Drilling through stainless kettle

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evandena

evandena

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Hey guys, I'm having a rough time finishing drilling through my kettle.
http://bayouclassicdepot.com/1046-142-stainless-steel-pot.htm

I've drilled through plenty of stainless in my life, but I've yet to run into something this rock hard. Two of the 6 holes drilled normally, but the other 4 are super stubborn. I've read all the how-to's and tips/tricks for drilling through kettles. I'm using plenty of cutting oil, with a low RPM, high torque drill.
I've tried cobalt, titanium, and oxide bits. I'm going very slow, never letting it heat up.
I've even tried diamond bits on a Dremel.

After quite a few attempts, all I really have to show is just a dimple. While two holes drilled no problem, this side of the pot is a huge problem.

I'm hoping to find some advice on what I should do next? All I need is a 1/8th hole to get my step bit started, so I'm looking for a solution that won't work harden the area around it. It will need to be soft enough to step bit out.
Would a plasma cutter be able to put a nice hole through the pot? Water jet somewhere? A large drill press with constant pressure?

Thanks
 
It's possible you've work hardened the area you're trying to drill, even if you thought you were adequately cooling it. Also, are you sure the drill is going the right direction? ;) sounds dumb, but I wish I had a dollar for every time I've seen someone do that, and I've done it myself.
 
bottlebomber said:
It's possible you've work hardened the area you're trying to drill, even if you thought you were adequately cooling it. Also, are you sure the drill is going the right direction? ;) sounds dumb, but I wish I had a dollar for every time I've seen someone do that, and I've done it myself.
Click to expand...

Yeah, it's possible it's work hardened. Hoping I can save it.
Yes, drill going the right way. I laughed when you posted that in the other threads, only because it's true.
 
evandena said:
Yeah, it's possible it's work hardened. Hoping I can save it.
Yes, drill going the right way. I laughed when you posted that in the other threads, only because it's true.
Click to expand...

Hey man, you just gotta go down the list ;) I wouldn't feel comfortable annealing because it could severely deform and even crack the pot. Going slow isn't always the best answer either though. If you run a drill too far below it's SFM for the material its cutting it can drag and create excessive heat, work hardening the material. If you lived nearby I would gladly give you a killer carbide circuit board drill that would zing through the work hardened material and give you a place to start the hole. Not helpful I know :/
 
bottlebomber said:
Hey man, you just gotta go down the list ;) I wouldn't feel comfortable annealing because it could severely deform and even crack the pot. Going slow isn't always the best answer either though. If you run a drill too far below it's SFM for the material its cutting it can drag and create excessive heat, work hardening the material. If you lived nearby I would gladly give you a killer carbide circuit board drill that would zing through the work hardened material and give you a place to start the hole. Not helpful I know :/
Click to expand...

That's the kind of ideas I'm looking for. I'll gladly start calling around various machine shops, if I only knew exactly what the best process would be. I doubt anyone around here has that kind of drill though.

What's the deal with this side of the pot? All 4 separate attempts have failed. Using the same process and bits, I've since drilled holes in a different pot no problem.
 
The spindle speed for a 1/8" bit through 30 SFM stainless is about 900 RPM. Does that sound right?
 
evandena said:
The spindle speed for a 1/8" bit through 30 SFM stainless is about 900 RPM. Does that sound right?
Click to expand...

30 is pretty conservative. That's the right formula though, SFM/.262/cutter diameter.
 
bottlebomber said:
30 is pretty conservative. That's the right formula though, SFM/.262/cutter diameter.
Click to expand...

I have no real way of measuring 900 RPM, but I do think it's a bit faster than I was going.

I think my first attempt at fixing this might be to try and find someone with a big drill press and some machine experience. My hobby skills just aren't cutting it (pardon the pun).

Hopefully with the right equipment and knowledge, I can get a hole next to my existing dimples, and then punch them out.
 
Good news.

I brought the pot over to my welder/mechanic/machinist friends house. I was prepared to struggle with the drill press and lectures about how I was doing it all wrong and ruined any chance of repair.

He opened his drawer of bits, pulled one out, and drilled out the remaining holes like it was butter. Didn't even need oil, it was a piece of cake.

Turns out, the best bits Home Depot and Menards sell are still junk. In my attempts, I wasn't doing anything really wrong, it's just the bits were absolute crap. Even the "best" carbide bit from either store.

Moral of my story, if you can't get through stainless, order a bit online.
 
In your OP you said you tried everything including cobalt. I know they don't sell cobalt at Home Depot, and you did say you tried everything.
Cobalt on SS is the first thing I would have suggested.
 
I love my cobalt bits, they've saved my old butt lots of times (particularly with stainless and spring steel).

Still have to do all the other things to avoid work-hardening though...

Cheers!
 
acidrain said:
In your OP you said you tried everything including cobalt. I know they don't sell cobalt at Home Depot, and you did say you tried everything.
Cobalt on SS is the first thing I would have suggested.
Click to expand...

The package said cobalt, the website says cobalt.
Obviously it didn't work, but my first thought was not "this must not be cobalt".
 
Thanks to all for the advice posted in this thred!

I've bought 5 or 6 bits at the big box stores and Ace Hardware. None of them put a hole in my new kettles.

I went to Grainger on the way home and bought a 1/8" DeWalt cobalt bit for less than $4.00. That bit went straight through the kettle wall. Not quite like going through butter, but close. The bit grabed hold and peeled a coil shaving the entire way through the wall.

The Greenlee step bit finished the job off nicely.

What a difference!

I watched BobbyM's video on setting up kettles and got some great tips there. Awesome stuff, Booby! Thanks!

So... $25 worth of crap bits from Home Depot, Lowe's, Ace Hardware and True Value. No holes.

$3.55, including taxes, at Grainger and 9/16" hole in the wall in less than 5 minutes!

Again, many thanks to all of you for the great advice!
 
day_trippr said:
I love my cobalt bits, they've saved my old butt lots of times (particularly with stainless and spring steel).

Still have to do all the other things to avoid work-hardening though...

Cheers!
Click to expand...

The grind on the drill is just as important. Nothing beats a split facet tip. I know they are expensive but I have always used Guhring for production drills.
 
maddad said:
The grind on the drill is just as important. Nothing beats a split facet tip. I know they are expensive but I have always used Guhring for production drills.
Click to expand...

Yes. I've been machining Nitronic 50 for the past 6 weeks using a 7/16 Ingersoll coolant thru insert drill getting about 30-50 3" deep cuts per insert. Got a solid carbide spilt point drill from Sandvik and made 120 cuts and it is barely worn. Geometry makes such a huge difference. I've used Guhring drills before as well with success.
 
bottlebomber said:
Yes. I've been machining Nitronic 50 for the past 6 weeks using a 7/16 Ingersoll coolant thru insert drill getting about 30-50 3" deep cuts per insert. Got a solid carbide spilt point drill from Sandvik and made 120 cuts and it is barely worn. Geometry makes such a huge difference. I've used Guhring drills before as well with success.
Click to expand...

I used to have a big box of drill bodies. Too many times the insert broke and that was the end of story. They were not worth much unless you had coolant through. I love the sales guys coming in with the new magic tool. I could go on all day about shop stuff.
 
maddad said:
I used to have a big box of drill bodies. Too many times the insert broke and that was the end of story. They were not worth much unless you had coolant through. I love the sales guys coming in with the new magic tool. I could go on all day about shop stuff.
Click to expand...

Are you working with Coast Tools?
 
bottlebomber said:
Are you working with Coast Tools?
Click to expand...

I use a distributor in Orange County, DB Industrial. The owner knows his s#!t. Good friend for 15 years. I cut mostly AL for the wheel industry save for the occasional fixture or jig. Been using mostly Iscar, Helical, swiftCarb and Niagara. Stopped cutting the hard stuff after working in tool and die and got into programming. Is Coast reputable?
 
maddad said:
I use a distributor in Orange County, DB Industrial. The owner knows his s#!t. Good friend for 15 years. I cut mostly AL for the wheel industry save for the occasional fixture or jig. Been using mostly Iscar, Helical, swiftCarb and Niagara. Stopped cutting the hard stuff after working in tool and die and got into programming. Is Coast reputable?
Click to expand...

Oh yeah, Coast is awesome. This split point drill I mentioned they gave us for free, $300 drill. They give us free inserts all the time. I've run entire nickel alloy jobs off on sample inserts. We've been working with them for as long as I've been here, 13 years, and probably 10 before that. They recently installed a vending machine style tool crib in the shop that's web connected, it orders inserts automatically when they run low so it's less fretting to have the tools we need. The point of sale is when I get the insert from the machine, so they are holding the inventory at their expense. It's a nice piece of job security for them though ;)
 

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