KIT: Dremel® 290 with 3x tungsten carbide fossil preparation nibs - 1x long, 1x short and 1x chisel.

The Dremel® 290 is a popular choice in fossil preparation. Amazing work can be done with an electric engraver, for a fraction of the price of air tools. This kit comes with three of our own tungsten carbide styli optimised for fossil preparation.

ZOIC PalaeoTech manufacture fossil preparation specific styli that fit the Dremel 290:

1x Short (best for rock removal and more powerful) - 21mm total length
1x Long (best for precision work) - 30mm total length
1x Chisel (best for rock removal and matrix smoothing)

The standard Dremel® 290 is supplied with a stylus in the box, but you'll find that this is not suitable for fossil preparation. It's too fat, too small and the tungsten carbide is of a metalworking grade and so wears to practically nothing in no time. We recommend using purpose built fossil preparation styli to get the most out of your Dremel.

Variable stroke length (1-5)
Soft grip for comfort
Replaceable carbide for use on a wide variety of materials
Separate on/off switch to keep depth setting
6,000 SPM (strokes per minute) Motor

Working with an electric engraver on fossils is slower and less comfortable than with an air pen, but is a much more affordable start to the hobby.

For the greatest success in fossil prep, try to use a sandbag or shock absorbing surface, and use tips specially designed for fossil preparation (in this kit!). The needle pointed shape and small diameter of our ZOIC PalaeoTech nibs are designed and optimised for fossil preparation and rock removal. You'll find that you can work more quickly and more accurately with the right kit.

We use the same top quality, high grade tungsten carbide in our Dremel nibs as we do in our air tools. Tungsten carbide is the material of choice as it is very resistant to abrasion (rocks are an abrasive surface), meaning your nib will stay sharp for a long time and wear more slowly than steel or other metals.

The chisel performs best on softer rocks when used for matrix removal. On harder rocks, we suggest that you use the short stylus for matrix removal. This is due to the nature of the tungsten carbide - it withstands the abrasive nature of rock far better than other materials (and doesn't lose it's sharpness), but it is brittle by nature meaning that if too much counter-pressure is applied the edges may chip. The chisel can be resharpened if this happens.

Also comes with a 3mm carbide tipped nib and a lettering stencil (for use as a metal or plastic engraver).

ZOIC PalaeoTech Gift Voucher

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