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On 28 Jun 99, at 11:11, Erkson, Toby wrote: > Can some of you experts explain to me how to drill into steel? I've gone > through two 1/16" drill bits, both snapping flush with the steel rod I'm > drilling into and I'm getting pretty frustrated. You need to hold the rod (like in a vise) so that it doesn't move on you, and you need to make sure that you are pushing the drill STRAIGHT into the work. It is easy to push off-center using a pistol- grip hand drill. A friend watching from the side may be able to tell you exactly what you are doing wrong, because his vantage point is better. The speed needs to be rather high for this small a bit (to keep the cutting speed up) just as you need to slow down when drilling a large hole. Any kind of coolant is better than nothing. You can use, LPS, WD-40, 3-in-1, motor oil, or water. Alcohol, acetone, trichloroethelene (now illegal) are occasionally useful in certain materials. The drill needs to be sharp, and it is VERY difficult for the novice to sharpen bits by himself, especially the small ones. A drill press would be nice, and a drill press with a vise would be ideal. You really need to keep that rod from rolling when the going gets tough. Even then you will need to let up on the pressure when you think the drill is about to break out the back side; it is likely to seize at that moment and break. Jim - ******************************* Jim Adney, jadney@vwtype3.org Madison, Wisconsin, USA ******************************* ------------------------------------------------------------------- Search old messages on the Web! Visit http://www.vwtype3.org/list/