Number 80 Drill Bit in a Dremel Tool? ?? ?? ?? ? - Model Railroader Magazine

3rd rail wrote:

Well, I'm just going by the instructions that were in these Walthers pass. cars I just got. They say to install the wire grabs by drilling with a #80 bit in a dremel tool. I don't know why they say that, I know that bit is veeeery tiny, perhaps less chance of snapping with higher rpms? I have broken my fair share of small bits in a pin vise. Just looking for advice here, thanks.

3rd Rail:

MicroMark makes small drills with larger chuck bits for the Dremel, and I think they have #80's.  But I'd be REALLY careful, unless your Dremel is a variable speed type.  And frankly--this has been covered on another post about Walther's passenger cars--the ABS they're made out of just eats #80's for breakfast, whether you use a Dremel or a pin-vise. 

One poster suggested using a #78 or even a #76, and positioning the grabs with gap-filling CA, which sounds pretty logical to me. The ABS that Walther's uses is a pretty sturdy plastic--I swear it's got STEEL mixed in with it-- and why they don't charge a few extra bucks and install the grabs themselves is beyond me.  

But unless you've got a variable-speed Dremel, I'd probably suggest using a pin-vise AND having a lot of #80's on hand, because no matter what technique you use, you're going to probably end up busting lot of them.

Tom