[Prev][Next][Index][Thread]

Drilling Stainless Steel




----------
From:  Thornton, Russ #CSR2000 [SMTP:ThorntoR-at-rc.pafb.af.mil]
Sent:  Monday, June 01, 1998 12:09 PM
To:  'Tesla discussion Group'
Subject:  RE: Drilling Stainless Steel

This I do have some experience with.  I also agree that punching holes
with wood as a back up is easier than drilling.  The ragged edges can be
hammered back flat if they wont be in the way.

For the edge of mine, I trimmed off the turned edges. Then on one of the
bowls I hammered the the edge back towards the center just slightly so
that it would grab the other bowl.  Worked for me. 

Russ Thornton
CSR 2040, 
Building 989, Rm.  A1-N20
Phone: (407) 494-6430 
Email: thorntor-at-rc.pafb.af.mil


>----------
>From: 	Tesla List[SMTP:tesla-at-pupman-dot-com]
>Sent: 	Monday, June 01, 1998 12:55 AM
>To: 	'Tesla List'
>Subject: 	Drilling Stainless Steel
>
>
>----------
>From:  Edward V. Phillips [SMTP:ed-at-alumni.caltech.edu]
>Sent:  Friday, May 29, 1998 3:40 PM
>To:  tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
>Subject:  Re:  Drilling Stainless Steel
>
>"Hi All,
>        Like many people, I like to use two large 12 inch salad bowls as a
>top terminal.  For my new one, with built in current sensors, I had to drill
>5 holes through the bowls.  WOW! was it hard.  The stainless steel in those
>things must be very high in chromium content or something.  I trashed a
>number of nice drill bits.  The titanium nitride bits work for a moment then
>just slide on the surface.  If anybody has any better ways to drill nice
>holes through this stuff, I would love to know about it.
>
>Thanks,
>
>        Terry Fritz"
>
>	Common experience!!!!!  Punching works better.  The stuff
>work hardens and I have had some drilling success using special
>stainless steel drilling lubricant (mail sample from long ago)
>and feeding the drill in very hard, but not very satisfying.
>I have also used a center punch to dig a hole through the things
>(backed up with wood, of course) then used sheet metal snips
>to enlarge the hole.  Whoever invented the miserable stuff was
>no friend of machinists!!!  I'll ask you a question.  How do
>you handle the rolled edges on the bowls???  In the old days when
>you could get aluminum bowls it was pretty easy to turn the rim
>with a fine saw to separate pieces of it, and then peeled them
>back with needle-nosed pliers.  Have never done a satisfactory
>job this way with stainless bowls.
>
>Ed
>
>
>