marinedad
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since December 2010
Posts: 813
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Post by marinedad on Jun 21, 2013 14:02:57 GMT -5
a friend gave me a 2"x2" piece of tiger iron he had formed to make a sphere but never finished. so I tumbled it to make a topper on a homemade cane. I wanted to drill a 1/4" hole in it to set a short piece of threaded in. then set a threaded insert in the wooden cherry wood cane. I bought a masonry bit to drill the hole with but it does nothing. stuck between a rock and a rock.
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blackout5783
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since November 2011
Posts: 248
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Post by blackout5783 on Jun 21, 2013 15:12:02 GMT -5
You're going to need a diamond core drill. Maybe 2, one at 1/8" and the second at 1/4". They're pretty cheap on ebay.
Keep in mind, I never tried this personally, but I've read that you drill the two holes concentrically to the depth you need, then take a small chisel or punch and chip out the cores you just drilled.
If anyone has tried or has a better idea hopefully they'll chime in. Since I got the 24" I wanted to take a shot a candle holders, but I'm going to need a 2ish inch core drill first.
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Post by deb193redux on Jun 21, 2013 15:23:27 GMT -5
yes, diamond. masonry means concrete - much much softer. The core drill is a good idea because a 1/4 solid drill will take a long time. I think you can just do the 1/4" and then put a small screwdriver into the curved cut to break out the core and leave you with a 1/4" hole. here is a fairly cheap one: www.amazon.com/dp/B00286GQ52this one is plated. there are more expensive sintered versions and specialty thin-wall versions. (Fortunately you want he thicker/cheaper version). you will need to keep a trickle of water running on the drill and/or submerge the work in water. you need to periodically lift out the drill to allow cuttings to flush out. you can do this with a hand drill, but a drill press is much better. if you piece does not sit flat, you can maybe embed it in plaster or something to get something stable for drilling. |
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marinedad
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since December 2010
Posts: 813
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Post by marinedad on Jun 21, 2013 18:05:24 GMT -5
thanks for the advice, looks like i'll try the core drill bit.
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Post by Rockoonz on Jun 21, 2013 18:53:26 GMT -5
If you can, put a semi deep water container on a drill press base and clamp it, put a piece of 2x4 wood in and clamp it all down with a c-clamp. Then use a larger wood drill to drill a ways into the wood to make a pocket to hold the rock and change to diamond core drill and water. That should insure a centered hole. When drilling use the "peck" method, 1 second down, one second up. Do it with one drill no need for steps. Take your time, 1 inch deep will take as much as an hour, the ironstone in tiger iron is hard.
Lee
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marinedad
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since December 2010
Posts: 813
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Post by marinedad on Jun 26, 2013 15:59:09 GMT -5
thanks for the advice, got my diamond bits today, drilled a 1/4" hole in the tiger iron within a half hour, barely submerged in plastic bowl of water. strange feeling with power drill in one hand and the other hand in the water holding on to the rock so it won't spin. didn't fry myself.
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