Dremel Tools for cutting panels off?

[mickbench]

Wondering if someone can help advise me, as I’ve searched and found a good amount of information regarding dremel tools, but I’ve no idea if what I want to use if for can be done.

I’ve been struggling with a C5-R, as the vents are moulded shut and the bonnet does not come off when completed.. I’ve hacked up as much as I dare with a knife, and finally the other night I did what I feared and sliced my thumb open. The practice of using a knife was sloppy and not only that just full out dangerous.

I’ve also now buggered up the hood vents as it happens and I will now have to buy a new kit to get a replacement body. Learn from it I guess but I’m NOT going to go at it again with a knife to open the vents, as I will admit slicing my thumb open and made me rethink what I am doing.

So, wondering if there is a better and safer way to cut body panels off and open up vents etc on these model kits. I’ll buy the new kit, as it was an accident the other night, sorry to say it also ruined the body at the same time but at least if I get a dremel or something I’ve got some spares to have a go with.

If I can use a dremel, has anyone done this, and what attachment do I need?

Many thanks, your help could save my fingers and thumbs… He he..

[sjelic]

I don't use dremel for precise cuts since it doesn't make nice cuts. For the vents (if they are larger then 2 mm) I use drill bits, drill hole by hole next to each other and then carefuly cut that part out with knife, if the holes are small I use scriber and sanding paper, for cutting bonets out I also use scriber, it is precise, takes a little longer but the cut is clean and sharp. Of course it is not knife so you need to scribe almost through and when you are close take knife. Dremel is perfect for sanding, cutting "fat" parts, driling, polishing and makeing round parts.

[mike@af]

Dremels are messy because even the slowest speed melts the plastic. I reccomend using the back edge of a knife and scribing it. Or usings scribes. Dont try to cut it, because thats how you end up with sliced fingers. Try to remove material by scribing instead of splitting by cutting.

You could also use a pin vise. Drill a couple holes, get an opening started and use an exacto saw blade for the small knives. (They are a lot like the Photoetch blades just a little stronger.)

[mickbench]

Hmm...

Sounds like it's still a case of using the back of a hobby knife as a scribber to cut away the plastic... I've been put off doing that again in fear of cutting my fingers, once bitten twice shy as the old saying goes..

I've got some dental probes, but this won't work will it? Basically I'm looking for a safer way to open vents more then anything, I can handle using the back of a hobby knife to cut panels off, but I'm a bit scared of cutting vent holes using the same technique, as having a thumb that is now all swollen with a long cut along the side is no fun...

The vents on the C5-R are thick, but the vent hole isn't 2mm. Or at least I don't think they are. Oh well, guess you can't make it easier by buying tools if your skills are a bit crappy.. Guess I'll have to leave them shut when I finally get a new C5-R kit to replace the body I've just buggered up or just try again and be more careful.. Sends shivers down my spine now just thinking about how foolish I was to try and cut vents with force..!!

I'm OK with these kits unless I try and cut something on the body.. I screwed up a Skyline cutting body panels off etc..

[ZoomZoomMX-5]

I've opened up vents as you describe w/a ball-end carbide cutting tool (they come in several sizes, best to get more than one size as once you use them you'll want more), running at a relatively low speed-practice makes perfect. I have a battery powered Dremel that has a very high-torque motor and will cut plastic at fairly low RPM w/o melting the plastic. You have to take it slowly and keep checking progress on the part holding up to the light so you'll see when you are about to cut through the plastic. You'll then need to finish/dress the openings w/a knife and/or small files.

As for cutting panels, the Dremel is not the way to do it. You can get a thin round saw blade that mounts in a mandrel that can section a whole body or take a roof off, but not make precise panel cuts. This is also an exceedingly dangerous tool that will make more severe damage to your hands if you are not careful. Mike's 100% correct about cutting apart panels, you simply scratch it w/the back of a blade or w/a scribing tool. It's slow, but fairly precise and safe. Don't pull the blade towards your hands. There are some people now making very thin photoetch saw blades for your exacto. I haven't tried them yet, they may work if you are careful. Some people swear they can make precise panel cuts w/sewing thread. I've never seen it nor tried it.

[chenc544]

Here is a kindda combination method. Use the dremel sanding tool on the back of where you want to cut. Basically just use it to thin the plastic out and since it's on the back side you don't care how it looks usually. Then use the back of the knife to scribe the cut. It's much quicker this way... Good luck.

[mickbench]

Thanks for the help, however no idea what a carbide cutting tool is, or where to buy one. did a google search, found bits that are 3.2 mm or 5mm in dia.. I would guess the vent needs to be no more then 0.5mm or slightly larger, no more then 1mm..

I'm picking a new C5-R kit up on Saturday from the LHS as I'm not going to be beaten on this, my display case will have a C5-R, I just need to get the right tools to help me build it. I'll be OK using the knife to cut the hood back off again, did that before. It's the vents I need some help with.

Anyhow, the new kit means I have a plan now.. I plan on building the model, but also building the spare engine and putting this on a stand to display along side the car. I plan on mounting the car on a stand with the wheels off on one side, this way I won't be wasting an entire kit for just the body and it will look cool in the display case, as anyone looking will see the engine out of the car, and in the car, along with the brakes etc... Should look OK..

Make the best of a mess I've just made..

[ZoomZoomMX-5]

Any place that sells Dremel tools should stock them as accessories. In the US we find them in nearly all hobby shops and many home improvement stores like Home Depot and Lowes, even at places that sell electronics like Fryes.

They're one-piece metal cutting tools, they come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Sometimes the round ones work best, sometimes if your hogging out an area it's better to use a cylindrical tool. If you use your Dremel much on plastic a variety of these tools are what you want.

Dremel's web pages from your country show the high-speed and engraving cutters. Sorry that I used the "carbide" name, they aren't necessary. You want cutting and perhaps engraving tips. Engraving tips are good for getting into tiny areas. You'll probably find what you need for the Corvette w/the high speed cutters. I use round, conical (w/round tip), and cylindrical cutters, in a couple sizes each depending on the job.

Dremel High Speed Cutters
Dremel Engraving Cutters

BTW, if you really want a killer C5R you could order the Historic Racing Miniatures resin trans kit for the Revell C5R. Harold Bradford did the conversion to accurize it, and to remove the hood so you can see/detail the engine. His resin is as good as it gets. All the hard work is already done.

HRM C6R resin trans kit

[mickbench]

Thanks ever so much.. I searched around in google uk and couldn't find carbide easily.. And I have seen the resin kit for this car, but I wanted to have a go myself. I'm not afraid of having a go as I've got to learn, but when you start slicing into your body it makes you slow down a little.. I'm still scrubbing the blood out of the carpet, and my jeans have red spots that dried very dark which will never come out in the wash I guess..

I'll invest in a battery rotory tool, and get some attachments and use the body I've buggered up for some practice... If I still can't get this right I might just invest in the resin kit.. The resin kit has a firewall and looks pretty good actually.

[ZoomZoomMX-5]

As for the rotary tool itself, if you already have one don't just go out and buy a battery-powered one. I wanted a battery-powered minimite, it's small and gets into tight places easily, was recommended by a couple other friends. I was given a much larger rechargeable Dremel, w/a battery pack and recharger base. At first I was disappointed, but it is more powerful/robust than my old plug-in Dremel, it operates at multiple RPM and w/the high torque it cuts quite well into plastic at lower RPM's. My only problem w/it is if the battery pack isn't charged when I want to use it, I don't have an extra pack and they are expensive. If you haven't already got a rotary tool, it's a good investment, as is the smaller Minimite version. Otherwise in your case right now it would be overkill.

[willimo]

If you follow Zoomzoom's "High speed cutter link," you'll find parts 117 and 115. These are what I used to open the grill on my 69 Camaro. Instead of using the bit to cut through the grill, use use these kinds of bits to remove plastic from behind the grill (or in your case, vents) until they open naturally. Then you use sandpaper between the vents or just along the back surface to clean up any extra bits of plastic. Like was said before, go slowly and check progress, and think well about it before hand (for my grill I had to be sure to remove material from the ends of the grill to the middle - the first time I went straight across and after the center was weakened by removing material, it wasn't strong enough to hold while I did the other end and it broke).

As for removing panel lines - sounds like you were cutting way too hard. Easy does it, with about 100,000 passes with the back of a blade will do the trick. Just remember that it will take 100,006 passes so don't rush it, and always cut away from yourself!!

[Fkouch]

Originally Posted by mickbench

I'll invest in a battery rotory tool, and get some attachments and use the body I've buggered up for some practice... If I still can't get this right I might just invest in the resin kit.. The resin kit has a firewall and looks pretty good actually.

Personally I used a panel scriber to deepen the vents and then the thin blade from my Tamiya Saw. If I had a Dremel I would have thinned the plastic from the inside first, would of made it alot easier.

Might get a Dremel soon as Argos have an offer on till Xmas,

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produc...er/7110890.htm


Cheers

Farrokh

[ZoomZoomMX-5]

Yeah, in case I wasn't clear (I wasn't ), use the Dremel from inside the body or grille or whatever, cutting from the backside on out. You don't have to be all that precise, just vigilant to go slowly as to not go too far and remove too much material at once. If you've seen my white Ferrari F355, I opened the engine cover vents from inside using my Dremel.

Don't forget that resin C5R either. It fixes some inherent inaccuracies in the Revell kit, if you are after accuracy and detail and are fussy about those you should seriously consider it, unless you're simply having fun improving the Revell kit at your own pace w/your own hands. I can't remember all of the improvements, perhaps someone else can detail what was necessary for each particular year. Those scoops would be molded open, with just a very thin membrane of resin that is much easier to remove than the styrene kit. I know people have said the Revell body is too narrow in the rear. Haven't built one myself, CADguy is probably the one who has the most experience as I think he's done at least three of them. I don't think he has pics in his albums of his models, but he has tons of reference photos:
CADguy's C5R albums

There's a C6R coming from Revell. Nobody yet has said whether it's an all-new kit or if Revell's going to simply rebody the C5R, which would be pretty inaccurate...but precisely the kind of thing that happens these days due to poor returns on tooling investment. We shall see...

[americanmuscleman]

on a mustang i cut my finger open 3 times on one door, then on a vette i cut it twice. i guess the key to using the knife is the back, or going gentler

[mickbench]

I’m seriously giving the resin trans kit some thought, but I’ve been put of resin as I tried with the stuff before.. It was horrid to work with, and I couldn’t clean the parts up.. But the trans kit for the C5-R fixes the front, and the roof and firewall by the looks of it..

Basically the resin kit is what I am trying to make from the Revell supplied body.. I’ve got SMS P/E and CF already, so the resin body would really finish this off nicely.. It’s whether I can clean it up that has me worried… I’ve emailed them to see if the item is still in stock or not OOP, lets see what happens.. Not heard from them yet… Lets hope they are still operating…

And I kinda figured it out you was saying cut from behind.. I’ve seen some X Acto saw blades etc.. I think my biggest problem here was cutting too hard, too fast with the wrong tools using the wrong method.. I paid for it though, with a badly sliced thumb and a ruined body..

But, if I go for the Resin kit, then the body would have been thrown anyhow… This might not be so bad after all, and I’ve learnt a lot…

Thanks all…