Dremel Electric Engraver 290-01
Master 5 has an annoying habit of removing name labels from everything and anything. He was the child who instead of learning how to climb out of his cot he tried to escape by undoing the screws on the side. No matter how tight they were he would lie there and take his time fiddling with them until they were loose again. After every nap I would have at least 3 screws to tighten.
As a result I am always looking for permanent ways to label things that can’t be fiddled with or removed by little fingers that just cannot help themselves.
I’ve used texta, extra strong stick on labels and even a stamp that promises not to wash off. Then I was given the opportunity to review the Dremel Electric Engraver, model 290-01. When first presented with the opportunity I started thinking of potential crafty things I could do with it, but now I understand that it will be useful around here for so much more!
The Dremel Electric Engraver comes with the engraver tool, a replaceable carbide point, and a number / letter template. The engraver itself runs off electricity and has a stroke adjustment dial which means you can do a shallow or a deep engraving depending upon what you are engraving and what you require. It has a soft grip which makes it comfortable to hold and the light, compact design makes it easy to control.
Having never used an engraving tool before I was a little nervous to use the Dremel Electric Engraver however after seeing just how compact it was and how comfortably it fit in my hand I decided to take the plunge.
The first thing I engraved was a little glass bottle (from Kmart) that I thought would be cute to label for Santa’s drink on Christmas Eve. I decided to try free hand as I wasn’t sure ow the template would sit on the curved glass.
The result wasn’t perfect but it was a lot better than I expected! The vibration wasn’t as bad as I expected either. It was really easy to use and effortlessly engraved the glass on the shallow adjustment. Next hubby needed a couple of padlocks and their keys labelled. We have two gates into the backyard of our house, both of these gates have padlocks and I am always getting the keys mixed up. He was going to paint them with nail polish but since the engraver had arrived we decided to try it out on them! This time we set the stroke to the deepest possible on the padlocks and medium on the keys. Once again it worked a charm. On the higher setting it vibrated more while engraving the side of the padlock but that is to be expected.
The Dremel Electric Engraver can be used on metal, glass, plastic, ceramic, wood and even leather enabling you to personalise items or label your valuables.
I plan to use it to label all of the kid’s lunch boxes and drink bottles – I’d like to see Master 5 remove that!
The template provided is made from rigid plastic so while it is great for using on flat or even flat-ish items it isn’t so great to use on round items. This is easily overcome though! I plan to find some of the more flexible plastic stencils to see how they go for decorating more curved items like glasses or vases. The ease of use and the flexibility of what this engraver can be used for mean that it is worth its weight in gold.
During the upcoming Christmas break I plan to engrave numerous items just with our surname in order to make them more identifiable. As well as the lunch boxes and drink bottles I plan to engrave all of our portable devices either into their cases or the outside of the item itself, our metal herb pots, all of hobby’s tools and pretty much anything else that crosses my path.
There are two safety things that I think are important to mention. Number 1 – always wear safety glasses when using this and make sure little eyes aren’t around uncovered. Both my boys wanted to see what I was up to when I was using the engraver so came running in to see. Number 2 – make sure the screw that holds the tip in is done up tightly before use. The first time I put it in I didn’t do the screw up as tight as I could have, which meant that it came out the second time I used it. This isn’t usual but as a result I thought it best to make sure you all know that you do need to do it up as tightly as possible. I’m pleased to say that even with my continued enthusiasm for engraving it hasn’t loosened since but it doesn’t hurt to mention it.
My freehand engraving continues to improve and in the New Year I plan to try some more designs with my Dremel Electric Engraver. I might even investigate how I can purchase the diamond point which is perfect heavy duty use on hard surfaces.
I highly recommend the Dremel Electric Engraver (290-01) for a variety of purposes. Its use is only limited by your imagination!
RRP: $39
Available from Bunnings, Master’s and Mitre 10.
