Need a drill for small bits (#80)
#1
I'm planning on drilling holes for grab irons. What type of drill do I need or do others use for those small bits? I think my cordless will be overkill.
Reply
#2
For those small drills you need a device called a pin vise. You can get them from several sources, but here are a couple of examples: this one will handle only drill sizes 61-80 http://www.micromark.com/micro-hand-drill,7045.html while this set should handle all of the small bit sizes. http://www.micromark.com/4-piece-machini...,7764.html You might also want to look around on the web for information about the proper use of these tiny drill bits.
Ed
"Friends don't let friends build Timesavers"
Reply
#3
Thanks for your help, i'll give that first one a try.
Reply
#4
I think the drill with the spiral on it would be best if you plan to do a lot of drilling. (I don't have one yet)
Most of the drills with hex shank bits are a bit 35 coarse for our work. Also a bit over powered.
I have a few varieties of the small pin vises. I like the one with a rotating top to it and changeable thingies that hold the bit in the chuck.

I also have a couple of old Atlas pin vises. These are double ended, with a small and larger chuck. One has a pair of taps -- 2-56 and 00-90; the other has the pilot drills for same.
David
Moderato ma non troppo
Perth & Exeter Railway Company
Esquesing & Chinguacousy Radial Railway
In model railroading, there are between six and two hundred ways of performing a given task.
Most modellers can get two of them to work.
Reply
#5
BR60103 Wrote:I think the drill with the spiral on it would be best if you plan to do a lot of drilling.

I agree, I ordered that one. I'm going to be doing the grab irons on 3 locomotives so thats 33 holes I need to drill. That spinning feature will hopefully make it a little easier. ill just have to test it out on some scrap pieces first.
Reply
#6
BR60103 Wrote:I think the drill with the spiral on it would be best if you plan to do a lot of drilling.

If this is one of the push to rotate drills, it could require more force than the #60-#80 bits can take, and could result in a lot of "breakage".
I use a flexible shaft "hand-piece", that is powered by what used to be a battery screwdriver. The batteries reached a point where they would not charge any longer, so I scrapped them and use the "charger" power supply to drive the "screwdriver+hand-piece". There's still occasional bit breakage, but less than when using pin vises for drilling, and a lot better control than with pin vices, and a lot less tiring than using a pin vise.
We always learn far more from our own mistakes, than we will ever learn from another's advice.
The greatest place to live life, is on the sharp leading edge of a learning curve.
Lead me not into temptation.....I can find it myself!
Reply
#7
Continuing the "too big a drill" topic,.... I use a small almost "toy" Dremel tool and yeah, I still break bits now and then.. But not as many as I used to with the pin vise....

Something like this:

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.sears.com/duratool-new-3.6v-cordless-lithium-ion-mini-rotary/p-SPM6467997201P">http://www.sears.com/duratool-new-3.6v- ... 467997201P</a><!-- m -->
~~ Mikey KB3VBR (Admin)
~~ NARA Member # 75    
~~ Baldwin Eddystone Unofficial Website

~~ I wonder what that would look like in 1:20.3???
Reply
#8
I use a small pistol-shaped cordless screwdriver, with a mini-chuck on the end of a hex shaft that fits in place of the normal bit - like this one 250890099448 = works a treat
Reply
#9
I do have to admit, if there are less than four holes to drill, I will most likely use the pin vise......it's quicker than getting the hand-piece out, and setting it up. Wink Big Grin
We always learn far more from our own mistakes, than we will ever learn from another's advice.
The greatest place to live life, is on the sharp leading edge of a learning curve.
Lead me not into temptation.....I can find it myself!
Reply
#10
Rscott417 Wrote:doing the grab irons on 3 locomotives so thats 33 holes I need to drill.

Just realized that it's 66 holes... Eek
Reply
#11
I try not to count the holes and just do it one model at a time, its much better for my sanity.

These #80 bits are always a pain, but I managed to find a good deal on a whole vial of them in a Rock and Mineral shop (they sold some jewelry making supplies there). I got the whole vial of them for the price that one or two cost me individually at the railroad hobby shop.

To this day, I wonder if the girl at the counter ringed me up properly, but I kept asking and even the manager said that was the price (though he didn't seem to be paying attention), so I can't complain.

I personally wish there was some sort of miniature drill press for these little bits, since a sudden flinch or shudder is all it takes to snap these things off into your model.
Modeling New Jersey Under the Wire 1978-1979.  
[Image: logosmall.png]
Reply
#12
Green_Elite_Cab Wrote:I personally wish there was some sort of miniature drill press for these little bits, since a sudden flinch or shudder is all it takes to snap these things off into your model.

Icon_lol Icon_lol Never drive drunk. Never text while driving. Icon_twisted Icon_twisted Never drill with #80 bits unless you have a couple of spares handy. 357 357 357 ( :o even the larger bits break :o Big Grin Big Grin )
We always learn far more from our own mistakes, than we will ever learn from another's advice.
The greatest place to live life, is on the sharp leading edge of a learning curve.
Lead me not into temptation.....I can find it myself!
Reply
#13
Are there similar machinery available on the US market?

[Image: dsc06075x1amc.jpg]
This is my old well used electric midget drill. The mm/inch caliper is only to show the seize of the drill.
This is here in Germany a fairly common Proxxon 12V drill. I have choosen the simple variant without electronic speed variator.
A ordinary Model RR DC transformer will give juice at variable Volts. It is important when drilling in plastic to to this with rather low rpm's.
The also availabe special transformers from proxxon for the drills machines will cause them turning at minimum 5000+rpm till 30000rpm.
With this rpm's you can simply melt plastics Eek
So my homemade solution with the RR transformer avoid such melting.

The chuck will take drills from 0.3mm to 3.2mm.
The have even a US dependance: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.proxxon.com/us/">http://www.proxxon.com/us/</a><!-- m -->

My 2 Cents

Lutz
Reply
#14
For drilling small holes in plastic you don't need or want it to turn very fast. I find it usually only takes 5-6 revolutions of the bit to get as deep as I need. i've never looked for such an item, but it would be nice if someone made a small drill press with a small chuck that can hold these tiny drills and adjust down to maybe 30-60 RPM. It would make short work of drilling holes for grab irons, and having everythng secure in a drill press would proably prevent bit breakage. I tend to break bits when I either apply too much pressure, or when the bit is partially in the hole and I don't keep the pin vise perpendicular.
--
Kevin
Check out my Shapeways creations!
3-d printed items in HO/HOn3 and more!
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="https://www.shapeways.com/shops/kevin-s-model-train-detail-parts">https://www.shapeways.com/shops/kevin-s ... tail-parts</a><!-- m -->
Reply
#15
nachoman Wrote:..., but it would be nice if someone made a small drill press with a small chuck that can hold these tiny drills and adjust down to maybe 30-60 RPM. It would make short work of drilling holes for grab irons, and having everythng secure in a drill press would proably prevent bit breakage. I tend to break bits when I either apply too much pressure, or when the bit is partially in the hole and I don't keep the pin vise perpendicular.

Kevin!

Before several years i bought this:
[Image: dsc060783olyl.jpg]
A 0,3mm drillbit in the chuck.

[Image: dsc06077g7ysx.jpg]
A drill stand making my electric drill to a drill press and as complementary a compound table.
This is not a heavy duty piece, this is intended for those fine work which we Model Railroaders do.

[Image: dsc060792lzoy.jpg]
An other use is for cutting tubes and profiles. Here i am able to cut 0.2mm rings out of tube stock.
Milling work also is possible. But the more coarse kind of work like milling a diesel chassis to create space for an decoder.

My 2 Cent

Lutz
Reply


Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)