It happened.... Made the mistake of forgetting Pin Holes before HT...

S

Shane Csepp

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Oct 21, 2019
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I told myself I'd never forget to drill pin holes before HT'ing. It seemed like a no brainer. How could that happen???

Well, it happened... Since I know I'm not the only one that has forgotten a time or two, what processes have you found to work the best to get pin holes in the tang post-HT?

Is holding the blade under water and torch tempering/annealing the tang the best option? Does someone have a source for reasonably prices carbide drills?

I'm open to any suggestions! Thanks!
 
I'd say to watch more tv... Forged in Fire is competitive knife-making, and I see these guys make that mistake quite often...reminds one NOT to...
 
Sonnydaze said:
I'd say to watch more tv... Forged in Fire is competitive knife-making, and I see these guys make that mistake quite often...reminds one NOT to...
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I agree, it's a common mistake on the show. I'm not sure why it didn't cross my mind to drill them. Profiled last weekend and told myself last weekend to make sure to drill them before HT'ing. Should have written on the blades or something. Hindsight being 20/20 and all.
 
I use carbide bits to drill through handles that are already hardened in D2 and S30V. Get some good cutting fluid, too. I have used both the space and twist drill versions; I kind of prefer the spade. Depending on the steel/hardness, sometimes Masonry drill bits at a local home depot/hardware store can make a hole or 2. Those stores usually carry a carbide tipped drill bit of some sort that may work.
 
Taz said:
I use carbide bits to drill through handles that are already hardened in D2 and S30V. Get some good cutting fluid, too. I have used both the space and twist drill versions; I kind of prefer the spade. Depending on the steel/hardness, sometimes Masonry drill bits at a local home depot/hardware store can make a hole or 2. Those stores usually carry a carbide tipped drill bit of some sort that may work.
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That's a good idea. If all else fails I'll look into masonry bits.
 
I used 5/32" masonry bits from Home Depot before. They are pretty long and flex, so you may want to cut them down so they are shorter/stiffer. To cut a drill bit down, I use the belt sander and hold the bit at an angle to the edge of the belt and grind away at an angle, rotating the bit so it makes a cone with a narrow point that can be snapped off. I have a 4x36 running vertically and I use the belt at the edge of the top tension wheel to do this. You can do this on a 1x30/2x42 on the edge of the platen, too. Then I grind down the end to make it flatter, but you don't need to grind it down at the end since the pointy part will be in the chuck anyway.
 
Black and Decker glass/tile bits work well. I have drilled many hardned M2 blades with these bits.
 
I put a sticker on my oven that says “DRILL HOLES DUMMY!!!”. Just order some solid carbide bits. I use the straight flute bits. Make sure you go slow and use cutting oil. Also make sure you use a solid backer (I use an aluminum plate) and clamp your piece. Any lateral movement and you’ll likely break the bit. Order a couple for sure!
 
Shane Csepp said:
I told myself I'd never forget to drill pin holes before HT'ing. It seemed like a no brainer. How could that happen???

Well, it happened... Since I know I'm not the only one that has forgotten a time or two, what processes have you found to work the best to get pin holes in the tang post-HT?

Is holding the blade under water and torch tempering/annealing the tang the best option? Does someone have a source for reasonably prices carbide drills?

I'm open to any suggestions! Thanks!
Click to expand...
What steel is it made from?

Hoss
 
I wouldn’t worry about going slow for carbide. Carbide likes speed in most cases. There are exceptions depending on cutter/bit geometry, but more often than not, I’d crank the speed up. Make sure you’re using a rigid setup with minimal runout as well.
 
Drew Riley said:
I wouldn’t worry about going slow for carbide. Carbide likes speed in most cases. There are exceptions depending on cutter/bit geometry, but more often than not, I’d crank the speed up. Make sure you’re using a rigid setup with minimal runout as well.
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Agreed. I'm very familiar with machining and proper Feed/Speed. The rigid setup is my concern, but I'm sure ill come up with something.
 
I had got several 1/8" spade bits on Amazon a while back for around $8. They worked great but I haven't been able to find them at that price lately. They can break if you don't have a backer when they punch through. I find if you can get a pilot in then they are easy to open with tile bits. When using AEB-L I don't put in any holes since it adds a place to warp. If you have a more ridged setup I probably would never drive before HT.
 
Horsewright came up with the idea of creating a “starter divot” (like what you would accomplish with a center punch) using a diamond bit in a dremel). Doing this helped me a LOT... as getting the hole started and not having the carbide bit “wander” was one of my biggest headaches
 
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