Drillig different steels

[kile]

I am currently working on four blades in 1084. IN the past I have used o1, 440c, and ats-34. The 1084 doesnt seem to drill well. It takes a while to get through it, and it seems to almost chip out, instead of coming out in nice little spirals, like with the other steels. It makes sort of a grating grinding noise, and doesn't seem right to me. Is this normal? Do you think I need to anneal the steel first, it was supposed to be annealed, but maybe it is harder than it should be? What are your expert opinions, any help would be great.
Kyle

 

[peter nap]

Kinda hard to tell from the description but hard steel gives a screech. It starts for me when the full bit starts to enter the steel. Grating and grinding and producing chips sounds like a very grainy steel or a dull bit. I'd try to soften the steel first and drill it again. I haven't ever noticed that 1084 drilled any differently than any other carbon steel. You sure they didn't send you some cast by mistake.

 

[RARanney]

This has been brought up before (I've had a similar experience). The consensus was that some 1084 was at least partially hardened (or not fully annealed), and as Peter said, requires annealing.

 

[Luke Smart]

First anneal the steel. Next go to your nearest machine tool supply store and buy some cobalt stubby bits of the common sizes you use the most. I know, they cost a few bucks, but trust me, it's money well spent. They handle the heat and stay sharper longer. Another important note: always use SHARP bits. A dull HSS (High Speed Steel) drill bit will "slick" or workharden a hole. What does this mean? It means drilling a hole in harden steel. Tin coated bits are good also. All this means making it easier to drill holes is carbon steel. Oh yeh, heat is bad. Therefore, use coolant instead of oil. I hope this helps. Good luck my friend.

Luke