Drilling a small hole through stainless

[edKENdance]

Anyone out there able to help me out? Need to drill a small hole through a stainless steel frame. Thickness to drill through is about .7mm and a 1mm hole would be ideal.

[rbaker]

Stainless steel alloys have a tendency to work harden and discolor the surface being drilled. Center punch the hole location. Select a high speed drill about 1/2 the diameter of the finished hole. Apply drilling lubricant to the center punched hole and the twist drill. Hold the drill perpendicular to the work surface and apply moderate pressure and speed to drill through. Change the drill to the finished size and complete the job.

[rbaker]

Stainless steel alloys have a tendency to work harden and discolor the surface being drilled. Center punch the hole location. Select a high speed drill about 1/2 the diameter of the finished hole. Apply drilling lubricant to the center punched hole and the twist drill. Hold the drill perpendicular to the work surface and apply moderate pressure and speed to drill through. Change the drill to the finished size and complete the job.

And if you are trying to drill a hole in a surface that is not flat you may have to buildup the area around the hole location with masking tape. A vise and drill press is strongly advised.

[edKENdance]

And if you are trying to drill a hole in a surface that is not flat you may have to buildup the area around the hole location with masking tape. A vise and drill press is strongly advised.

Thanks RB. I've watched a lot of videos and read a lot of info on forums but nothing has been specific to what I'm trying to do. I thought that maybe due to the thinner nature of my job that I might not have to adhere to the same steps people use for drilling through stainless of a much thicker gauge. Any advice on drill bit material?

[rbaker]

I like Titanium Nitride twist drills but you may not want to go the expense. Any good high speed twist drill will do the trick for the occasional job.

[Jubilee]

I would check into some jewelry tools. I have a couple of punches I use for my crafting. A .7mm thickness is similar to a 21 gauge sheet metal. The kind I use goes down to 1.25 in the round, and then an oval one that is 1.0mmX1.7mm. Panda Hall has one that is a 1.0MM, but I have not tried their quality.

The punches are typically used on softer metals, such as sterling and copper. However many use them for bottlecaps and higher gauge stainless. Just know you will have to replace that tip more often, as it will drastically reduce its life span. The tips are a buck to a buck fifty a piece. So not a huge deal for one off stuff. Its also important to note if you go too much thicker (approach that 1.0mm mark) you will have a harder time getting a clean punch and will want to use the vise.

[edKENdance]

I would check into some jewelry tools. I have a couple of punches I use for my crafting. A .7mm thickness is similar to a 21 gauge sheet metal. The kind I use goes down to 1.25 in the round, and then an oval one that is 1.0mmX1.7mm. Panda Hall has one that is a 1.0MM, but I have not tried their quality.

The punches are typically used on softer metals, such as sterling and copper. However many use them for bottlecaps and higher gauge stainless. Just know you will have to replace that tip more often, as it will drastically reduce its life span. The tips are a buck to a buck fifty a piece. So not a huge deal for one off stuff. Its also important to note if you go too much thicker (approach that 1.0mm mark) you will have a harder time getting a clean punch and will want to use the vise.

Thanks Jubi. I plan on only doing this once! I'll take a closer look at my punches tomorrow at work. I'm heading to the states for the weekend so maybe I can find a good deal on a bit. This will be photo worthy if it works. It's a gorgeous Iyoko Inyake acetate cateye with a stainless steel browline that attaches to the frame front with screws. One of the screw mounts broke off and this seems like the most reasonable way to save this frame (apart from stripping/soldering/replating/killmenow) Thanks!

[chaoticneutral]

Alternative to a DIY project, you may want to take it to a local jewler. They would have all the tools and probably wouldn't charge much for the job. Mark on the frame where you want the hole and you may even be able to barter for it.

[edKENdance]

Alternative to a DIY project, you may want to take it to a local jewler. They would have all the tools and probably wouldn't charge much for the job. Mark on the frame where you want the hole and you may even be able to barter for it.

Good one!

[JERRY HUANG]

Yes, all of the above plus drop oil!