Question: About to purchase a Flex or Micromotor

[Roco]

TPF 77 is the foot pedal

I must have read it wrong....oooops Im going to go with the Marathon..decent handpiece and Ill get the foredom a little bit down the road

 

[Roco]

Also there are 2 parts I keep on hand at all times first is # 6 in the pdf parts list Hand cap C ring, if dropped on the nose this little sucker can pop off and is a bear to find, and item #43 motor cord, I use mine alot and sometimes the cord gets abused, shut in the tray and such, the fine wires inside have been damaged, I cannot have down time because it always breaks at the wosrt possible time.

Thank you...Im definately going this route...I just needed those with experience with it to give me their 2 cents

 

[J.Hayes]

Welcome. As for that C clip, once I had a spare its never popped off again. ....Murphy i bet has something to do with that.

Jeremy

 

[Brian Marshall]

Personally, I would start with the TX... if anyone else is reading this a year later.

I and the students have beaten the crap out of Foredom units for over 40 years.

Not one has ever given up and died. There are at least a dozen around here...

Sure, I've rebuilt a couple and replaced brushes and flex cables or even complete shafts - but we've never been able to kill one completely yet.

For general finishing (ie grinding, sanding, polishing), slitting and drilling various metals for a relatively low price and very high durability/longevity - try one of the Foredom flexshaft machines. DO NOT BUY ONE OF THE CHINESE KNOCKOFFS!

Micromotors and HS air tools are somewhat more "delicate" and we have managed to destroy a couple of each... however, if you NEED the high speed for some reason (like background removal, for example) - then start there.


Brian

 

[Skylineski]

i use a air turbine unit by SCM and love it, it a little more expensive (ok a lot more expensive) but i know there are quite a few companies that offer the same kind of unit out there. GRS even has one. if i am doing large 3D carvings i use a flex shaft but these relief carvings i only use the SCM and a few chisels and lots of sanding.

 

[rodsta]

I agree with Brian. The foredom type flexshaft with the #30 handpiece is my go to tool in the jewelry store. It is flexible in that you can use varying size of bits and drill with it too. I have customized my #30 to make it a quick change and speed up the changes so it's even better. I couldn't imagine changing out collets every time I wanted to change bit sizes. Just my 2 cents.

Rod

 

[Brian Marshall]

How did you customize a #30? Other than getting blisters on your thumb...


Brian

 

[jerrywh]

If you get a fordom be sure to get one that is reversable. Personally I think you wpould do better carving wood with chisels than with rotory tools. the problem carving wood with rotory tools is it always looks like it was done with rotory tools. Chisels are very expensive. I probably have a thousand dollars worth of chisels.

 

[rodsta]

No blisters Brian. My thumbs are pretty tough. I'd give the details but someone would probably get hurt and blame me.....*smile
Rod

 

[dlilazteca]

No blisters Brian. My thumbs are pretty tough. I'd give the details but someone would probably get hurt and blame me.....*smile
Rod

So how did you do it, i signed the disclaimer.

GunEngraver.com Guns, Knives & More

 

[dlilazteca]

Im looking for a Foredom TX, after all the research it has torque and speed, seems to be a good mix.

GunEngraver.com Guns, Knives & More

 

[Jonathans]

I'm a noob with metal but have been working wood for decades. I started with a Foredom TX, an it is great for roughing out projects, and not too bad for getting down to detailing. The shaft is a a bit of a pita sometimes and hinders free move to of the hand piece, so I picked up a turbine hand piece as well. I just recently picked up a Marathon Handy 700 micro motor to fill the gap. If you're working relatively small pieces the micro motor will handle the whole job, but only if it's a good one that can spin out to 50,000 if you really want to get detailing with it without it running on you. Just my opinion.
I've used cheap units and won't risk screwing up hours of work because I saved a few bucks. My suggestion is to save a bit more and buy once.

 

[Dani Girl]

I can only speak for what I have used.

Saeshin micro motors from ebay you can pick up for $100ish probably $150 these days for the 35,000 rpm or $300ish for the 50,000 rpm which has more guts. They're both great though.

From what I gather flex shafts are a little more awkward, but more torque.

The burrs you use will make the most difference though.

Check out these guys, they sell good stuff at good prices. I am really tempted to buy one of these handpieces

http://www.treelineusa.com/oz-plus-micromotor-w-footpedal.html

(I suggest avoiding the battery models)

 

[Dani Girl]

I have the NSK Presto which is a 300,000rpm air type handpiece. I've had bearing trouble, if you need one, use that... if something else will work, use that. I've been running the saeshin micromotors pretty hard for years and I am impressed with their performance and longevity.

 

[Victor Lederman]

Flex-shaft with a handpiece of an industrial quality can tolerate much abuse,abrasive dust etc.Micromots are more fragile.