I have been doing a LOT of enclosure drilling lately with my trusty drill press, center punch, 1/8" drill bit, and step bits. After galling a few older bits beyond repair (and buying a new $20 one at my home improvement store) - I found a tip on the home machining forum regarding drilling holes in aluminum.
Use a small squirt of isopropyl alcohol as a lubricant when drilling. Any concentration (70% - 91%) should work fine. This cools the bit and makes drilling go a lot better - especially when drilling lots of holes. It will make your bits last a lot longer too.
I wanted to drill before I powdercoat and screen print, but I didn't want to use any oil which would screw up the coating process if not removed. The alcohol is wonderful as it works well and evaporates fairly quickly. The only downside I can think of is that the small water content in the alcohol may rust your drill press if left in contact with it.
I'm sold on this completely. I keep a small Harbor Freight plastic wash/squirt bottle near the press now just for this use. Hope someone out there finds this useful.
Great tip Rully!
Isopropyl alcool is also what we use to clean the surface of aluminium before TIG welding it as it removes most of the grease deposit on the surface to be worked.
The cast aluminium that is used for enclosures is very porous (is that a word? porosity??? lool) Could also be usefull for cleaning for those who etch, i think.
On another note, it's highly recommended when drilling or machining aluminium that the blades, drill bits have a TiNi coating (the goldie stuff, Titanium Nitride), it helps a lot for the aluminium to not stick on the tools and heat up the material aswell. Those are recommendation more specific to the 6061/7075 Laminated aluminiums, but it also applies to the casted one.
Some people have suggested using vegetable oil + water. I haven't tried this yet.
I use the TiNi (I THINK) stuff on my step bits, and they still get aluminum stuck on them quite often. I'm constantly having to pry off the 'melted' aluminum.
Thanks I wil give this a try.
there's also something to be said for reading the owner's manual for your drill press and choosing the appropriate speed setting for the material you're working.
What's the difference between using iso mixed with water and just plain water for heat dissipation? I didn't think iso had any lubricating properties at all.
isopropanol should have a better wettability of the surfaces, but I would guess that water should do the trick too. it doesn't evaporate near as quickly though...
Awesome tip. Looks like I need one of these next to my drill press:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004JE6AWU/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=GS578GCN9BYH&coliid=I2SV56YL43KQ3P&psc=1 (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004JE6AWU/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=GS578GCN9BYH&coliid=I2SV56YL43KQ3P&psc=1)
Cody
Good tip. Last time, I used WD-40. It's a bit greasy but it's easy to clean up.
I wasn't using any lubricant for a while, but the aluminum I was cutting wasn't very hard.
Thank you for the tip.
Nice tip.
I use 99% ISP for flux removal, now one more use for it.
Good tip Ben! I resharpen my step bits. I've been using the same 3 bits for 6+ years. The fluting on the bit is quite large so its easy to get in there with a flat file and resharpen the edge. Works for me!
Cutting compound/paste is really handy.
You can buy Rocol cutting paste and hand apply it to your bit before drilling:
https://www.rocol.com/products/chlorine-free-metal-cutting (https://www.rocol.com/products/chlorine-free-metal-cutting)
Makes a huge improvement on cutting and increases tool life.
(https://www.rocol.com/uploads/crop_image/560/560/20140502085207_RTD%20Chlorine%20Free%20Comp%2053513%20-%20500g.png?alt=Metal%20cutting%20compound%20which%20doubles%20tool%20life?)
Funny, I've been using the iso alcohol for years to clean my enclosures after drilling. Not once did it dawn on me to use while drilling. Great tip.
I don't know if I'm just using some extra soft enclosures, but I have a drill press plus a set of cheap brass coloured stepping bits (I think I paid $5 or $10 for a pack of 3) and it just goes literally like butter with no lube. It doesn't make metal spirals either like the 1/8 inch aluminium synth panels I used to drill. It just turns the aluminium almost to dust.
Thanks all. I'd be interested to see what you think when you try it.
Quote from: neandrewthal on July 28, 2016, 01:50:40 PM
I don't know if I'm just using some extra soft enclosures, but I have a drill press plus a set of cheap brass coloured stepping bits (I think I paid $5 or $10 for a pack of 3) and it just goes literally like butter with no lube. It doesn't make metal spirals either like the 1/8 inch aluminium synth panels I used to drill. It just turns the aluminium almost to dust.
At first, they all start this way. Then the heat build up leads to galling and soon the edge gets dull.
Quote from: chromesphere on July 28, 2016, 02:26:04 AM
Good tip Ben! I resharpen my step bits. I've been using the same 3 bits for 6+ years. The fluting on the bit is quite large so its easy to get in there with a flat file and resharpen the edge. Works for me!
That's awesome. I am going to have to try this on some of mine!
Quote from: thesmokingman on July 27, 2016, 08:41:56 PM
there's also something to be said for reading the owner's manual for your drill press and choosing the appropriate speed setting for the material you're working.
Very true. With metal its almost always, "Slow speed. Slow feed." Reminds me of shop class in school.
Quote from: daleykd on July 27, 2016, 07:25:39 PM
Some people have suggested using vegetable oil + water. I haven't tried this yet.
I use the TiNi (I THINK) stuff on my step bits, and they still get aluminum stuck on them quite often. I'm constantly having to pry off the 'melted' aluminum.
I'm sure the Veg oil will work fine. It's just a pain to ensure you clean off every last bit before you are painting/coating otherwise you can run into issues with that.
Quote from: selfdestroyer on July 27, 2016, 09:48:09 PM
Awesome tip. Looks like I need one of these next to my drill press:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004JE6AWU/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=GS578GCN9BYH&coliid=I2SV56YL43KQ3P&psc=1 (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004JE6AWU/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=GS578GCN9BYH&coliid=I2SV56YL43KQ3P&psc=1)
Cody
That will work but is a bit too small for my taste. Something like these is the ticket. I use these cheap containers for Iso, Naptha, and Simple Green around the bench.
http://www.harborfreight.com/pack-of-3-8-oz-storage-bottles-with-twist-caps-66170.html
I am having the same problem. I thought there would be a good way, but didn't want to use a grease or oil! Thanks!
I just drilled 325 holes last night using the iso and it worked out wonderfully. There was minimal clogging of the flute of the step bit which I was able to knock off easily. I kept checking the bit temp and it was cool to the touch. An added bonus is that the chips seem to stay closer to the hole due to being wet.
I found that when I use a center punch I like to mark the punch marks with a dab of felt tip marker (sharpie). The iso makes the sharpie smear so I found a good idea was to use my 1/8" drill to just start the hole without any iso. I don't go all the way through. Once all the little "divots" are made then I drill normally all the way through and apply iso all over the hole and bit. When enlarging the hole with the bit (especially larger holes for 3PDT and DC jacks) I squirt a little on the hole and then up the bit.
I'm sure I'm overthinking/overexplaining this but just wanted to share my experience.
Are you squirting the iso on the bit before you start or on the enclosure where you are going to drill? Sounds like from the Sharpie part you are applying it to the enclosure before drilling.
Quote from: EBRAddict on July 29, 2016, 08:40:53 PM
Are you squirting the iso on the bit before you start or on the enclosure where you are going to drill? Sounds like from the Sharpie part you are applying it to the enclosure before drilling.
Because the Sharpie runs in the iso, i'm just "kissing" the surface with the bit without iso to make a nice divot where the punch mark is. After all the marks are now little divots (for that side) I'm then drilling all the way through with the iso.
You can certainly not use Sharpie at all (just harder to see the punch marks).
How deep is your center punch? When I center punch enclosures, it's clearly visible with no vivid marker needed.
325 holes? What are you doing? That is a ton of enclosures!
325 holes? What are you doing? That is a ton of enclosures!
Quote from: alanp on July 29, 2016, 09:39:53 PM
How deep is your center punch? When I center punch enclosures, it's clearly visible with no vivid marker needed.
when I did an enclosure with my brother, he center punched so hard that the enclosure's surface was literally curved around it in a 1cm radius. He's not used to working with aluminum.
Quote from: m-Kresol on July 30, 2016, 08:51:01 AM
Quote from: alanp on July 29, 2016, 09:39:53 PM
How deep is your center punch? When I center punch enclosures, it's clearly visible with no vivid marker needed.
when I did an enclosure with my brother, he center punched so hard that the enclosure's surface was literally curved around it in a 1cm radius. He's not used to working with aluminum.
Might be wise to use a block of would to support the enclosure face being center punched, also when trying to bashing in lettering with letter punches.
dave
Damn, I just use a spring center punch...
Just drilled a couple of enclosures using this method. Worked really well! Having a little squirt bottle would definitely be nice to use.
I've used iso for paint prep, after drilling, etc, but yeah, never thought to use it in this way. I will absolutely try to use a flat file and save my cheapie step bits as well....I get more life out of them than I ever thought I would, but still can't hurt to try to stretch it out.
Anybody: What if you used the iso AFTER powdercoat? How bad would you goober up the coat??? TIA
Quote from: mrclean77 on August 01, 2016, 11:25:12 AM
I've used iso for paint prep, after drilling, etc, but yeah, never thought to use it in this way. I will absolutely try to use a flat file and save my cheapie step bits as well....I get more life out of them than I ever thought I would, but still can't hurt to try to stretch it out.
Anybody: What if you used the iso AFTER powdercoat? How bad would you goober up the coat??? TIA
Not much experience with powder coat but what little I have, I think the iso would not hurt it at all.
The stuff is fairly bullet proof, tho I'm sure there must be some chems that will booger it up.
I could be wrong....
Drilled an enclosure last night and was pleasantly surprised with the results. Used a q-tip (no squirt bottle), swabbed my old step bit and it cut like new. Thanks Ben.
Quote from: mrclean77 on August 01, 2016, 11:25:12 AM
Anybody: What if you used the iso AFTER powdercoat? How bad would you goober up the coat??? TIA
I think it should be fine. Isopropanol is basically desinfectant, so it's not really aggressive. However, I'd try it with a little bit on a backplate first, just to make sure, as it will depend on the powder/brand/backing temperature. As long as you just add a little bit for drilling you'll most likely be fine anyhow.
Isopropyl and cured powdercoat is no problem. I use it to clean the finish after laser etching.
Acetone and powdercoat? Not a great idea unless you want to remove the powdercoat in a very frustrating way.
Quote from: wgc on August 02, 2016, 01:01:15 AM
Isopropyl and cured powdercoat is no problem. I use it to clean the finish after laser etching.
Yep, I can second that it's fine. I sometimes use it to redo lettering if I'm labeling controls with a paint marker.
Quote from: wgc on August 02, 2016, 01:01:15 AM
Isopropyl and cured powdercoat is no problem. I use it to clean the finish after laser etching.
Acetone and powdercoat? Not a great idea unless you want to remove the powdercoat in a very frustrating way.
Thanks for all the answers, but this was my fave ;D