Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Maintenance & Servicing Drilling Into Stainless Steel

ewn .... were those the ones I got off you the other day? (the stubby flutes sound familiar) ....if so, they're cracking drills ...breeze through ali, steel, stainless .... well impressed with them ..... they'll be my go-to if I need any self-administered lockdown dentistry as well

K

Ewn, I use a spray gun with water to keep the heat down . I'm in the progress of drilling into my new stainless bulkhead etc. As for drill bit from Presto seem good.

Yup , Them’s them, special deals for Morgan fiddlers.

There is dedicated drill with the right angle for stainless steel, but you can use a standard one for a small hole. Lubricate your drill with an onion, it is not a joke, used on a former shipyard where I worked, and you will get round hole.

Ah, but the onion makes your eyes water, so you can't see where you're supposed to drill

A friend of mine told me about the onion trick many years ago. When I was removing the baffles on my M3W exhaust I forgot about the "onion" and first used WD40 which worked but created a lot smoke. On the second baffle I remembered the "onion" and yes it works brilliantly with no smoke.

Many thanks for your help. Went for a Dewalt one on amazon. Works a treat!

I have used these Bullet drills for years, with a slow speed and cutting oil Stainless is no problem. And due to their shape they actually cut a washer out of the material so you have a perfect hole with no burr on either side, and they will not grab suddenly and pull through. Various companies make drills with this tip profile.
https://www.powertoolsdirect.com/black-and-decker-piranha-bullet-drill-bit-range

The type of bit is not as important as avoiding heat.

I think cobalt bits are excellent but you can use almost any bit as long as it is sharp and fresh. Drill bits must be looked at as perishable items, when you are considering using them for anything beyond the softest of materials like wood.

Key points:
1. Sharp fresh drill bit
2. Very light centerpunch if any- work hardens the piece and makes drilling more difficult; is tradeoff, don’t want your bit skating all over the surface trying to get started; can work with a carbide scribe to scratch enough of a starting dimple to get going most of the time. Better yet use a drill press wherever you can!
3. Slow speed (machinists work in surface feet (or meters)/min, and then calculate RPM based on size of drill; if you’re not that ambitious just go real slow targeting 100-200 rpm; if you’re using a vsr drill, gauge that but what percent of full trigger you’re using).
4. Liberal use of cutting oil, or some lubricating oil (no H2O) on bit and in the hole, drizzle more during the drilling
5. Frequent stops to clear chips.

Good reference here: https://www.bssa.org.uk/topics.php?article=194

And to quote the sage words of Matt Groening, Simpson’s creator, but before that wrote a comic strip called ‘Life in Hell’, “If you drink, don’t drill.”

Sorry to bump this old thread back up but I've just been stood at my bench drill and can totally recommend these Hi-nox drills .... just banged through 135 holes ...... 6mm through 4mm mild steel .... no pilot holes, no lube just popped them through one after the other .... drilled the last as quickly and cleanly as the first. .... excellent kit.

Not Morgan related ....just a little job for Mrs Image

K