I recently had my old F-series foredom stop working for me. I have
been considering getting a LX series for stone setting, et. al. and
am wondering if it is a good idea to have just the one as the
workhorse for all things foredom, or if I should poy up and have both
the SR and LX. Any advice?
Thanks in advance.
Aloha
Stone O’Daugherty
Usually when a flex shafts quits working, the brushes on the
electric motor have worn down. There is a very affordable repair kit
that Stuller, Foredom, others sell that includes new brushes. It is
a quick, easy repair. Every other year or so I am replacing brushes,
in one of my flex shafts motors. It is far less expensive than
purchasing a new flex shaft. Just a thought.
speed and power are in my terms. not necessary. it’s what you do with
it, that counts! I have two, ‘mini-motors’ on my setting-bench. but I
only have it revved up to the minimum speed. can’t imagine having a
maximum horsepower motor just for mini-clusters. such a $$ waste of
power! How often is the highest rpm-power really used even in
jewellery making?
Gerry Lewy
gemsettingtutor.com
It may be wise to get both the SR and the LX Foredom motors. The LX
is ideally suited for stonesetting and using a hammer handpiece.
However, it runs slower and the SR runs faster. The SR is great for
most general grinding/polishing/drilling purposes. It’s worth having
2 flex shafts on hand. I have generic flex shafts with Foredom
handpieces. I planto get a LX soon just for stonesetting, for most
flex shafts don’t havethe high torque/low speed the LX has, and you
want a slower speed for stonesetting. I do recommend you buy a quick
change handpiece - the H18is a great one. Joy
Have both! Just put different sorts of things on each.
I agree with Gerald Lewy about motor speed. As a general rule, very
high speed in a tool is only useful when working with wood. In
woodworking, high speed allows you to complete an operation before
the wood gets hot enough to burn. Metalwork requires slower speeds
to prevent heat damage to the tool. I rarely go above the second
speed in a five-speed tool. Slower speed also means I can usually
stop before a bad move gets too bad to repair.
Thomas Hammett
I would suggest getting the LX, and then consider a micro motor. I
have aMarathon N7. I have had it 10 years. I can use it with setting
burs, mizzy wheels, silicone polishing wheels.
One thing I like, you can use the foot control, or switch it to a
dial you can set at the speed you want a it maintains the speed
while doing sanding and polishing.
Very quiet, vibration free. On a auction site, about $107…a
bargain. There are two types of foot petals. One allows changing
speed with footcontrol, the other foot petal is just on and off
switch, you set the speed with the dial on the control box.
I have 3 flex shafts, Foredom and Gesswin, I use the micro motor the
most.