Gunsmithing With A Dremel?

I read on an internet forum the three worst enemies of guns were rust, politicians and Dremel tools. Since it was on the internet, it has to be true, right? Sure, it was meant as a joke, but there is some truth to it. We get impatient at times, and therein lies the temptation to use a tool capable of speeding up whatever job we’re trying to get done. My dad used to tell me speed was the enemy of craftsmanship. He said it to me often because I’ve always been impatient when it comes to getting a job done.

A Versatile Tool

Since the Dremel is so versatile and inexpensive, it seems as universal in a tool repertoire as a set of sockets or drill bits. Somehow, I’ve wound up with two of them and so many accessories I use one of those plastic tubs from Walmart to store them.

One reason I get in trouble with the Dremel is I’m not always sure what accessory to use for what job. Something I have learned is no matter what the accessory, you’ve got to be careful when you use it. And I do mean careful because that little speed demon can eat away metal, plastic or wood faster than the Blue Angels can sneak up behind you at an airshow.

The accessories come in so many shapes and sizes I found myself looking online for a Dremel Tool For Dummies book but, alas, didn’t find one. I did find a handy chart on Dremel’s website listing all the accessories and their usage. The site also has lots of “How-To” videos. Sadly, none of them are related to guns.

Understanding Accessories

A key to working with a Dremel is to understand collets and mandrels. Collets come in four sizes — 1/8″, 3/32″, 1/32″ and 1/16″. The 1/8″ collet ships with all the Dremel tools, but you can get a set with all four sizes. The purpose of the collet is to tighten around the shaft of whatever accessory you’re using. One situation where you’re likely to need different collets is when using a drill — those often have smaller diameter shafts.

Mandrels are the shafts for various accessories, and they come in a variety of sizes and types. I particularly like the EZ Lock Mandrel you can use with sawing and sanding discs. The screw mandrel is designed for use with felt polishing tips and discs that wear out fast and need to be changed often. Then there are the drum mandrels for sanding bands.

Most of the accessories for a Dremel tool are designed to remove material. This is, as I said before, where you can get into trouble. Say you want to remove just a little material, such as a spot of rust, or maybe you’re trying to strip a gun for re-bluing, and some stubborn blue material from the old job just won’t come off. The temptation to use the Dremel is great, but from experience I can tell you once you get the little devil turning and touch it to your sacred firearm — with certain accessories — it will immediately take off more than you intended. The Dremel takes away, but it never gives back.

Gunsmithing In Action

There are some gunsmithing tasks for which no tool is better. An example from my experience involves a JW-2000 Chinese-made, double-barrel shotgun, commonly called a coach gun. This shotgun was a cheapy that came through my store some years ago. Although the gun seemed to be substantially made, one part of it was exhibiting horrible workmanship — so bad we didn’t put the gun in inventory. Instead, I took it home with the idea of cleaning it up someday.

The rib was bead welded, or more likely soldered, with no thought of cosmetic appeal. All along the rib, there was excess beading in some places and gaps in others. I put a screwdriver in one gap and pried, and soon, I was able to pull off the entire rib. None of the weld stuck to the barrels. As it turned out, it was an aluminum rib attached to steel barrels.

I took my time trimming the edges of the rib, even cutting and filing the weld off in places. When I had it in presentable condition, I attached it to the barrels using J-B Weld. Before the J-B Weld compound hardened, I used a wet cloth to wipe down the joints and smooth them as best I could, but there was still some beading. Once hardened, I used a pointed aluminum oxide abrasive wheel on my Dremel to grind off the high beads. A bit of judicious touch-up with a Dremel sanding disc made it presentable. I used Birchwood Casey Blue & Rust Remover to strip the entire barrel and re-blued it with Birchwood Casey Super Blue.

Another project where the Dremel excelled involved two old shotguns I restored. Both had rusted barrels and actions, and the stocks were cracked with chunks of wood missing. I used the Dremel to square off the broken edges of the stocks and cut wooden plugs to replace the broken areas. Then, I used it for sanding after gluing the wood plugs and filling around them with plastic wood.

The Dremel’s wire brush was perfect for cleaning rust off some hard-to-get-to action parts. I did not use it on the barrel or action to speed up the removal of rust and old bluing (what little there was) because I didn’t want to scar it. After trimming the Pachmayr Grind-to-Fit Recoil Pads, I added to the shotguns with my grinder. I used an aluminum oxide grinding disc on the Dremel to do the final dressing.

Recovering From An Oops!

No Dremel article would be complete without mentioning a screw up — and how to recover from a big mistake. When Remington issued the R1 1911s, they were beautiful. I started using a Commander-sized R1 as a daily carry gun. It wasn’t long before the bluing wore thin. Every place where it contacted my leather holster showed bare metal. I tried something I’d never done before and used DuraCoat DuraBlue Spray-on Bluing to make it beautiful again. I loved how the results looked initially, but it wasn’t long before it began to chip. Yeah, I know I’m hard on guns.

Here’s where the Dremel and I screwed up. I determined to totally strip the R1 and blue it again with Birchwood Casey Super Blue. I treated it with Blue & Rust Remover and started working with steel wool, but there were a few spots I couldn’t strip to bare metal.

I figured a quick touch with a Dremel sanding disc would do the trick. It was just a touch, but it gouged my slide with some ugly pitting. I tried cleaning up those scratches with Dremel polishing pads and the included compound. I tried polishing with Flitz and I tried it with Mothers, both commonly used to polish guns.

After hours and hours of sanding with 600-grit sandpaper, I was almost, but not quite, back to a smooth, pit-free slide. I didn’t get the scratches fully removed until I tried a product called Rejuvenate Stainless Steel Scratch Eraser. It’s designed for kitchen appli-ances, but did a good job on my gun.

One brief touch with the wrong accessory on my Dremel caused me a lot of extra work.

What Else Can You Do With A Dremel?

You can polish stainless steel. In fact, you can do a bang-up beautiful job of polishing if you’re careful. Use Dremel’s polishing compound, Flitz or Mothers. Just start with a very small section of the gun, maybe one normally covered by a grip panel, until you get the hang of it. Dremel has polishing pads of various sizes, and you can buy add-on kits just for polishing so you don’t run out of pads.

If you intend to polish some action parts such as feed ramps, seers, etc., you might consider mounting your Dremel in a vise and using it more like a rotary wheel than a hand tool. This will allow you to be more judicious with how much contact the part is making with the tool.

The Dremel is also good for drilling small holes. If you’re into fabricating at all, the Dremel’s cutting discs are just the ticket. You can use them to cut metal to make small parts, or to cut out a slide for installing optics, even shorten a barrel. I do a lot of wood cutting with my Dremel for small jobs, including working on stocks, as I described earlier.

If you want a smoother, more pronounced undercut on your GLOCK’s trigger guard, you can make the change with careful use of a rotary sanding bit with your Dremel. Finish it off with emery cloth or 2,000-grit sandpaper. If you have an early Springfield XD or a CZ-P07 — or any polymer gun — with a tang on the bottom front of the trigger guard you don’t want, use a cutting disc with the Dremel to cut it off. Then, smooth it with sandpaper. These are easy adjustments if you’ve got a steady hand and don’t go too fast.

Whatever you do, it’s a good idea to practice first on junkers before messing up your valued firearms. It doesn’t have to be a gun. Make an adjustable crescent wrench pretty. Customize a bayonet or machete. Get really good with the tool and understand what its numerous accessories will do for you before trying them on an expensive gun.

If you become proficient, maybe you can be the one to write the Dremel Tool For Dummies book.

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