Dremel engrave and body

[juanitasanch]

Wondering if there are any recommends on dremel burr to use on basswood, and specifically hints working on such a soft wood. Has anyone done a dremel finish on sides with merge to front of body? I enjoy engraving and will say quite handy with a dremel however with soft woods and finishes you do need to be careful..hints, ideas, learnings all appreciated. Tx

[ILRGuitars]

Hi. I've used a dremel on basswood but only to open up a pickup cavity. It's very soft, very. Lots of small fibers which may mean keeping a distinct outline difficult to maintain. Just a thought, if you sealed the surface first, it may be possible to keep the sharp edges of a design, then go back to do the sanding and final finishing....but don't quote me. I'd do some trials first on some scrap. There must be something on YouTube...YouTube has everything! Good luck and welcome aboard.

[juanitasanch]

cheers - will keep searching, sometimes its trial and error - at least on a test piece

[dave.king1]

cheers - will keep searching, sometimes its trial and error - at least on a test piece

I'd be testing on somewhere non critical area like under the pickguard if the kit in question has one, then at least you know you are dealing with the same density timber.

Watching this one with some interest

[juanitasanch]

will keep all posted and pics too

[fender3x]

I am curious about this too. I am not great with my Dremel tool and never quite sure how folks are using it as sort of a mini-router. Is there good tutorial?

FWIW, my full sized 2hp plunge router works great on basswood. Just routed a larger pup opening. I didn't tape since the rout was under the pickguard. No stray fibers or even paint chips. Sharp bit is important, but if there are issues with a Dremel tool maybe it's the wrong tool?

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk

[juanitasanch]

HI all..well I did a quick free hand dremel I used a very small engrave piece rounded not pointed as I think you can get better control and use it more like a pen. I dropped a pic in my My Build..no idea if I'm updating my My Build diary correctly so holler if I"m doing updates the wrong way.
Any way I think the dremel went okay noting I haven't done a light sand or brush down not the engrave.

[juanitasanch]

HI all..well I did a quick free hand dremel I used a very small engrave piece rounded not pointed as I think you can get better control and use it more like a pen. I dropped a pic in my My Build..no idea if I'm updating my My Build diary correctly so holler if I"m doing updates the wrong way.
Any way I think the dremel went okay noting I haven't done a light sand or brush down not the engrave.

OK...I may have gone a bit out there and this is only first paint (swatch) ...but the dremel pic stained in earlier thread I have sanded back, then engraved again with slightly larger burr, diluted brown jarrah (light wipe on) when dry sanded again with a 400 over dremel, 240 and then 320 then 400 remaining body. Reason I didn't go higher is more I'm still testing effects. I then applied an oil sky blue with a tiny brush..to see effect and do love the contrast of blues and browns..thoughts? am I crazy.. Attachment 25509

[wazkelly]

Definitely a unique look.

Brushed on Blue may need a bit more finesse to smooth things out.

Cheers, Waz

[Marcel]

I'm simply liking the dremel work, there are skills showing there Juanita ... when it comes to colour matching or selection I'm in the last 10% of people anyone should ask....

However with that said, my family is filled with artist painters, and one thing I've noticed from them is that they keep painting and adding/pulling colours until they think it's right... and it helps lots if you have a vision/dream for your work for you to aim for...