Black & Decker dremel won't turn on. Possible I can fix it?

[Muse]

Didn't use this A/C 3-speed a lot, it's my first and only rotary tool and I've come to appreciate the usefulness. Was working OK AFAIK but yesterday it wouldn't respond. It was as though it wasn't plugged in.

Toss it and buy something else? Or is it possible I can fix it?

Looks like this:

 

[Muse]

Did some poking around online. This video looks like it might show exactly how I can fix this (assuming I have the same problem, which looks quite possible):

 

[Muse]

Yup. Playing with it some more I'm discovering that it's indeed not dead. The switching is dodgy. I think that video showing how to jury rig the switch to work OK is apt to be the ticket. Got to take the cover off to find out.

 

[Greenman]

Didn't use this A/C 3-speed a lot, it's my first and only rotary tool and I've come to appreciate the usefulness. Was working OK AFAIK but yesterday it wouldn't respond. It was as though it wasn't plugged in.

Toss it and buy something else? Or is it possible I can fix it?

Looks like this:

Take it apart and have look. It's dead now, you can't make it any worse.

 

[Muse]

Take it apart and have look. It's dead now, you can't make it any worse.

I discovered without taking it apart that it wasn't dead. But the switching wasn't working as normal. I did take it apart and found that although the exterior of my tool and the one in the video linked above are virtually the same, the switching mechanism inside is different and the fix that guy used won't work on mine. Anyway, when I reassembled it, it seemed to work normally. Don't know why it didn't before. I think the switch itself is similar or the same, but not the linking mechanism between the slide you push and the switch itself. The slide seems too loose. Funny, the slide on the Dremel (brand) I borrowed from the TLL was very very stiff. At first, I couldn't get it to move at all. Mine is pretty darn loose, but it does work ATM. I have an idea if it stops working again, put a piece of tape inside to decrease the distance the slide has to push ... which will effectively increase the push on the switch itself (if that makes sense). Anyway, it's working now and I have pretty good confidence I can fix it if it stops working.

 

[Micrornd]

Please understand, I mean no disrespect.
But as much trouble as you are having with something as simple as a basket strainer on a sink, why would you play around with altering something electric powered that has the potential to kill you???
Just continue to borrow from the lending library or buy a new one, either is much safer.

 

[lxskllr]

Please understand, I mean no disrespect.
But as much trouble as you are having with something as simple as a basket strainer on a sink, why would you play around with altering something electric powered that has the potential to kill you???
Just continue to borrow from the lending library or buy a new one, either is much safer.

Muse is a strange cat. He has skills, but isn't so much a generalist. He knows what he knows, and other things that could even require a lesser skillset, can be a problem. Been reading his posts for a long time, and figure he's just a unique individual :^D

 

[Muse]

Please understand, I mean no disrespect.
But as much trouble as you are having with something as simple as a basket strainer on a sink, why would you play around with altering something electric powered that has the potential to kill you???
Just continue to borrow from the lending library or buy a new one, either is much safer.

No disrespect, but I'm far too self-respecting to take your advice there.

Sink basket and electrical are different creatures. My basket is OK now, see the post I just made in that thread. My rotary tool is working OK now. There's no way I'm depending on the TLL for one of those, and if I can fix something, I do it. My motto is, if I can't fix it, it ain't broke.

I use the TLL for things I'd use rarely or are too expensive or cumbersome to get for myself. Most of the stuff others borrow from them I have on hand at the house. They have 30 weed whackers and all of them were out this weekend. I've never used one, don't intend to. I hoe or pull or use Roundup on my weeds.

And dig, I don't remember ever getting a shock from an AC device, and I've fixed a bunch. I know enough to unplug them even when just changing a blade or bit. I majored in physics at the U, I know something about electricity.

Muse is a strange cat. He has skills, but isn't so much a generalist. He knows what he knows, and other things that could even require a lesser skillset, can be a problem. Been reading his posts for a long time, and figure he's just a unique individual :^D

Thanks for the ups. Cool!

Ya know, I think of myself the same way. I know there are lots of things I don't know, stuff I really should know but don't. It keeps me humble, a good thing. I forget stuff too. I may deal with something and figure it out, get really good at it, figure out some tricks, etc. but if I don't see it again for 15 years... well, I am apt to have forgotten a lot about it, have only a vague idea about it sometimes. That's one reason I keep a lot of data. But you can't keep data on everything! It's not a good idea to try, actually. I have to just hope I'll remember what's important to remember. But some stuff, I figure I'm apt to forget and think I should record it digitally so I have a reminder some day. For instance, around 12 years ago I had to get signatures from all my neighbors for a use permit on my house. I put that in data and I can look up their names vs. addresses. Some have moved, sure, but others haven't. I guess I could look that up in county registry or something, if necessary but that's not necessarily who will answer the door when you knock.

I don't think I have alzheimers or anything. And I think I'm pretty healthy, that's primo important.

 

[Muse]

So, today I went to use that Black and Decker dremel again. It was on Medium speed, but turning it on it spun at Low speed. WTF. It stops working, I mess with the speed switch and put it on High and it works, HIgh I guess, or maybe it was spinning Medium, no way to know... I don't use it frequently, just occasionally. Then it stops working at all. Messing with the switches for a while I got it to turn on for ~1/10 second and couldn't get it to do even that again. I decided, I should buy another dremel... being self isolating, that means online shop.

So, before shopping I do an internet search on fixing a Black and Decker dremel and one of the hits was this thread! I'd forgotten that I posted it 2 years ago. This should clue me in how to at least have a good chance of fixing it... again. I hope I never buy another Black and Decker tool. They seem prone to failure! I was warned around 40 years ago. I was talking to a guy about buying a cordless screw driver, the choice being between Skil and Black and Decker, and he vehemently announced while scowling, that he'd never choose a Black and Decker over practically anything.

 

[shortylickens]

Am I the only person who knows Dremel is a brand name?

 

[Muse]

Am I the only person who knows Dremel is a brand name?

No, I knew that, but calling it a rotary tool seems insufficiently granular. Don't people call them dremels even if not branded Dremel?

Well, against all odds ... I did it again! I fixed it. Maybe it will stay fixed this time. I identified the problem, being that the switch itself wasn't turned on. There's a little black plastic button on top of the switch that has to be depressed to the point where it clicks ON. The sliding switch on top is supposed to accomplish that but wasn't. That was maybe because I wasn't pushing it far enough, maybe because the tolerances had changed from use. I took the whole thing apart, and a tiny spring that leverages the gizmo that releases the shafted working tips sprang out and I heard it hit the floor (fortunately, the refrigerator was off and I had no music playing!). I reached under the stove with a telescoping magnet and came up with the spring, a minor miracle. Anywho, I found a little piece of plastic to shim the switch from the body of the device, effectively reducing the tolerance in the switching mechanism. Well, it's working right now. In fact, I used it effectively to solve a problem that was difficult, just shaved off some metal preventing the lock on a door from working. Now, gotta clean up!

 

[Sgt. York]

I call a Dremel a dremel and all other rotary tools I call rotary tools. Anything less is being insufficiently granular.

 

[mindless1]

There's more than one type (size really) of rotary tool, so dremel works better for me to describe the lower powered, smaller ones.

My larger rotary tool is essentially a cross between a dremel (size) and a router, and includes a stand for router-like use. I find it very useful to quickly cut out holes in wallboard but haven't used it for much else.

Switches, meh we'd need pictures to better see if what's there is workable or worn out, or there may be the option to scrap the existing switch setup and just mount a new switch with its own lever/paddle/whatever sticking out instead of a separate piece and spring or whatever.

Often those extra pieces are some kind of safety mechanism that isn't needed if you don't have all-thumbs or young children with access to your tools (at least not as much on something this low powered, it'd be hard to lose a finger or poke your eye out with a dremel tool, lol). Then again, because the dremel sized rotary tools are so small, so limited mounting options, you'd have to be more picky about the switch but there are a zillion of them to choose from at electronics suppliers like Digikey and it probably doesn't need to handle more than 2-3 amps if that, AC no less, so that makes it a little easier.

 

[Muse]

Yeah, maybe hard to hurt yourself with a dremel, but TBH when this sucker is on high (Low, Medium, High) it scares me it's so intense! I don't usually use it on high. Once I had this, I knew my tool set would always need it or equivalent. I gotta say, though, I've never had a Black & Decker tool that didn't drive me crazy with it's not working for some reason or other. Cordless screwdrivers, cordless drill, dremel. The Versapak tools might be OK, except that the batteries hold a charge for shit after a while and replacing them is way too expensive.