Drilling through steel ?

[DR4296]

This is a follow-up to a post I made here:

http://www.therpf.com/f9/where-can-i-find-spring-steel-narrow-150742/

I've got a simple plumber's fishtape... the kind you can get at Lowe's for $7. I'm going to use pieces of this as the center of some tentacles that I intend to use on a mask.

I had tested using some 65-lb test fishing line attached to a piece of the fishtape (spring steel). This worked okay, but I was surprised to find that a pull in x-direction didn't consistently cause the tentacle to move in x-direction. Oh, it worked SOME of the time, but it seemed to behave differently when you pointed it in different directions.

A friend of mine thought that the fact that the fishing line can "relax" had something to do with it. So, I went to the hardware store and bought two different types / diameters of steel cabling...and some ferrules.

I tried drilling a hole through the spring steel fishtape piece just now... and none of my drill bits can seem to drill through it. I tried using a Dremel with some inexpensive "diamond point bits" ( admittedly, cheap from Harbor Freight)... but all I've got is a shallow dish of a hole and you could see that each bit I tried had worn down some.

So, I'm not exactly Mr. Hardware. I'm wondering what kind of drill bit I should be buying in order to drill through this stuff ?

Sure, an alternative would be to locate some sort of "weaker" spring steel. I've been looking for that stuff they used to strap crates with here locally but I can't seem to find any.

Any thoughts?


Thanks!

-= Dave =-

 

[exoray]

A regular drill should do it, us a slow speed, constant pressure (drill press) with cutting oil...

 

[Supa troop]

This is a follow-up to a post I made here:

http://www.therpf.com/f9/where-can-i-find-spring-steel-narrow-150742/

I've got a simple plumber's fishtape... the kind you can get at Lowe's for $7. I'm going to use pieces of this as the center of some tentacles that I intend to use on a mask.

I had tested using some 65-lb test fishing line attached to a piece of the fishtape (spring steel). This worked okay, but I was surprised to find that a pull in x-direction didn't consistently cause the tentacle to move in x-direction. Oh, it worked SOME of the time, but it seemed to behave differently when you pointed it in different directions.

A friend of mine thought that the fact that the fishing line can "relax" had something to do with it. So, I went to the hardware store and bought two different types / diameters of steel cabling...and some ferrules.

I tried drilling a hole through the spring steel fishtape piece just now... and none of my drill bits can seem to drill through it. I tried using a Dremel with some inexpensive "diamond point bits" ( admittedly, cheap from Harbor Freight)... but all I've got is a shallow dish of a hole and you could see that each bit I tried had worn down some.

So, I'm not exactly Mr. Hardware. I'm wondering what kind of drill bit I should be buying in order to drill through this stuff ?

Sure, an alternative would be to locate some sort of "weaker" spring steel. I've been looking for that stuff they used to strap crates with here locally but I can't seem to find any.

Any thoughts?


Thanks!

-= Dave =-

The Hole you are trying to Drill, are you using a drill bit the same diameter that the hole needs to be ??

If this is the case then you need to start off with a Pilot hole first and then Step up with a bigger sized drill bit and then use the drill bit to get your desired Hole....

i hope that makes sense, basically use a small pilot drill bit first first and then work upwards

 

[NormanF]

...with cutting oil

Do this or it will just destroy your bit as you have already seen.


Sent from my Apple Newton