tax and handling charge when it arrives, but it looks as if it would cost under £100 in total

[Dennis]

Dennis, just wondering what the engravings like with a hammer hand piece?
I had a graver on my wish list for some point but would be great if the pendant motor could do both.

I used the term rather loosely and don't have any experience of specialised hand pieces, but I know they are optional extras for some motors.

As far as torque is concerned, you are right in that you loose torque at low speeds, but both pendant motors and a decent micromotor will have enough for drilling and grinding in jewellry making.

That said for stone setting,starting with a tube or a drilled hole, I use round burrs first and then perfect the seat with setting burrs entirely by hand. They are dipped in a little oil and held in a universal handle, such as Cookson 999AZM.

Even then I select very slightly undersized setting burr, because the slightest wobble makes an oversized seat. Dennis.

[Goldsmith]

Dennis, just wondering what the engravings like with a hammer hand piece?
I had a graver on my wish list for some point but would be great if the pendant motor could do both.

Also had a doh! moment when I realised why I can't burr out real slow like Soham does on the vid- not enough torque on the Dremel I guess? It just sticks at slow speed.

Sarah, these are some textures that I did with my Faro hammerhead attachment fitted on my flex shaft drill's slip joint end.



James

[enigma]

Thanks Dennis,
I was trying to just make the seat in a hole that already had the bulk taken out with a ball burr and even then the Dremel didn't want to play at the kind of low speed Soham did his at, could also explain why I seem to blunt the burrs although of course that could just be because Im crap


Thanks very much James, thats really cool! Would it be suitable for lettering too or is it not smooth enough?