Art Clay, dried but not fired, drills easily, although it could crack if you press too hard or use a normal electric power drill. So, do it carefully by hand or use a small low-voltage modelling drill. Art Clay, fired, is solid silver or gold, so you really need an electric drill.

Kitiki tested a selection of mini-dills, imported from India, China, Taiwan, Japan, Germany, and the USA. They all included a selection of rotary accessories and most came in a case.

Many had similar problems: the chuck bearings were loose; the drills were uncomfortable to hold; step speed control was second best to continuous; the power cable fell out in use; rechargeables often seemed to go flat; and the accessories were poor quality, making detail and finishing work less easy and less safe as some flew apart. The best-known make, and its accessories, were inexplicably expensive.

We chose an unbranded Chinese import. It successfully combines quality, comfort, size, precision, alignment, and operating smoothness. It's guaranteed for a year, and we have spares.

The Kitiki Drill Kit 1 consists of a small hand-held low-voltage drill, a mains adapter, chuck collets, abrasive discs, grinding wheels, grinding tips, rotary cutters, brushes, engraving tips, polishing pads, and small-size drill bits: 60 accesories. All in a smart aluminium carrying case.

The lightweight body measures 205mm x 34mm. The CE-marked motor has a 8 000 - 18 000 rpm electronic speed control, and is rated at 12V 18W, so you can use a regular main socket. The chuck has a selection of collets for different size drill bits and rotary accessories: 1.0mm, 2.35mm, 3.0mm, and 3.2mm; and the motor locking pin makes fitting accessories easy.

It comes with a 2.0 metre coiled cable ending in a low-voltage plug. The plug connects to a double-insulated mains adapter fitted with a 2.0 metre cable, ending in UK plug. Since the drill uses about as much power as a fridge bulb, the cost of using it is only a few pence a day.

The spindles, included in the kit, use a central screw to secure the abrasive discs, grinding wheels, rotary cutters, wire brushes, and polishing pads.

Any DIY drill has a number of disadvantages: the chuck will not hold very small drill bits centrally; it's hard to hold it still, so the clay will probably crack; it's too powerful and will cut away too much too quickly.

The chuck jaws on a DIY power drill actually have small flats on their inside edges, so they won't grip small drills. Also, the weight of the drill makes it difficult to start accurately and then keep steady: the bits can snap, possibly still in your work.

A low-voltage modelling mini-drill is ideal. All mini-drills accept rotary tools. One of the most useful tools is the wire brush, making it easy to clean up fired Art Clay before polishing.

GIVE IT A SPIN

In The Kitiki Studio, and during courses, we use a hand-held low-voltage mini-drill, with continuous electronic speed control, that accepts a wide range of drill bits and other international-standard rotary accessories. We support the work on the Kitiki non-slip rubber work sheet or rubber block.

If you've looked at drills in the shops, you probably found the different styles and the range of accessories confusing, and the price variations inexplicable. So, what should you look for?

Although most drills sold in the UK are rebadged imports, and look similar, the prices vary a lot. Generally, the chuck bearings mustn't be loose; drills must be comfortable to hold; step speed control is second best to continuous; and the accessories must be carefully finished to make detail and finishing work easier and safer. The best-known make, and its accessories, are very expensive.

Don't buy the most expensive drill and a whole kit of accessories in a carry case. It's very unlikely you'll use all the shapes and sizes. You'll soon find that the one accessory you want is not included: you probably won't be able to buy a matching one and, even if you can, it won't fit in the case. And if one goes blunt, breaks, or gets lost, you won't be able to buy a replacement unless you revisit the shop.

Of the cases we looked at, many were cracked or broken on arrival, being made of the cheapest brittle plastic. Because a UK plug is bulkier than a flat two-pin, some wouldn't close.

All mini-drills use a low-voltage motor driven from a mains adapter or charger. However, a re-chargeable drill will almost certainly be flat when you want to use it, or go flat as soon as you do.

Mini-drills can be used on Art Clay, dried or fired, and most modelling materials. Some are slightly noisier than others but, as you're unlikely to use it for more than fifteen minutes a day, this isn't really an issue. The three most important things are: a stable easy-to-use chuck, continuous electronic speed control, and a light comfortable design.

The big advantage of a mini-drill is that it's easier to drill a neat straight hole than it is using any sort of hand drill or pin vice. And using high-speed abrasive discs, grinding wheels, and polishing pads saves time.

If you've never used a mini-drill before, practise on some wood. Choose the correct collet, and make sure the drill is centred in the collet and pushed well down.

Make a tiny mark on the surface with a pointed scriber, and turn on the drill with the speed set low. Increase the speed as soon as the drill has started to make a hole. If you start drilling at high speed, the drill bit tip may skid across the surface, and leave a scratch.

A mini-drill is designed to drill small holes, up to about 3.0mm diameter. If you push too hard, the drill will slow down, or stop.

When you've finished, turn the drill off: don't put it down, still running. And unplug it when you've finished working.

GIVE IT A SPIN

Most mini-drills come with a selection of rotary accessories, so you probably won't need to buy any more for a while, unless you need replacements, run a full-time workshop, or obsessively like to collect.

Abrasive discs come in different grits and are cheap to buy. It's not worth cutting your own discs and blunting your knife blade, especially as the drill will vibrate if they're even slightly irregular.

Polishing pads are made from a close-weave felt. If you want to cut your own, a thinner or looser felt will soon come off the spindle. The international standard size is 21mm in diameter.

And, with all abrasive discs, don't press too hard, particularly with the edge, or you'll make a crescent-shaped groove. Remember with Art Clay that most of the shaping is done before firing, whilst it's still easy to work with.

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Grinding tips are used for shaping pieces and cleaning up the edges. Engraving tips are often used to make random textures, unless your hand is steady enough to write.

Most mini-drills accept international standard 3.2mm diameter spindles. A central screw secures abrasive discs, grinding wheels, rotary cutters, and polishing pads. Always make sure that the spindle is pushed well down into the chuck.

GIVE IT A SPIN

Art Clay, dried but not fired, drills easily, although it could crack if you press too hard or use a normal electric power drill. So, do it carefully by hand or use a small low-voltage modelling drill. Art Clay, fired, is solid silver or gold, so you really need an electric drill.

Drill bits vary a lot in quality. A cheap 20-piece set in a plastic case seems like a bargain: however, the bits often have a tip that's been ground slightly off-centre so that the drill wobbles slightly when turned and makes an oval hole.
Used in an electric drill, they could snap and ruin your work: if you break one, you usually can't buy an identical replacement, and bits bought elsewhere often don't fit in the plastic case.

Although blunt or broken drill bits can be re-sharpened using a grinding wheel, it's not easy to keep the tip-point central or get the edges as sharp as new.

Support your piece on a rubber work sheet or block, and be careful not to let the drill bit wander as you start. For holes larger than 2.0mm in diameter, make a 1.0mm pilot hole first. If you make a mistake, repair it with Art Clay paste, dry it, and start again. A selection of drill bit sizes allows you to work optimally.

If you need to drill a hole, it's much easier to do it after drying but before firing. Drilling large holes may be a waste of clay, so you could rethink your design or make an initial hole with something like a cocktail stick or a pencil before drying. It's important when drilling deep holes to keep the drill at the same angle, to avoid splitting the clay.

The Kitiki drill bits are precision high-speed steel modelling drills, and should last a long time. They're available in the very small sizes which hardware shops rarely have. They're just right for drilling Art Clay, and metals such as silver, gold, and copper. They're not designed to drill glass, gemstones, or porcelain.

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A pin vice holds small bits up to about 2.5mm in diameter: you just roll it between your fingers. It twist-tightens easily, so doesn't need a chuck key like a normal electric power drill.

The Kitiki double-ended pin vice is a precision tool, with two double-ended collets for different size bits from 0.5mm to 2.5mm in diameter. Before drilling, always rotate the pin vice for a few turns and do a visual check to make sure that the drill bit is held centrally.

GIVE IT A SPIN

A pin chuck holds small bits or rotary accessories up to about 3.2mm in diameter. It twist-tightens easily, so doesn't need a chuck key like a normal electric power drill. Although it's designed to fit into an electric power drill chuck, you can still roll it between your fingers, like a pin vice.

The Kitiki pin chuck is a precision tool, with three collets for different size bits and rotary accessories from 0.5mm to 3.2mm in diameter. Before drilling, always rotate the pin vice for a few turns and do a visual check to make sure that the drill bit is held centrally.

GIVE IT A SPIN

If you're working with drills and rotary accessories, you need to be aware of the risks, however slight. It's unlikely, but ginding grit, brush wire, drilling scraps, and polish can fly off. Given a chance, they head straight for your face, so it's important to wear safety glasses: you've only got one pair of eyes.

All the clay scraps need to be cleaned up regularly. Don't blow your work area clean: use a mini-vac.