The dreaded Dremel... forbidden tool of smithing

[Liberty Sanders]

Ayup...had a buddy a few years back who got a Colt SAA from their custom shop. It was a POS. A trip back to Colt did not resolve the issues of poor workmanship. He took the thing to a gun show where a rep for American Western Arms traded him THREE new SAA's for his Colt.

My delighted pal announced he was going to do an "action job" on one of them. The next day he came in and said that parts were breaking on the gun.

I said, "By any chance did you use your Dremel on those parts?"

The look on his face answered my question. I gave a brief explanation of heat treating and that his use of the Dremel had turned the affected parts into metallic potato chips. I advised him to send to Brownell's for replacement parts and to order a set of hand hones if he wanted to monkey with "action jobs".

I don't even allow my Dremel in the same room with my guns.

 

[Winamac]

Very much so. Every spring when we get out the yard toys I let them decorate my bench with chalk.

Mine get our sidewalk and wood floor in the barn.And as a Grandpa or( pa-paw) as they call me. I would not have it any other way.

 

[Vigilant]

Anyone remember this train wreck?
View attachment 83033 View attachment 83034

This guy gradiated sum *** loudly from WECSOG. (Wile E Coyote School Of Gunsmithing)

 

[Trigger Time]

Forgot to post pics of end result....

Looks good. Certain tools have their place in capable hands

 

[Bosshoss]

It's the fool not the tool.
I haven't been in a gunsmithing shop that didn't have a dremel tool of some kind.
I use one regularly in my shop and spent 30 years using a die grinder(air powered Dremel basically) on dies that were worth 100's of thousands of dollars.
A good Dremel/Die grinder operator can do a lot of the things a mill and lathe can do just not as fast.
Some people shouldn't be allowed to use tools and never on guns.

 

[STEEL CORE]

Dremel's and Glocks do not go together……………..just saying.

 

[Ruger_Ronin]

Dremel's and Glocks do not go together……………..just saying.

Wood burning kits are ok though!

 

[shootersix]

Dremel's and Glocks do not go together……………..just saying.

I put the whole 3.5# trigger parts in my 19, connector, springs, safety plunger, and I did a light polish with a Dremel (cloth wheel with flitz)on all the moving parts, trigger pull was about 3 pounds, nice crisp reset, and felt better than most drop in triggers

took it to the range, and it double tapped! pulled the trigger 9 times and emptied all 18 rounds (plus 3 mag extension)...was kinda fun!...but also it was a machine gun!, I went home, pulled all the parts out and made it stock again, carried it a few months, and thought try it again, so I put the parts back in, took it to the range again and no more double taps, but its got a 3.14# trigger according to my gauge!

when I do my own trigger jobs I use a Dremel with a cloth polishing wheel and flitz, not to lighten the pull, but to remove the grit, to smooth it out.

so a Dremel can be a heck of a tool to a gunsmith...but it can also butcher a gun in the wrong hands!

 

[Leadeye]

I've actually used both in the repair of old guns, no issues.