Max,

Do you know the Dremel number for this item?  I'm looking at the catalogue
know, and it seems you are referring to #9903 - Tungsten Carbide Cutter
(1/8") in the Carving/Engraving section (rather than the Routing section
you mention).  Is that the one?

http://www.dremel.com/productdisplay/bit_template.asp?SKU=9903&Color=009999

�ric

On Mon, 4 Jun 2001 10:10:31 -0500, Max Wellhouse <maxjoyce@IPA.NET> wrote:

>Alan and Listees.  I,too have a stash of the cut off wheels but haven't
used
>a one since I discovered a dremel accessory called a carbide router bit.
>Retails for about $8 and I'm sure alan went through abot that many
>dollars-worth of cut off wheels.  a straight  1/8" shaft with the cutting
>flutes  similar to a drill but with a blunt end.  This tool has lasted
>through my last 2 Dremel tools and is still as sharp as the day I bought
it.
>Larger Wal marts used to stock it, but I found mine at a model train hobby
>shop.
>
>I have cut multi layer kevlar/glass/carbon laminates with it, stainless
>steel, rusty bolts, plastic, you name it.  Since you don't have the
diameter
>of the cut off wheel to deal with, this cutter gets into very tight places
>also.  This won't help Alan, but maybe the next guy or gal.
>
>Dimwitted Moose and Flying Squirrel
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Alan Bosch <arbosch@RA.ROCKWELL.COM>
>To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
>Date: Monday, June 04, 2001 9:29 AM
>Subject: Exhausted, but quite...finally!
>
>
>>Volks,
>>Took the weekend to replace my exhaust system on Phred.  What a PITA!!!
>>
>>The muffler has been going bad for some time now.  Last Tuesday, the J-
pipe
>>separated from the Y-pipe -- the result of rusted-through bolts.  Phred
>>sounded like a Harley on steroids, but wouldn't run worth a darn.
>>
>>Ordered a muffler from BusDepot last October, and all the fittings and
>>gaskets for Vanagain this past week.  All arrived in a timely manner
>>(thanks, Ken!).  Spent Sat. morning running from FLAPS to mega-home-
center,
>>pillar to post, tracking down the correct stainless steel bolts, nuts,
>>washers, and springs necessary to get the system assembled.  Mostly to no
>>avail, as no place had ALL the hardware I thought would be needed.  And
the
>>clock was ticking...
>>
>>I drove Phred up on my ramps around one in the afternoon and walked
>>underneath.  Horrified, I could not see one good nut or bolt on the entire
>>system.  Jumped in to the wife's car, off to the local Mega Home Center to
>>pick up a Dermal tool and sixty cutting wheels.  More time lost...
>>
>>Starting about 2:30, I proceeded to cut the bolts holding the Y-fitting to
>>the headers, the J-pipe to the Cat, and the support brackets for the
>>muffler.  With the muffler and cat down, I was able to unbolt the
remaining
>>portion of the support brackets.  However, separating the j-pipe from the
>>cat turned in to a real chore as the two were welded together with rust.
>>At eight o'clock, frustrated, I packed it in for the night.
>>
>>Sunday morning dawned rainy and dark.  Not the ideal working-on-the-bus
>>weather.  The first thing I did was get the Y-fitting off the headers.
>>This required a copious amount of elbow grease, and a few strategic blows
>>from a mallet.  Once separated, I then had to take the y-fitting in side
to
>>the work bench in order to get the rusted bolts out.  Putting the flange
of
>>the y-fitting on the side of a vice, I had to tap way on the bolts using a
>>punch and a mallet.  Next came separating the cat from the old muffler.  I
>>couldn't get the Dermal cutting wheel in the correct position to cut thru
>>the bolts.  So I had to cut the muffler flange ninety degrees to each
bolt,
>>being careful not to hack into the cat flange.  A chisel and mallet were
>>used to bust out the bolts once the flange was cut away.
>>
>>A word about the Dermal tool.  If you have on, you know these little
>>buggers are great tools.  But you also know that they eat up cutting
wheels
>>for lunch.  If you don't have one, Home Depot has a 51-piece kit, with the
>>flexible extension, for something like $79.  Worth every penny.  But make
>>sure you pick up extra cutting wheels -- and the small wire wheel, that
>>does not come with the kit.
>>
>>After separating the cat and old muffler, the next step was to clean up
the
>>mating surfaces on the parts being reused.  The exhaust system on Phred
>>appears to have been something other than original.  There was exhaust
goop
>>liberally applied to ALL mating surfaces, probably from a failed attempt
at
>>sealing the system rather than replacing the leaking parts.  Again, the
>>Dermal tool, with the wire wheel, turned out to be a great advantage.
>>However, in retrospect, a bench grinder or drill with a courser wire wheel
>>would have made this an even easier task.
>>
>>Finally, at around four o'clock Sunday, I could install the new parts.
>>First came the new muffler brackets, then the new muffler.  If someone has
>>an easier way to install the muffler, I'd love to hear about it.  Maybe,
>>again in retrospect, the muffler needs to be bolted strapped to the
>>brackets, then installed, because the way I went about it, it sure wasn't
>>easy.  However, once bolted up in place, attaching the cat, J-pipe,
>>Y-fitting, and tail pipe were cake.
>>
>>I'm certain a more experienced Vanagon owner would have made much shorter
>>work of this whole procedure.  Indeed, if I were not bent on cutting
>>expenses I would not have used any existing parts over again, thus saving
a
>>great deal of time and labor cutting everything off.  I should have bit
the
>>bullet and just purchased new everything -- y-fitting, j-pipe, cat, O2
>>sensor, muffler, brackets, straps, and tailpipe.  It was not an
>>insurmountable task, and I feel great having tackled it.
>>
>>Note to list vendors, if you're reading this:  You may want to offer, for
>>sale, the following...  (1) a stainless steel mounting hardware kit; (2) a
>>complete gasket kit (vs. picking and choosing from a list of available
>>gaskets).
>>
>>Oh, one last thing...  If there's a list member in Rochester that had a
>>Grey-ish van at the Meineke shop on Brighton-Henrietta Town Line Road on
>>Saturday, p-mail me.  The guy doing your exhaust, when I spoke to him, was
>>talking about "...making it work with whatever parts (he had) from
>>stock..."  Nice bus, BTW...
>>
>>Exhausted....
>>
>>Alan Bosch
>>& Phred ('88 Wolfsburg)
>>...shhhh