Reddit reviews Sutemribor Brass Solid Round Rod Lathe Bar Stock, 3mm in Diameter 100mm in Length (10Pcs)

Amazon, eBay, wherever. Brass rod stock in specific diameters is a bit beyond what you can find at the Home Depot. Fortunately, it doesn't take much.

Here is some 3mm brass rod stock that works great for Kwikset and Schlage: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074W3W1B1

Technically, it's too big (.118 inches instead of .115 inches), but what's a few thousands of an inch between friends? ;)

Here are a few suggestions:

1. Instead of holding your dremel by hand, toss it into your hobby vise. This gives you greater control over how much material you remove and where.
   
   
2. Using the utility blade to give you a starting point to make a transition is a good idea, but it isn't easy to get a positive grip on the spinning brass. It can and does slip. A razor saw is ideal for this and you can make some nice serrations with it too.
   
   
3. I too have experienced running out of room on the pin because it is too close to the chuck. When you are that close, you can only make an outward bevel because the second you try to tip it in, you start filing down the chuck instead. Using old pins is a great way to level up on your technique. You can pick up some brass rod stock and cut each one into 3rds and backup the rod into the dremel as far as it goes and that will stabilize the brass and give you plenty of material to pull out and away from the chuck.
   
   
4. The quick change dremel chuck works great when you have a bunch of different sized bits to change out. However, on brass it tends to leave unwanted dents with the three prongs. The dremel collet set will not leave those marks. It is a cheap set and it is made from aluminum but I haven't had one break on me yet.
   
   I love, Love, LOVE jewelry files for shaping my pins! You can futz around with the different shapes to get some cool transitions. To polish off my pins and when I want to remove burrs from the final shapes, I cut my sandpaper into strips and glued it onto a popsicle stick. This lets me get up in there and also works great when you just need to remove a little more material. You can also wrap a little of the sandpaper over the edge and use that outside corner to push into the brass to make a tight inside corner on the brass. Here is a preview of some of the evil.