Drilling through Stainless Steel

[ArtS]

I put a piece of stainless steel between the layers of leather in some of my holsters. The problem that I have is drilling a hole through it. It's a thin piece of strapping, maybe 1/16 inch thick. I just wear out drills. There must be something I'm doing wrong. I dip it in water every so often to keep it cool. I need some advice please.

Help please.

ArtS

[BradB]

I put a piece of stainless steel between the layers of leather in some of my holsters. The problem that I have is drilling a hole through it. It's a thin piece of strapping, maybe 1/16 inch thick. I just wear out drills. There must be something I'm doing wrong. I dip it in water every so often to keep it cool. I need some advice please.

Help please.

ArtS

Are you using metal drill bits and not wood? Maybe try a diamond tipped drill bit?

[Rawhide]

Stainless is extremely hard to drill. I'm not sure that "home depot" type drill bits will do the trick, repeatedly anyway.

You may need to try some diamond tipped bits from a place like woodcraft or go to a metal fab shop and ask a ton of questions.

Marlon

Edited September 10, 2008 by Rawhide

[bruce johnson]

Art,

I had the same problem with the SS strapping on the dee and straps I use on my saddles for breast collar dees. I use 2 holes and rivets to make them more secure and keep them from torquing. The titanium coated bits would maybe be good for one or two straps, even with oils/water/slow speed. Get them hot and just watch the drill bits melt and puddle on the strapping like the wicked witch of the west. The heavier strapping from my preferred source was a 2 bitter sometimes. I took to punching the holes and pounding the "splash" flat.

Then enter my good pal Littlejohn from Detroit. A metal workin' man who solved my problem. (side note - Anyone heard from him lately??) As some stainless heats up it gets harder. He advised me to get the cobalt bits. They cost me about $5-6 bucks each. I bought a few and still am using the first one. They do a good job on the stainless. They eat old copper rivets like marshmallows. The real deal.

[steveh]

Try using a colbalt bit in a drill press, with a cutting fluid applied while drilling. The Chromium in Stainless makes it very hard.

[wolvenstien]

LOL

Yeah... Stainless is one of the harder to drill.

I came into the same situation a short while back. I had several stainless coasters, about 4 inch across, and about a 1/4 inch thick. I had titanium bits that I figured would be cool to use with my drill press. I melted them. I then used a "FOR METAL" bit I got in a package for tapping metal... it melted worse then the titanium bits... I started to call around to the local metal shops to see if I could get one of them to cut the holes I needed. I finally got to talk to a shop boss and explained the situation to him and explained i needed them done by 6 that evening. He had already closed the shop but would be happy to call someone back in to do it, but we were talking a couple hundred dollars just for 12 holes. Then he offered to leave me a COBALT bit at the receptions desk for me to come by and pick up.

I ran over there and got the cobalt bit and ran back to the house to drill the holes... It melted on me too.

So needless to say, I did not get the holes drilled.

But I do know cobalt and titanium bits will not work on cutting holes in 1/4 inch stainless....

Good luck, and please post back when you find something that works.

guess i took longer than Bruce and Steve....

What type of cooling lube you talking about? Like I said... the cobalt melted on me...

Edited September 10, 2008 by wolvenstien

[ArtS]

Thanks everyone. I'll call around tomorrow to find a cobalt bit.

Thanks!

ArtS

[Luke Hatley]

this has workrd for me. heat the SS with a torch, red hot then use a punch to make the hole'

[steveh]

wolfenstien,

I have drilled stainless quite a bit, use a high quality usa cobalt bit, do not know name brand off hand, the cutting fluid is a product like majic tap or crc in a liquid or aresol. use a vise or hold down to hold your work solid,in a drill press at low speed keep the coolent on your work. I have drilled 1/2 Plate this way.

[BarryKing]

Try buying at Fastenal, if there is one in your area(they seem to be across the country). You may also use a solid carbide drill bit. These are a little harder than the cobalt ones. Always use a cutting fluid on stainless. Also, run your RPM at about 1/2 as what you would on mild steel. This is where the steel tends to heat up and work harden. If you are just drilling very thin steel, ask for a "center drill". These tend not to "suck into" the steel as much as a drill bit.