A little help needed

Drew76

New Member
I heat treated and tempered my blade and completely forgot to drill holes in handle before hand for pins. Now brand new cobalt bits barely make a dent. How can I correct this?
 
Wrap the blade portion with a cold wet cloth and spot heat the tang with a propane torch in the hole locations, then drill. Won't take much or long. If you keep the blade cold you should not lose the hardness/temper.
Or purchase and use carbide drill bits.
 
If you have to to the carbide bit route you may need to get a rotary tool with a carbide burr to enlarge the holes slightly or find slightly undersized pin stock.

Doug
 
Wrap the blade portion with a cold wet cloth and spot heat the tang with a propane torch in the hole locations, then drill. Won't take much or long. If you keep the blade cold you should not lose the hardness/temper.
Or purchase and use carbide drill bits.

This method works like a champ and is easy peasy. In fact, I just did this today on a folder back spring. With the spring in a vise as a heat sink, I could make the spot I wanted to drill red hot while holding the other end with my bare hand.
 
Buy some carbide tipped masonry bits. You can get down to 1/8" I believe, and normally they're fairly affordable. Don't expect the precision of a standard twist drill bit (the hole will be a little bit larger), but it will get you through a hardened tang just fine.
 
If the hole ends up slightly larger then that's probably going to be a plus. You may not have to enlarge them to fit the pin stock.

Doug
 
Buy some carbide tipped masonry bits. You can get down to 1/8" I believe, and normally they're fairly affordable. Don't expect the precision of a standard twist drill bit (the hole will be a little bit larger), but it will get you through a hardened tang just fine.
That's exactly how I managed to get the holes drilled. Thanks
 
I did something similar on a batch of knives awhile back. I got them back and realized that the holes were all wrong. I had to walk out of the shop for a while. I did a few with masonry bits 1/4" but ended up buying several 1/8" carbides. Wasn't too big of deal
 
I did something similar on a batch of knives awhile back. I got them back and realized that the holes were all wrong. I had to walk out of the shop for a while. I did a few with masonry bits 1/4" but ended up buying several 1/8" carbides. Wasn't too big of deal
Was a learning experience for me. Not too bad of a mishap given it was my first knife. I learn a bit more with every one.
 
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