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1095 and drill bits

Bfusmc03117

Bfusmc03117

Joined
Dec 29, 2008
Messages
697
Have ordered a bunch of 1095 HR stock to cut out some blade blanks. After my blanks were cut out I went to drill my holes in the handle. The 1095 blanks ate all my drill bits and at the same time didn't even get any holes drilled.

Any recommendation on drill bits?

Also what does the "HR" mean on the metal stock? Does it mean it's already Been heat treated? I am not to sure.
 
HR means hot rolled, or that it was squashed out flat into a bar while heated. This likely accounts for your bit problems too, as you're getting lammellae of carbides sandwiched in the middle. In other words, it makes a hard carbide bit eating sandwich when cooled too quickly to anneal but not fast enough to harden. You can either 1) fully anneal the stock or 2) get a tungsten carbide bit to drill it. The first takes a kiln, the second will make you swear because carbide bits are expensive and break easily. A buddy of mine had some success drilling larger holes (1/4in) with a carbide ball end mill in his drill press. Good luck. Been there.
 
I was recently taught a tip on drilling through hardened steel, and I didn't believe it until I saw it work. Get a Masonry drill bit in the size you need. Masonry drill bits have a small carbide tip. Crank your drill press up as FAST as it will go. Clamp the piece down. Make sure you wear glasses and protective clothing because hot chunks are going to go flying. Use heavy pressure and don't let up until the hole is done. It puts a very nice hole in a hardened piece of steel.
 
What drill bits are you using? Drilling specialty alloys can require specialty bits, even if you don't go all the way to carbide. Moly or cobalt bits typically will cut tool steels. Proper rpm is critical, and proper cooling is critical. Use something like rapid tap. If you don't immediately start cutting chips, something is wrong.

HR stands for hot rolled. Somtimes you will see HRAP, which is hot rolled and pickled.
 
Heat the steel just shy of non-magnetic 3 or 4 times, let air cool between, and try cobalt drill bit.
 
i would agree with vintage fan. ive made a few knives in 1095 0-1 52100 and 1080+ some hr and cold rolled. I use cobalt drill bits and they have worked fine. perhaps once i make a move to stainless i will need to cough up some $$ for carbide drill bits.

Also when drilling sometime a lubricant can cause your drill bit to slip. as always if you are drilling a bigger hole make a pilot hole first. I drill low pressure and slow speed dry. sometimes with thicker stock i will spray water once the hole is started. I am on a cheap 100$ drill press running 30$ bosch set of bits.
 
LRB Is in effect making a "sub-critical anneal" . Your material obviosly has a pearlite structure which at that composition which is drill resistant .A few hours at 1200-1300F will turn it to spheroidized anneal which is much softer.. Next time if you can get it try spheroidized anneal.
 
mete said:
LRB Is in effect making a "sub-critical anneal" . Your material obviosly has a pearlite structure which at that composition which is drill resistant .A few hours at 1200-1300F will turn it to spheroidized anneal which is much softer.. Next time if you can get it try spheroidized anneal.
Click to expand...

Hold at 1200 -1300 and then let cool in the oven, or is air cooling alright too? I'm assuming only oven cooled will get you to a full spheroidized anneal, but want to be certain.

Thanks
 
When you buy it, look for an A in the title for annealed


It's probably more expensive, but it's usable.
 
3 times heated to just showing red should work I think. Not as good as holding it there for a couple hours, but should let you drill it.
I could be wrong, but it would be easy enough to try.
Cody
 
Just had the same problem myself for the first time. The high speed titanium coated bits I have been using wouldn't do it, so I went and bought a craftsman 1/4" and 1/8" carbide bits. No luck with the 1/4", but the 1/8" went through easily. Today, I went and bought a 1/4" carbide bit made by DeWalt from Lowes. I used a few drops of 3 in 1 oil and it worked without any issue. Went right through like it should. The other thing is, I made sure my drill press was at the lowest rpm setting. Mine was also 1095 HR, but this was the first time I have had any problems drilling through it. Just wanted to share what worked for me. Not sure why the Craftsman carbide bit didn't work but the DeWalt one did. Good luck.
 
Thanks for all the advice guys.

Right now I just have some titanium craftsman drill bits and an older central drill press. I guess I should look into some carbide drill bits and put my drill on the slowest setting while using plenty of lube.

But as far as heating the steel I'm confused. Do I heat it up until it's non magnetic and let it air cool? Or am I heating it up until it's a certain color and then letting it cool? Do I heat the whole knife or just the part I'm working on? And lastly should I do the whole blank stock of metal before I work with it as far as cutting out blade blanks and such?

Since this steel is giving me trouble with the tools that I have what is a good recommended steel to use that is easy to work with yet fairly good for a working knife? I only have a craftsman 2x42 sander and an old central bench top drill press and a garage full of hand tools from when I was an automotive mechanic. This steel I have been getting is strong steel but so hard and frustrating for me to work with especially being so new to this hobby I enjoy.

I'm relatively new to all this and trying to learn as much as I can . So please bear with me. But my cup is empty and am willing to gather all the knowledge I can get.
 
The carbide bits do not need the lowest speeds. They do need rigid though. Different animal than steel bit. When you tried drilling the original holes did you use good pressure on a sharp bit. If you go lightly on a slightly dull bit it will harden in the work area and everything will go down hill fast. If you already have the blank cut and shaped I would do the whole blank and have it in the best condition for hardening. Sounds like you do not have an oven or a forge. If you plan on doing the final HT yourself 1084 would have been a better choice as it is not as touchy on the HT as 1095. But, I would go to just non magnetic and then into a pile of cheap kitty litter to slow the cooling if all I had was a torch.

Live and learn. Thing about making knives is it is a learning journey. You don't just get to make a knife, you get to learn about making knives. The problems teach you more than anything. I learn a little something on every one Enjoy. Jim
 
If you heat the tang with a torch to either nonmagnetic or until you just start seeing color it should drill. They are doing different things, but either should give you results. Do you have a forge or kiln or torch?
 
I have a propane torch and a map gas torch. But no kiln or forge. That's on the Christmas list.

Is it true that map gas is the way to go if I do not have a kiln or forge and that propane torches are essentially useless?
 
Do the heats below non-magnetic but yet showing color. This causes the carbon to begin forming spheres rather than plates. A controlled soak and cool process would be required to make it fully spheroidized, but a few low red heats below non-magnetic will usually get you by to be able to drill. Don't waste your money on Ti coated bits. Buy the cobalt bits.
 
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