Solid Carbide Drill Bits

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Then why even post the question?

And just for your information, the hardware store in town carries carbide drill bits. They are open Saturday 8:00-4:00.
 
Originally Posted By: chad8
contact bits-R-us
overnite ups delivery


If I can wait overnight, I might as well wait one more night and it'll be Monday.
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Where can you buy solid carbide drill bits on the weekend?


Why don't you post regarding the task for which you think you need them? If your knowledge regarding rotating cutting tools is as thorough and accurate as your oil knowledge, we can probably suggest 15 more appropriate choices.... j/k sort of.
 
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Originally Posted By: simple_gifts
Why don't you post regarding the task for which you think you need them? If your knowledge regarding rotating cutting tools is as thorough and accurate as your oil knowledge, we can probably suggest 15 more appropriate choices.... j/k sort of.


Point taken. I'll admit I know a lot more about mechanical work than I do about motor oil.
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The task is a broken grease fitting in a new ball joint that's assembled to a new lower control arm. The grease fitting was screwing real hard and instead of stopping to evaluation the situation, I kept cranking on it until it snapped. In a vane attempt to reverse my screwup, I started to prepare the broken grease fitting for an extractor by attempting to drill a portion of the grease fitting out with a 5/32 left-hand rotating drill bit. At that point, I realized the grease fitting must have a Rockwell hardness of about 60 because the new HSS drill bit was not cutting at all. Then a trip to Lowes at 9:30 PM right before closing to retrieve a cobalt drill bit for the next vane attempt. No dice, the new cobalt bit cut for about 10 revolutions and then stopped cutting. At that point I went back to researching online to discover that I need a solid carbide drill bit. There you have it, the full explanation.
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Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
Originally Posted By: simple_gifts
Why don't you post regarding the task for which you think you need them? If your knowledge regarding rotating cutting tools is as thorough and accurate as your oil knowledge, we can probably suggest 15 more appropriate choices.... j/k sort of.


Point taken. I'll admit I know a lot more about mechanical work than I do about motor oil.
grin2.gif


The task is a broken grease fitting in a new ball joint that's assembled to a new lower control arm. The grease fitting was screwing real hard and instead of stopping to evaluation the situation, I kept cranking on it until it snapped. In a vane attempt to reverse my screwup, I started to prepare the broken grease fitting for an extractor by attempting to drill a portion of the grease fitting out with a 5/32 left-hand rotating drill bit. At that point, I realized the grease fitting must have a Rockwell hardness of about 60 because the new HSS drill bit was not cutting at all. Then a trip to Lowes at 9:30 PM right before closing to retrieve a cobalt drill bit for the next vane attempt. No dice, the new cobalt bit cut for about 10 revolutions and then stopped cutting. At that point I went back to researching online to discover that I need a solid carbide drill bit. There you have it, the full explanation.
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I don't know what kind of drill you are using but my cobalt M42 bits go right through them like butter.
They are not that hard, M42 goes through 12.8 grade socket head bolts.

Did you try the small hex or torx bit i suggested? You can grind a small taper on the end to get a better start. They are much harder steel than the zerk and will bite right in it.
 
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It's weird that it is so hard to drill out.

I have a Zerk install/removal/repair tool but I can't find it anywhere. It's similar to those T-shaped tire valve tools. It has an end for removing broken fittings; it's just a really small EZ out.

For drill bits of any kind, my first store of choice (on the weekend) would be Ace Hardware. You should have seen the blank stares I got at Orchard Supply Hardware when I asked if they had letter drills.
 
Originally Posted By: Trav
Did you try the small hex or torx bit i suggested?


Yes, the grease fitting is so hard, the splines on the Torx bit were folded in after hammering it in.
 
Is part of the grease fitting proud of the surface? If so, you may want to try tapping on the fitting (as though driving a nail) to loosen it.

A buddy at work had broken a tap in a blind hole in stainless steel. He's a young guy, I'm the older dude. I let him futz with it for a while, until he gave up. Then I offered to try. Fortunately a little of the tap was still above the surface. It took a good 10 or 15 minutes. Penetrating oil, hammer gently on the broken tap, use a drift punch on one of the exposed flutes to try to turn it and repeat, repeat, repeat. Finally, just as the young guy starts talking about re-making the part, I see the broken tap move, just a little, then a little more, then I chased that little sucker right out of the hole. Chalk one up for the old dude.

Anyway, if you can tap on it, without distorting it, it may, just may, expand the threads in the ball joint ever so slightly, allowing the extractor to extract the broken part of the fitting. Just don't get too heavy handed with the tapping.
 
Success!! It's out!!
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I used a 5/32 solid carbide drill bit and a Proto extractor.

The main ticket is using a smaller size drill bit than what Proto recommends.

Proto recommends using a 3/16 drill bit with the J9522 extractor, but I was advised buy the guy at at the Industrial store to use a 5/32. The reason for that is because I was working with a depth of only 3/8 of an inch. If I had gone and used the recommended 3/16 drill bit, the extractor would have hit bottom before it grabbed the grease fitting. By going 5/32, I was able to grab the grease fitting before hitting bottom. And the bottom being the ball in the ball joint. The drill bit and the extractor worked flawlessly.

The carbide bit started cutting right away, and the extractor grabbed ahold of that fitting real tight with no play whatsoever. Keep in mind this is NOT the spiral type extractor. This is the square type that you pound in with a hammer. The spiral type extractors have a tendency to expand the broken screw as you turn it to the left. You then VERY CAREFULLY back out the broken piece with a T-handle tap wrench. If you break the extractor off into the piece, it's game over.

This is where it pays to buy QUALITY tools. These tools ARE NOT available at Home Depot/Lowes or Sears. I got the extractor from a family owned industrial supply store and the solid carbide drill bit from an old fashioned hardware store way over on the other side of town. This is why it PAYS to support those small businesses..........you never know when you may need them to bail you out.

Broken grease fitting: 1/4-28 straight with 8mm flats
Extractor: Proto J9522
Drill bit: Cobra Carbide 5/32 with UPC 0 00000 32240 9
 
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