Modeling Drill Chuck

Modeling Drill Chuck, the Tamiya hand pin chuck

A hand modeling pin chuck (a drill bit holder) from Tamiya with a comfortable handle. The adjustable jaws grip drill bits and tools with a thicker shank, so it comes in where a fine pin vise (a holder for thin drill bits) is not enough and an electric drill is, on the contrary, too coarse and too fast. It is not a kit or a model, it is a modeling tool. It is worked purely by hand, by turning it in the fingers, so you have exact control over the depth and the direction of the hole.

Use and tips

• Put the bit into the jaws, tighten the chuck and drill by turning it slowly in your hand: you have full control and there is no risk of melting through the plastic.
• It suits drilling holes for barrels, exhausts, pins, handles or rivets, and opening up holes that are already molded in.
• Mark the spot with a center punch before drilling so that the bit does not slip at the start.
• The chuck takes thicker shanks than a fine pin vise; very thin drill bits, on the other hand, are held better by a pin vise.
• Press into the plastic only lightly and let the cutting edge work: pressure tears the plastic rather than drilling it.

Who it is for

For modelers who need to drill holes by hand and accurately while detailing and converting, and who work with drill bits that have a thicker shank. A useful helper wherever you want the certainty of hand work instead of the risk of going off target with a powered tool.

This is a tool, not a kit. Drill bits need not be included in the package; check the range of shanks it clamps against your own bits before buying.