High Speed Steels Drill tip & Hand drill suit

The U-STAR hand chuck with drill bits

A hand chuck, also called a pin vise, is a tool that more detailed building cannot do without. A drill bit is clamped in the chuck and the hole is drilled by turning it in the fingers. It sounds like a step back from a mini drill, but the slow hand movement is exactly what makes thin bits work in plastic: you feel the resistance of the material, nothing overheats and the bit does not bite in. According to the name the bits are of high speed steel.

When it comes into play

Drilling is done mainly at the detailing stage. Holes for brass tubes in place of plastic barrels and exhausts, holes for handles bent from wire, mounting for antennas, opening out the mouths of nozzles, preparing pins for joining parts. The chuck is also useful for repairs, when a hole has to be widened because a pin from another part does not fit.

How to work with it

• Mark the spot in advance with the tip of a knife or a needle, otherwise the bit will slip on the smooth plastic.
• Start with a thinner bit and widen the hole gradually; it is more accurate than drilling straight to the full size.
• Drill at a right angle and without pressure; a thin bit is broken by sideways force, not by a lack of pressure.
• Let the bit come out and clear the swarf from the flutes as you go.
• Support or clamp the part while drilling so that it does not twist.
• Store the bits so that they do not knock against each other, because the tips are fragile.

Who it is for

For anyone who wants to take a build further than the limit of the box contents. It is workshop equipment, not a kit and not an accessory for a particular model.