Best Drill Bit For Gummy Aluminum?

No fair! I had that idea!

Reply to
Stormin Mormon
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Sounds like a cordless drill, and zip screws are the answer. Ask any heating and AC installer.

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

"Stormin Mormon" wrote in news:hk2ni4 $ptn$ snipped-for-privacy@news.eternal-september.org:

Zip screws would probably strip out in the soft wood frames if folks weren't careful (which they won't be). We use aluminum 3 penny nails so they don't become dangerous projectiles if they get shot.

Doug White

Reply to
Doug White

Yeah, three hours after me. :)

BTW, I just bought the last three of these at my local store for $1.97 each. :)

Reply to
Michael A. Terrell

"Ed Huntress" wrote in news:4b64d7e3$0$31277$ snipped-for-privacy@cv.net:

McMaster Carr has Dow Molykote L-0501, but it isn't clear if it actually has much moly in it. Molykote 321 sounds perfect, and McMaster carries that as well as Dri-Slide, which is a similar product. Dri-Slide is rated at twice the pressure of Molykote 321, and they also have a marine grade spray that is rated three times higher than Dri-Slide (at about the same price). I think a can of spray moly sounds like a good thing to have around in general. I'm always buying something from McMaster, so I'll toss in a can with the next order & give it a try.

Doug White.

Reply to
Doug White

It seems to me (sitting here in my armchair, yards from my shop) that it may be easier to make a jig to pre-punch the holes. I.e. hold the part, locate the holes, let you pre-bash a nail or equivalent through them to get 'em started.

I could see getting fancy and making something that punches all necessary holes with one stroke of a lever, or something as crude as a few holes in some angle, through which you run a nail and bash away.

Reply to
Tim Wescott

If the aluminum is thin enough, you could modify a three hole paper punch.

Reply to
Michael A. Terrell

Doug, get some stick wax/lube it will help with the chips.

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Reply to
DanG

Drilling aluminum dry is going to be a problem regardless. A hand squirter full of denatured alcohol used to wet the drill bit and hole will help a lot, and there is no cleanup - the alcohol will simply evaporate.

Joe Gwinn

Reply to
Joseph Gwinn

"Michael A. Terrell" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@earthlink.net:

The clips are small, only 2 1/2" tall, bent in an L shape. One side of the L gets nailed to the sides of the frames, and the other is spaced forward to hold the cardboard.

I've already built the drilling jig after hand punching several hundred clips, and trust me, drilling is faster. I suppose I could have made a gang punch using Roper Whitney punches & dies, but I've already invested more time in this than I'd like. The drilling works OK, but if I can spend an extra $1 on a TiN split point drill bit to make it better, that would be money well spent. If a spritz of spray moly lube allows me to drill 16 at once cleanly vs 8 or 10, that is a huge win.

Doug White

Reply to
Doug White

"Michael A. Terrell" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@earthlink.net:

I'm using 14 mil thick roll flashing. I think I would still be stuck doing only a couple at a time, vs 10 with a drill. A Roper Whitney punch can handle 4 or 5 at once, but not 10. With the right drill & lube, I'm hoping to get up to a dozen or more at once.

Doug White

Reply to
Doug White

"DanG" wrote in news:uO79n.1683$ snipped-for-privacy@newsfe24.iad:

Thanks. I've got some for my bandsaw, I'll give it a try. At least it isn't as messy as a liquid lube.

Doug White

Reply to
Doug White

Please tell me these clumsy types who can't handle a cordless drill. They aren't allowed to own firearms?

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

I watched my freshman roomate wind the entire cheesecloth covering from the bottom of his boxspring onto the bit in a handrill before he manged to let go of the trigger. He's a dentist now. But not *my* dentist.

Reply to
Ned Simmons

Black oxide is good for ferous metals, aluminum likes to to stick to it. go with the TiN. Also avoid coatings with Al in them, AlTiN or TiAlN.

Thank You, Randy

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Reply to
Randy

Supposedly tin coated bits work a little better, but this really is a job where liberal use of WD-40 and making a mess would help a lot.

My experience show you still get the problems you describe with tin bits if you get them hot and are not using liberal amounts of lubricant.

Reply to
Bob La Londe

"Stormin Mormon" wrote in news:hk5gp0$198$ snipped-for-privacy@news.eternal-september.org:

The problem is that they can't handle a hammer. Not sure about a drill...

Remember, if these guys were more more coordinated, they wouldn't shoot up the target frames, which are 2' square. I have a pair of frames my wife & I use that I built about 7 years ago. The hole in the center of the cardboard from thousands of shots is only 4 or 5 inches in diameter, and we mostly shoot at 50 yards. I'm thinking I should probably replace the cardboard this year, but only because the area where you staple the corners of the targets is getting soft.

One of my projects for when I retire is to offer free clinics to folks at the club to try to reduce the damage. The problem is that the basic NRA pistol course explains how to shoot, but the major focus is just on safety. People get next to zero practice or coaching, and we always use target pistols with decent triggers. They go out & buy a 9 mm or some such with a 7 pound trigger pull (mandated by the state for "safety reasons") & then look at the target instead of their sights and yank on the trigger.

Doug White

Reply to
Doug White

You probably have figured out that most anything you put on the drill bit will help and last until it is worn off. Silicon grease is one of the harder things to get off surfaces that one is going to paint, so I suspect it would be a winner here if it were in your shop.

But since part of the problem is not having the " fix " disappear, I would try any kind of wax mixed with some medium weight oil in container that is likely to leak if put in a pocket. A short wide mouth glass jam jar would work. Candles, floor wax, stick lube ( removed from the cardboard tube ) would all work mixed with ATF, 30 weight oil, Chain saw bar oil, way oil, or bacon fat.

Dan

Reply to
dcaster

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