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A question about drills.


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hi ive been trying to purchase some hobby drills, so that i can magnetise models and such.

 

but i have no idea what kind of drill i should be looking for. i have a small hand drill from citadel (DONT NOT BUY THIS, IT IS TERRIBLE) but i need something that can make a 3mm hole and so on.

 

does anyone know what i should be purchasing for this, ive looked but i cant tell whats what and dont want to make a purchase for no reason.

 

 

thank you.

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well mine came in the post broken then, haha, everytime i go to use it, it keeps getting pushed back into the vise instead of staying still which is extremely annoying.

 

but if you say a 3mm drill bit will fit in it then im sure its still useful.

 

thank you.

Ueah, the Citadel Pin Vise has a two-sided collet (the little metal part that holds the bits). Remove the collar entirely, pull out the collet, and flip it over. The opening in that end is larger, and will accomodate up to a 1/8 inch drill bit with some effort. It won't got all the way in, but you don't need it to.

I'm not sure about the newer Citadel Pin Vice, but the older one also had another collet stored in the handle (double tipped), giving you 4 different collet sizes to choose from. If you buy one from a Hobby/Model Shop, odds are it will be like this. All 4 tips should let you use bits from 0.25mm-to-3.0mm.

 

All that said, a good Pin Vice (Twist Drill) is one of the most useful tools you can have. Delicate, precise, and surprisingly good (Considering it's 'finger powered') at drilling through any material a miniature will normally be made with. It may be tempting to try a rotary tool (Dremel) because they are powered, but even at very slow speeds they tend to spin far too fast to be accurate. You will lose all of the delicate finesse that the Pin Vice gives you.

 

Every rivet on every item I've ever built (and I do a lot of rivets) is totally secure thanks to the precise hole made by a good Pin Vice. Naturally, they are also essential for doing a good job mounting magnets.

yeah i found the other end whilst trying to fix the smaller end. it appears that the 'small' end doesnt hold the drill bits properly and they are too loose. which is where im having my problem. it may be a faulty drill but its very annoying as there is no GW near me and i ordered it off the internet.
Hadn't considered a power screwdriver, that might be slow enough to give you the kind of control you usually need when drilling a miniature. I still really like the feel/control you get doing it by hand.

 

I've not had an issue with it & I've built & pinned several more tedious models such as those by Wyrd. I've also successfully drilled out gun barrels & the banner pole from an IG command squad banner so I could mount it on a brass rod pole on a tank (3 times actually). Since I have arthritis I can't stand to hold a pin vice & drill with it for very long before my hands start throbbing. It's all about being patient & not rushing it just because the 18v motor CAN do it in 5 seconds. Plus, most have an adjustable clutch & you don't have to squeeze the trigger all the way, so there's good speed control. Lastly, the ability to back the bit out of a tight squeeze quickly is great.

I'm tryinjg to find pictures of what I use. I don't like the pin vise drills because I don't have much strength in my hands and drilling metal is hard for me.

 

This is close to what I have. I found a small, inexpensive, no name cordless screwdriver that fits my hand at the hardware store.

http://toolmonger.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/07/bdsd08.jpg

 

And then a set of tiny drill bits with a 1/4" hex shaft that just drops in.

http://di1-4.shoppingshadow.com/images/pi/a5/24/9f/33183779-260x260-0-0_Black%20Decker%20Dewalt%20Rapid%20Load%20Hex%20Shank%20Drill%20Bit.jpg

 

The way my hands quiver when tring to spin a pin vise, the powered version is so much safer for me.

Cordless screwdrivers are great for pinning, I've worn a couple of them out, they save so much time and keep the hand pain to a minimum.

 

I do recomend that you go to MicroMark and check out the hex shaft drill chucks for maximum versitility though. With those you can use almost any size bit you'll ever need without having to look for special hex shaft bits.

only issue i've ever had with the old drill is through my own stupidity which generally resulted in a broken bit and/or blood. not happened for some time now.

 

i have two of the old drills, no idea how it happened but i tend to use the second one as a mount for painting heads/helmets now

 

for larger holes i tend to use the 3mm bit from my drill set with a low rev on my cordless screw driver. gives me a slightly larger hole than my magnets and as long as i dont get too excited i dont end up driling through/melting the model

I just bought a

with drill stand earlier today.

 

Oh, My, Emperor!

 

The thing is whisper quiet at low RPMs. I will have no problems using it at night with the 3yo kid sleeping in the next room. It makes much less noise than my battery powered cordless screwdriver.

 

Goodbye Dremel. Off to the shed with you. :)

-T14

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