Drilling out air holes with a Deremel tool

[Stiiinger]

I got an IGO-W a few weeks back thinking it would be a good first rda for me to play with and use to test our new juice flavours. We didn't get along very well, mostly due to the very tight draw, and it's been sitting on a shelf ever since.

Was planning to take it a friends shop at some point to drill out of the air hole, but got bored last night and remembered I had a Dremel tool in the basement (which has never seen anything but PC cases).

Well, I quickly got reminded how about the hardness of SS. Despite that, some progress was made, but wasn't able to punch all the way through. Seemed to have made a impression the shape of the bit head, but after that it didn't seem to be eating any deeper. If I apply much pressure, the friction begins to head up the drill bit to the point of glowing. Tried carefully to apply a slight pressure so the bit wasn't glowing hot, but gave up after a few minutes of no progress and the Dremel motor beginning to heat up more than I was comfortable with.

I should say I'm more of an electronics guy, and don't have much experience with mechanical work. At this point I think I'll wait to get this to a friends shop, as I really don't want a red hot drill bit shattering on me and causing all kinds of unpleasantness. That is, unless I get some good tips on how to proceed safely from you fine folks...

 

[Dougiestyle]

Stainless requires a slow cut and cutting oil. If you have a variable speed drill, try that. Go slow with moderate pressure. 3in1 oil works to keep the bit from "biting".

 

[FlamingoTutu]

Recently there was a brief discussion about it starting here http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...ng-front-porch-part-2-a-929.html#post14020594

 

[Forcefedflesh]

Honestly, Low and slow will do the job, and also make sure you have it properly secured.

 

[Stiiinger]

Thanks guys. slow and steady did the trick.

Pics of the original hole, new hole, and new hole without the inside light halo:

 

[Pheezer]

That looks like a much larger hole. Hope you didn't go too big


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[Bunnykiller]

I like the neat swirly marks running off to the upper left

since you have a dremel.... do you have the buffer wheel attachment ?

 

[Stiiinger]

I like the neat swirly marks running off to the upper left

since you have a dremel.... do you have the buffer wheel attachment ?

Haha, yeah.... that incident convinced me to find some cloth and a pair of vice grip pliers before continuing. I'll dig out the buffer wheel soon, but was excited by the hole drilling success that I ran upstairs to give it a try and post here right away!

 

[Stiiinger]

That looks like a much larger hole. Hope you didn't go too big


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Yeah, the draw is more airy than I was going for... lesson learned. But for now I can adjust down with a "dynamic thumb cover", while I figure out how to mcguyver something better. Even still, it's now at least usable!

 

[Maurice Pudlo]

Making the hole smaller is very likely going to cost more than the atty.

A pressed in bit of stainless steel rod can always be drilled out to a smaller size and ground flush with your dremel, but such an effort may not prove very attractive in the end. If you have a friend with a tig welder, same deal except the present hole gets filled with welding rod.

Maurice

 

[K_Tech]

I use my Dremel for drilling out air holes. I have a flex shaft attachment for mine, and all I've ever done is set the speed low and drill the hole under running water over the deep sink in the basement.

Works every time.

Heat is your enemy!

 

[Rule62]

Whenever I drill out an air hole, I use a variable speed drill, cobalt bit, and just dip the tip of the drill bit in some VG. Low speed does the trick. high speed and heat are your enemy when drilling stainless.

 

[crxess]

I have been using a Mikata 6.7v cordless. This one has the hi/low switch. Even on high it is only 600RPM.

Igo-L is actually a decent little RDA, once you open it up a bit.........quite a bit.

 

[Dougiestyle]

Whenever I drill out an air hole, I use a variable speed drill, cobalt bit, and just dip the tip of the drill bit in some VG. Low speed does the trick. high speed and heat are your enemy when drilling stainless.

Thank God you said that! I use e-liquid for cutting oil lol. I suggested 3in1, as that's the "accepted" substitute by machinists. I usually drill atties at my e-cig science lab desk in the bonus room, and I have my 3in1 in the garage, so high VG is handy. Hahahaha!

 

[The Torch]

OUCH! drilling stainless with a dremel? Dremels have no torque at all. To drill stainless you need cobalt, titanium or carbide bits unless your bit is considered disposable. the one thing about dremels is that you can often find cheapie diamond bits on special (at least here in Canada) that will pull a lot of tricks if you are patient (of consider the bit and the next one disposable). I've drilled some stainless with those diamond bits at lower speed and giving them a rest to cool down, but in the end patience is really the key unless you have a dozen disposable expensive bits.

Reminds me of the time I had to go make a modification on a machine made of 12-14 gauge stainless. We had to drill 8 6" holes and about 244 screw sized holes, plus move and place 4 air extractors and 4 air conduits about 6 feet long. Our sales guy asked me "how long is that going to take? about 3 hours?" I laughed squarely at him and said "make that more like 3-4 days". He didn't believe me until I came back 3.5 days later. He even had the stupidness to ask why it took so long. I told him "you definitely never drilled into stainless, have you?" and he replied "I drill through steel all the time and it's not that hard. Takes about 5 seconds per hole" Long story short, I'm glad that idiot isn't working for us anymore.

 

[mwjones]

You shouldn't drill slow in stainless or any other metal with such a small drill. To figure out your RPMs use this rough formula it's a rough formula because you would usually use pi and do some basic algebra, but this simplified one you can do in your head (or at least a little easier, everyone has a calculator nowadays anyway). Cutting speed is in inches per minute and varies according to the material being cut. Diameter is the diameter of the drill. I threw in some other materials one might be likely to drill and approximate speeds just to illustrate the difference. This is using high speed steel drill bits, or the cheap titanium nitride coated ones from the hardware store. If you're using cobalt or carbide drills, you can drill quite a bit faster. Always use some kind of oil when drilling metal at any speed to prolong the life of the drill and promote good surface finish and less burring inside the hole. A drill should never be considered expendable, as a burnt, melted, or broken drill does not make a nice hole. Also, remember to drill in short pecks into the material, then take the drill out of the hole to clear chips away and reduce heat buildup, don't drill the whole hole in one shot.

Material --------------------- Cutting Speed (Inch per minute)
Mild Steel -----------------------75-125
Medium alloy steel ------------ 50-80
carbon steel --------------------- 30-50
200-300 series stainless ------25-40
400 series stainless ------------40-60
cast iron ---------------------------100-150
aluminum (6061t6)--------------200-300
titanium ----------------------------20-30
brass and copper ----------------125-175

(Cutting Speed x 4) / diameter = RPM

Given those speeds, chances are it's a relatively low carbon, cheap, gummy stainless steel (relatively). If you're opening the hole to 1/16th size:

(25 x 4) / .062 = 1612
(40 x 4) / .062 = 2580

There we'll see that the speed range we should use is between 1600 and 2600 rpm, which will vary depending on feedrate. Faster feed rate (the speed you push the drill into the material), more heat, slower speed.

 

[Maurice Pudlo]

Cobalt bits tend to do the trick with a nice dunk in oil, I brace my top caps in the corner of the garage door frame. No slip ups yet, I wish I had a drill press, and a lathe, and a mill, and a tig welder, and and and ....

Maurice

 

[Bunnykiller]

Cobalt bits tend to do the trick with a nice dunk in oil, I brace my top caps in the corner of the garage door frame. No slip ups yet, I wish I had a drill press, and a lathe, and a mill, and a tig welder, and and and ....

Maurice

you and me both.... been seriously considering a small table top lathe probably something in the 3"X18" range.... the lathe is not too bad price wise, its the cutting tools that cost a fortune....

 

[Stringplucker]

You shouldn't drill slow in stainless or any other metal with such a small drill. To figure out your RPMs use this rough formula it's a rough formula because you would usually use pi and do some basic algebra, but this simplified one you can do in your head (or at least a little easier, everyone has a calculator nowadays anyway). Cutting speed is in inches per minute and varies according to the material being cut. Diameter is the diameter of the drill. I threw in some other materials one might be likely to drill and approximate speeds just to illustrate the difference. This is using high speed steel drill bits, or the cheap titanium nitride coated ones from the hardware store. If you're using cobalt or carbide drills, you can drill quite a bit faster. Always use some kind of oil when drilling metal at any speed to prolong the life of the drill and promote good surface finish and less burring inside the hole. A drill should never be considered expendable, as a burnt, melted, or broken drill does not make a nice hole. Also, remember to drill in short pecks into the material, then take the drill out of the hole to clear chips away and reduce heat buildup, don't drill the whole hole in one shot.

Material --------------------- Cutting Speed (Inch per minute)
Mild Steel -----------------------75-125
Medium alloy steel ------------ 50-80
carbon steel --------------------- 30-50
200-300 series stainless ------25-40
400 series stainless ------------40-60
cast iron ---------------------------100-150
aluminum (6061t6)--------------200-300
titanium ----------------------------20-30
brass and copper ----------------125-175

(Cutting Speed x 4) / diameter = RPM

Given those speeds, chances are it's a relatively low carbon, cheap, gummy stainless steel (relatively). If you're opening the hole to 1/16th size:

(25 x 4) / .062 = 1612
(40 x 4) / .062 = 2580

There we'll see that the speed range we should use is between 1600 and 2600 rpm, which will vary depending on feedrate. Faster feed rate (the speed you push the drill into the material), more heat, slower speed.

I have to disagree here. Over 28 years working with and machining metals, to include exotics metals , has taught me this...that formula means nothing but trouble unless you're on a CNC, and even then, it's just a suggestion. For manual or hand drill use, those speeds are way too high, and will burn the drill while hardening the SS.

I'd like to add that Crisco or it's equivalent, is a decent cutting fluid, too. I personally use Tapmatic or another tapping fluid, with lower speeds and feeds, in a drill press so you can control the feed better than a hand drill. Also, another poster stated titanium drills...I think you mean titanium nitride coated drill. I would also like to add that 135 degree point is better than 118 degree, and cobalt drill is the best of them all. Don't use HSS or carbide...HSS will not cut, and carbide will shatter like glass and become easily imbedded into your body.

 

[Rule62]

Cobalt bits tend to do the trick with a nice dunk in oil, I brace my top caps in the corner of the garage door frame. No slip ups yet, I wish I had a drill press, and a lathe, and a mill, and a tig welder, and and and ....

Maurice

I'm seriously considering a bench top drill press; especially since getting into bottom feed attys. I have several drippers I'd like to convert to bottom feed for my Reos.