Use this versatile power tool to make any item unique and specific to the people you care about when giving them a gift.
You want to add a personal touch to a gift, but you’re not good at writing poems or letters, and there is no holiday card out there to say how much you care about someone. But you have a Dremel and are good with your hands. Here are a few ideas for using your rotary tool to personalize a gift or item. Make a unique gift to the person you care about and use your skills to impress them.
Skills to Try
- Engraving– With a steady hand, a vision, and minimal drawing skills, you can customize a gift of various materials to add a message, numbers, or even their name. Use it on PVC, wood, metal, leather, ceramic, or glass. No matter what the material of your gift is, you can give it a unique touch.
- Grinding/ Polishing– If your gift is made of metal and needs some shine back, you can use a rotary to make your gift look brand new(ish). Different attachments will help you yield the best result on other materials, such as a grinding stone to sharpen a present or give it a specific shape. Then, there is the silicon carbide grinding stone for engraving in glass or a wire brush to remove rust.
- Cutting– Now, if you want to add some accents or a little decoration, you can cut designs into your gift. You can also use it if there are any unsightly blemishes or material from your work on your present, and a pair of scissors won’t do the job.
Now that you know some of how to use your Dremel, let’s talk about ideas for your gifts.
Engraving
With engraving, you can personalize a gift to better suit someone, explicitly using the proper bit for the suitable material. For instance, if you made someone a wooden gift in your workshop and wanted to add their name, you could do that with the rotary. You could also burn a name into the piece, which requires fire and a customized brand. Taking up more time and resources than just scribing it out yourself.
You can use this with a stencil and sharpie to outline images they like and transfer the design onto the material. Once done, you can review it with your rotary tool and slowly add a detailed picture. Then, you have the option for the artistic person to freehand the design and make something truly one of a kind. Either way, if you are engraving a name, a number, or an image, this will show without a doubt that you put time and effort into their gift.
Grinding/ Polishing
This next one restores smaller pieces in tight, hard-to-reach places. Perfect for that thrift store gift you saw but needs a little beautification. For quick work, sharpen dull edges using a grinding stone attachment. You could also use this attachment on wood to make handmade shapes and designs.
Then, using an abrasive buff, remove rust in tight areas and hard-to-reach places or polish them to get a shine. Using chemicals is also an option, but it can potentially ruin a piece and still wouldn’t get into those tiny crevices. When making a gift like this, it is better to take your time than try and rush the process.
Cutting
The final one seems strange, but hear me out on why you might need to use this feature. Cutting is handy when a gift you have needs some accents or extra material taken off. Use this for decoration to lay intricate patterns on materials or to cut patterns or shapes out of materials that scissors can’t usually get through.
Using this with the other two uses can result in a great piece from otherwise ordinary things. For instance, use the cutting attachment on a cutting board to inlay a frame. Then, using both the grinding and engraving methods, create an image.
You could either freehand it or use a stencil to copy on a design.
Final Thoughts
Add a unique and personal touch to any gift you make or have and share it with the person who means the most to you. If you can’t find the perfect gift, not a poet or good with words, but still want to show you care, using your hands and skills with this tool can show how much you care. Craft a personal wine glass, making them a specific Christmas ornament, but any gift made by hand is ten times more special than any store-bought gift.
And after the holidays, you can use these skills and handy tools to make gifts year-round. From home decor to add more personality to a project you’ve been working on. Who knows? You might already have some awesome gift ideas to use for next year.
Did you find this article interesting? Interested in getting a rotary tool of your own? Then head to Acme Tools website where you can look up all our rotary tools online. There, you can always find the best deals and sales. Want one now? You can also find a store near you if you can’t wait to get a Dremel.
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