Flush Setting - Drilling Problem

[Anne1827]

Hi everyone,

I have a very frustrating and strange issue.

I have been flush setting into 3mm brass, everything has been going fine until it now.

I try to drill into the metal, with barely any luck, it will hardly drill, I figured my drill bits were blunt so I bought some new bits.

They still won't drill through. As if they are also blunt, but they aren't. ( I can get about half way after a long while of different bits)

I have been using a dremel stylo and it has been going fine until now, but I tried a different dremel just incase, still won't work.

I tried a different piece of 3mm brass - won't work.

I have tried applying different amounts of pressure - different speeds - lube - no lube - I still am strugging to make a hole through.

The past few holes have gone swimmingly using a 0.5mm then a 0.7mm then a 1mm drill bit (I found it easier to start tiny) and so on, but now nothing works, no matter what.

I cannot figure out what is going wrong. Please help. I am getting so frustrated :'(

Thank you in advance if anyone has any idea what is going on!

[Dennis]

Having eliminated everything else, maybe you have started on a new bit of brass? Brasses vary so this might be a harder variety.

You could try annealing it:
Warm the piece and paint all over with flux.
Turn off the lights and heat until the flux becomes transparent, and the metal begins to glow dull red.
Immediately drop into cold water.

Hopefully it will become easier to drill. Dennis.

[nicks creative stuff]

is your drill in reverse by any chance?
Nick

[Dennis]

Yes, you're right Nick. That's a more likely reason.
Hope Anne comes back, or we'll never know. Dennis.

[Anne1827]

Having eliminated everything else, maybe you have started on a new bit of brass? Brasses vary so this might be a harder variety.

You could try annealing it:
Warm the piece and paint all over with flux.
Turn off the lights and heat until the flux becomes transparent, and the metal begins to glow dull red.
Immediately drop into cold water.

Hopefully it will become easier to drill. Dennis.

Thanks for your reply. I started with a new cut off of the same sheet of brass, because I just have one A4 sheet of 3mm brass, and have annealed it, still no luck. Could it be I got lucky with the first section but in reality maybe I should not even be using brass? (was such an expensive sheet!) Would copper work better for this? Or would it be similar? I can't practice in silver...

[Anne1827]

is your drill in reverse by any chance?
Nick

I wish! That would make so much sense with the way its drilling (kind of pushing the edges up instead of going through) It's unfortunately not in reverse, I wish that were the case.

[josef1]

You could try drilling with a ball burr, make sure you run the drill as slow as you can and dont use to much pressure start with a small one then drill out to what size you need.

[Anne1827]

Yes, you're right Nick. That's a more likely reason.
Hope Anne comes back, or we'll never know. Dennis.

What else can one do with 3mm thick brass if I end up not being able to use it? It's so thick I can't think of what else I can do with it!

(edit - its 2mm, sorry)

[Peter-B]

Try a much slower drill speed speed!

[CJ57]

I wish! That would make so much sense with the way its drilling (kind of pushing the edges up instead of going through) It's unfortunately not in reverse, I wish that were the case.

From what you describe it does sound as if the drill is in reverse. Have you tried drilling a piece of scrap wood, if it still doesn’t work on something soft then it’s a problem with the drill and not the brass?

[Anne1827]

Try a much slower drill speed speed!

I have tried from lowest and upwards with not much difference :-/

[Anne1827]

From what you describe it does sound as if the drill is in reverse. Have you tried drilling a piece of scrap wood, if it still doesn’t work on something soft then it’s a problem with the drill and not the brass?

I just tried that, it drills into wood like butter, no problem, I think I may just have a piece of very hard brass, but doesn't explain why I could do it last week (it still wasnt terribly easy but I could do it) but not this week O_o

[Anne1827]

You could try drilling with a ball burr, make sure you run the drill as slow as you can and dont use to much pressure start with a small one then drill out to what size you need.

That actually does help, thank you very much!

[Anne1827]

You could try drilling with a ball burr, make sure you run the drill as slow as you can and dont use to much pressure start with a small one then drill out to what size you need.

I bought some new ball burs in different sizes and they go through beautifully! Thank you! I had tested with some older ones that clearly weren't too sharp but the new ones go through well, thank you so much.

[Dennis]

I bought some new ball burs in different sizes and they go through beautifully! Thank you! I had tested with some older ones that clearly weren't too sharp but the new ones go through well, thank you so much.

Well they work, but won't drill as accurately as drill bits. In your place I would not rest until the problem was resolved.
It really looks as if even new drill bits are unable to penetrate your bass.
To me that indicates that they are being run too fast and quickly blunt. You have already learned to run your Dremel much slower. It helps to use some wax or oil as a lubricant, and use HSS drills, which do not get blunt when overheated. Dennis.