#1 hand -eye and hearing protection is needed if using a dremal or drill.
#2 when using a dremal tool to cut on your custom no matter how small of a cut. the metal will burn your fingers. use gloves or cool down time or use plyiers to pick up part and place in a water bath.
#3 do not force the drill bit. let the drill bit work for you. if it is not cutting replace it or sharpen it. use wood bits for wood and metal cutting bits for metal. if your not sure what you have buy a new one that you know is made for metal.
#4 always use a vice. or clamps to hold project. never ever hold your project to your body on your leg or in your hands. you could drill threw project into your hand- leg or body. drill bits are known to break and when thay do thay go anywhere thay want... you have no control over where there going once thay break. and if the drill gets jammed your project will spinn ripping your hands.
#5 if your dremal is hot or your drill is hot give it some cool down time.
#6 dremel cutting disk....this is one bad boy also known as a gernade disk.
thats right these bad boys will explode in a heart beat- new or old.. always wear safety glasses. i myself have been cut in the face arm and hand and at one point i remove a small piece of disk from my leg. a good dremal will run about 30,000 to 35,000 rpm

these are the main ones that need to be talked about. use comonsence when using any tool. and we havent even touched thinners or paint removers.- glues- ventalation- vapors and i could go on.
there are over 100 safety rules out there but the most comon one is use safety glasses at all times...even when spraying paint ... think ahead of time before acting ...if not keep your phone handy so you can call 911
if your not sure. ask someone. there is no such thing as a dumb question. :wave:

Thanke for taking the time to post this, Gunn.
Saftey pays!!!
I've been working on 1:1 cars 25 years now and no matter how carefull you are stuff can happen. It's not a matter of if, it's when.

And slicing up these little buggers ain't much different than working on the real thing.
They can bite ya!

you might even want a full face shield
a little better than safety glasses
those little dremal discs
can give you a pretty neat cut when they fly apart

Words to live by gunn, espeacialy regarding safety glasses. Speaking from experience and three surgerys to my left eye that one rule could never in a thousand years be stressed enough :thumbsup:

I also gotta say those little skiny cut off disks scare the hell out of me. Myself, I just use a jewelers saw or a file. It may take a little longer but I feel alot more comfortable this way :)

thank you guys for sharing your experience with us. this is what i was hoping for.
and i will address dremal kick back later today.
so if anyone has had close calls on kick back please tell us a lil story about it.
this may just save someone from a trip to the hospital. thanks gunn

Words to live by gunn, espeacialy regarding safety glasses.

I also gotta say those little skiny cut off disks scare the hell out of me.

I feel the same way. When I got my first dremel years ago I thought those disks were going to be the second comming kinda good. But my first experience with them straightened that thought out. I wanted to trim off some sharp exposed nails jutting down from overhead in a closet under some stairs. In the commercials at the time those disks went through nails like butter! Well I went through several disks for one nail, some blew apart and the others just wore out. I learned that my single speed Dremmel was the wrong speed for those disks (important to use correct speed with each different type of bit). Incidendtly those disks came with the Dremmel! Other bits can blow apart with the wrong speed too.

I've since bought a variable speed Dremmel. Definitely worth the extra money!
I'd suggest a plug in model cause you never run out of juice in the middle of a project.

My solution for the cut off disk problem was to buy a diamond wheel for the Dremmel. They are a thin metal disk covered with diamond grit and not likely to blow up. They cut quite well too. I've used it quite a bit and it hasn't worn down at all. They are expensive, $30 CAN. I wanted one forever but never bought because of the price and to spend that and have it wear out quick would suck. Well they went on clearance at WM for $5 so I bought 2, I only had $12 or I would have bought more. Another guy at work bought the last 7. Knowing what I do now I think they would be worth it at full price.

Ow, hand cramp! Too much typing.

Seriously the vice and safety glasses can't be stressed enough:thumbsup:

In the world of 1:1 automotive cutlery, the 4"-6" cut-off wheels are fiber reinforced
and never grenaded apart. Don't see why the hell them LITTLE buggers are'nt reinforced!

A note when using the cut off wheels; hold you Dremel straight all the way
through the cut so you're putting minimal stress on the wheel.

They do have fiber reinforced wheels for the Dremmel and they work well. They are thicker so you can't do as fine a cut but I feel more confident using them.

i use the fiber glass reinforced wheels also.
do not trust them. thay do come apart in chunks. but so far i have not had one gernade on me. ( knock on wood )

ok subject dremal kick back :woohoo: lol
what is kick back. it's when any powered tool is used and is cofined to one area. and is not able to go in the direction it needs to..resulting in a jump out. this can come at anytime. in the start of a cut.
or anywhere between. to the very end.
always start very slow do not try and do a quick cut. i use if possible masking tape to draw aline and then score a line with the dremal disk and do light cuts until i get to a deph in the metal that im happy with then remove the tape. if you dont remove the tape... the heat will melt the glue on the tape. if the car is destin for stripping then it wont matter if you leave it.
i have found that starting to slow or to fast ( rpm speed ) will result in the dremal kicking back and this can get very nasty resulting in the dreaml disk to jump out of the cutting area and ruin your project also your fingers always use a vice and do not place your free hand anywheres near the cutting area.
as you cut look at your wheel as it cuts if you see silver build up on the wheel your dremal speed is to fast its melting the metal instead of cutting it and your heading for a kick back. slow the speed down alil and you will see the metal on the disk slowly disapeer. make sure the peice your cutting has room to bend down or fall away. if your cutting flat on a table the peice your cutting has no choise but to bend inward resulting in kick back or binding the disk. i hope this helps its not a cure for kick back but it will help.
i my self wear 1 leather glove on my free hand just in case. and always wear safety glass's and use a vice to hold project. :wave: im not an expert in anyway shape or form. i just feel we need some safety input weather were old or new customizers.

if you have a safety tip. please by almeans add to this thread :thumbsup:
ps..sorry about the spelling :wave:

They do have fiber reinforced wheels for the Dremmel and they work well. They are thicker so you can't do as fine a cut but I feel more confident using them.

I generally only use the fiber reinforced ones, mostly because i break the other ones when I look a them it seems.

Another thing to think of, kind of different, but if you are cutting, wah your hands before itching eyes, etc. Those little metal bits hang on to your hand just looking for a way in.

I am a huge nut on eye safety, because, like grayhouse, I have had several eye surgeries and have extremely limited vision on my left eye. with ony 1.5 eyes left, I need to really watch myself!

you might even want a full face shield
a little better than safety glasses
those little dremal discs
can give you a pretty neat cut when they fly apart

I use a shield whenever I use the dremel. I've had the cutting discs break and the larger pieces embed in nearby walls. :freak:

Jerry

I learned the hard way on most of the saftey list you have listed Gunn. Burned fingers on hot castings, check. Had bits of metal shreds fly back at my face/eyes, check. Broke small bits in half, check.

For those just entering the custom world, I wish you the best of luck and at the same time would advise any of the potential safety hazards by working in a safe environment for you and others.

I generally only use the fiber reinforced ones, mostly because i break the other ones when I look a them it seems.

Another thing to think of, kind of different, but if you are cutting, wah your hands before itching eyes, etc. Those little metal bits hang on to your hand just looking for a way in.

I am a huge nut on eye safety, because, like grayhouse, I have had several eye surgeries and have extremely limited vision on my left eye. with ony 1.5 eyes left, I need to really watch myself!
I've also had several eye surgeries, 15 in 37 years (one more and I get a fondue set :woohoo: ), so I've always worn safety glasses.

The very first time I ever used a dremel, the super thin cutting wheel fragged, I wound up with 2 frags sticking outta my face, one just above and one just below the left eye! 'Nuff said.

I dunno SS, I'd do ANYTHING for a fondue set!!!
I'd give my right eye for one!

If you'd never used a Dremel and read this you could be terrified to try. I don't want us scaring anyone away. If you take the above advice and work patiently it's pretty safe. But DO take the advice please, it's good advice. I'm sure some has been passed on and some has been learned the hard way. Don't learn the hard way. As with any job the right equipment and approach will keep you safe.

Lummox, I'll trade you a fondue set for that special Imp ya got:tongue: .