Replies to This Discussion

In MemoriamPermalink Reply by D ale on May 17, 2010 at 22:04

Terry .. the reason I stated "use w/ extreme caution" is because the lapping compound is some tenacious sctuff .. getting it all removed once you get the slipjoint "worn" to the desired point can be difficult .. any residual matl left behind will cause continued wear to the slipjoint .. I had a bugger of a time getting mine clean !!!

Permalink Reply by Terry Waldele on May 17, 2010 at 22:36

Dale, thanks. I used a combination of wiggling the blade, filing, sanding and polishing the tang and the liner, brushing strop dressing compound into the joint and swinging the blade back and forth about a 100 times, and finally flushing the joint with WD40. That helped a lot, but the blade's still a little too stiff. It's got a lot of its snap back, though. Thanks for telling me about your experience with lapping compound. What solvent did you use to clean it out?

Permalink Reply by Terry Waldele on May 17, 2010 at 22:45

Thanks, Slade. I'll check out aerosol brake cleaner's properties and corrosiveness on various knife scale materials.

In MemoriamPermalink Reply by D ale on May 17, 2010 at 23:30

I started w/ WD-40, isopropyl alcohol, H2O .. next day .. same thing + compressed air .. was pretty sure I gotten it all that time .. 2 days later .. rubbed mojo hand cleaner into the joint + lotsa hot H2O .. wished I'd of had some brake cleaner .. flushed it out real well using the little red tube on the WD-40 + compressed air & seemed to have finally gotten it.

The valve lapping compound worked great !! Removing it was a pain !!!

Permalink Reply by J.J. Smith III on May 17, 2010 at 23:45

I'll jump in here after all the hard work is done.
Brake cleaner shoudn't harm too much. I've used it to clean some really grimey knives with no problems. What got me convinced was when I used it to clean the diaphram in a lens that was sticking. Works great now. Designed to clean out the gunk and leave no residew.

Permalink Reply by Terry Waldele on May 18, 2010 at 0:30

Hey, guys, you've all been a lot of help. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience!

Permalink Reply by Terry Waldele on May 18, 2010 at 7:08

OK, I have another one. I think this subject may have been discussed before, but here goes. I'm trying to figure out the difference between drill bit materials so I can choose the right bits for enlarging holes in knife blades and springs. I have checked out a number of websites and still haven't found a really objective comparison of cobalt, titanium, tungsten carbide and high speed steel drill bits. My local hardware guy told me cobalt drills are the best for drilling hard steel, but some of the websites imply (but only vaguely) that tungsten carbide bits are better. Can anyone advise me on the comparative durability of these drill bit materials or point me to a credible website source of information on this subject? Also, what is the best lubricant to use? Thanks in advance for any advice you guys can give me.

In MemoriamPermalink Reply by D ale on May 18, 2010 at 8:15

Terry .. the important thing is that the drill bit is harder than the matl you're trying to drill .. I know .. that sounds overly simplistic & obvious .. but really all it boils down too !!

This was discussed before .. Daniel Howland's input would be most useful here .. I believe the way it shakes out .. tungsten carbide's hardest .. then titanium & cobalt .. steer clear of the other (drill bit) matl's when trying to drill hardened matl...

.. do use a lubricant .. a cutting oil .. I forget the trade name though ..

Dan .. Help !!!!

I just checked my notes from the frost cooperlock .... "Drill press, generic, set to slowest speed, carbide drill bit ... should have used a cutting oil for lubrication and heat reduction .. NOTE: be cautious of heat buildup."

..here's another discusion on the same topic .... http://www.iknifecollector.com/forum/topics/are-there-any-machinist...

Permalink Reply by Slade Ingram on May 18, 2010 at 9:26

An excellent cutting fluid is called "Tap Free". It is trichlorethane (I think spelling is correct), a heavy metal. Do not dispose of it on the ground and do not use it to drill aluminum. But it is wonderful on steel.
A set of small quality files is a big help when you only need to open up the hole in a blade or spring. Sometimes, even with a carbide drill bit, it is very difficult to poke a hole in hardened steel.
If you need a larger, less precise hole, you can use a quality masonry bit. These are carbide and don't cost a fortune like solid carbides.

Permalink Reply by Terry Waldele on June 9, 2010 at 6:30

HELP!!! After all the advice, information and encouragement you guys have given me, I'm still having trouble with drill bit "meltdown." I'm trying to drill a hold in the tang of a used fixed blade. I've tried titanium, carbide, cobalt and masonry drill bits on the tang and nothing will penetrate it. The blade is a pre-manufactured heavy duy stainless steel blade from a used butcher knife, and its tang (a full one) is hardened like the blade. My center punch doesn't even scratch it! I want to use this blade in a camp knife and put a lanyard hole in the tang, but none of my drill bits, even if they're driven at low speed and cooled with shots of oil, can make a dent in the tang. You're all probably groaning and saying "There he goes again! Haven't we beat on this dead horse enough already?" If I'm nothing else, I'm tenacious and persistent. So, this time I'll make my question very specific: "Can heat-treated (hardened) stainless steel be drilled?" Slade suggested in a previous comment that I use TapFree cutting fluid, but I don't want to buy it if using it on hardened steel is going to be futile. What do you guys think? What odds do you give me on succeeding with TapFree or any other cuting fluid (that I can buy in a small quantity), if I use a carbide bit on low speed? (Sorry if I seem dense, but this is an extremely important question for me, because I use only pre-manufactured, heat-treated blades to make my knives until I get the stuff required for blade making.) Thanks in advance for your sage advice and priceless wisdom! :-)

In MemoriamPermalink Reply by D ale on June 9, 2010 at 9:38

Terry,

Yes, hardened anything can be drilled .. as long as the cutting tool (drill bit) is harder than material being machined (knife tang).

I don't think the tap free or any other cutting fluid is the go / no go issue you seem to be up against.

If you're burning up drill bits without marking the tang ... the drill bits are softer than the tang steel !!!

You've got to aquire a drill bit that is harder than the tang of that knife.

.. till then .. cutting fluid isn't your answer .. you'll need it .. but you've gotta get a cutting tool harder than the matl you're trying to cut first !!!

In MemoriamPermalink Reply by D ale on June 9, 2010 at 9:45

Terry .. maybe a discussion along the lines of ....

"what's the hardest d@mn drill bit out there & where do I get it"

Both Dan & Slade have machinest experience .. either one would probably know .. I could suggest McMaster Carr as a source .. but can't tell you which matl is for sure the hardest !!!

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