man am i glad i found this site!! need some advise on drilling 1/8" holes in a knife tang made from a file.i drilled one hole in the tang end of the file,no problem using a cobalt bit.the bit doesn`t hardly make a mark further up the file,any suggestions? also will the blade need any type of heat treating? it`s going to be a 5" skinner thanks for your help and time 35
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drilling holes in a metal file
- Thread starter 35
- Start date
amacks
Gold Member
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- Oct 13, 1998
- Messages
- 674
2 choices 35, you can either soften up the area you want to drill, by heating to non-magnetic(probably need a 02-C2H2 torch) and allowing to cool slowly. Your other choice is to use a carbide bit and LOTS of lubricant.
Aaron
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amacks@nist.gov
Don't forget to pay your taxes...they eventually become my knives
Aaron
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amacks@nist.gov
Don't forget to pay your taxes...they eventually become my knives
The best bits I've found for drilling hardened steel are called spade bits, they are full length carbide, not carbide tipped, and have no twist, just a small flat at the tip. use low speed and plenty of light oil. You can get them from most machine supply places.
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I love my country! I just don't trust my government!
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I love my country! I just don't trust my government!
- Joined
- Sep 1, 1999
- Messages
- 259
If you know a welder, see if you can con him out of a piece of Stellite welding rod of an appropriate diameter. If you grind a D shape angled section at the cutting end and then stone a slight bevel to the round part of the tip, you can drill through a file as mentioned above when using a spade bit. With either, do not "peck" the hole through, apply uniform tension and use lots of cutting lube designed for exotic hardened metals.
If you have to anneal the file in a small spot, heat an old fashioned soldering copper red hot and hold it in the place you are going to drill until it is cool; this keeps the heat localized. Putting a dot of soft solder on the file in the position you are going to anneal conducts the heat through it better when you apply the red hot copper.
If you have no cobalt drill bits, heat a carbon steel (NOT hss)bit red hot and quench it in mercury. NOTE: If you inhale the fumes, you are dead, so only do this outdoors with lots of ventilation and great care.
If you have to anneal the file in a small spot, heat an old fashioned soldering copper red hot and hold it in the place you are going to drill until it is cool; this keeps the heat localized. Putting a dot of soft solder on the file in the position you are going to anneal conducts the heat through it better when you apply the red hot copper.
If you have no cobalt drill bits, heat a carbon steel (NOT hss)bit red hot and quench it in mercury. NOTE: If you inhale the fumes, you are dead, so only do this outdoors with lots of ventilation and great care.
gentlemen,thanks for your replies. i did succede in getting my holes drilled.i heated the spots i wanted to drill and let the tang cool in a bucket of sand,by george it worked.i ordered a couple carbide drills today to try on my next knife.i had the blade all buffed and looking good,then decided i liked the satin finish better.final sanding with 600 wet or dry sand paper wet out with w-d 40.the knife turned out pretty good for my first one. ex cept for the walnut handle,don`t like the shape much but it fits my hand pretty good.do many of you use walnut for handles? i printed out your all your suggestions to use on future knives. thanks for your time 35
amacks
Gold Member
- Joined
- Oct 13, 1998
- Messages
- 674
So when do we get to see pictures of the knife?
Aaron
------------------
amacks@nist.gov
Don't forget to pay your taxes...they eventually become my knives
Aaron
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amacks@nist.gov
Don't forget to pay your taxes...they eventually become my knives
amacks, wish i had a scanner. mike, my sentiments exactly. whats your favored method for fixing a handle to a blade? i used epoxy and stainless steel pins (1/8" welding rod). i made the cut in the handle blank on a table saw with out cutting through the top or back of the blank and shaped the tang to match the saw kerf.if i were to make two slabs for handles and use straight pins would the epoxy hold every thing together alright or should i use a different type of pin or rivet? thanks again 35
I use welding rod for pins too, 1/8 and 3/32. A trick is to chuck a short (3 to 6 inch) piece in a drill, and using a piece of coarse sandpaper, reduce the diameter just a bit. this gives the epoxy a little room to get around the pins, and also some texture to grab onto. Another trick is to use a dremel tool or a grinder to remove a little material from the center (not at the edges where it would show) of your handle material and the tang of your knife. This gives some more room for the epoxy to set up, and eliminates some of the tendency for a high spot in the middle of the handle to cause gaps on the edges. I've never had a slab handle secured with pins and good slow set epoxy come apart, but have heard that normal 24 hour epoxy deteriorates after several years, so I recently started using acraglass gun barrel bedding compound instead.
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I love my country! I just don't trust my government!
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I love my country! I just don't trust my government!