getting holes in your leaf springs?

[jwo]

i am making some leaf springs for a scaler. i took the info from the scaler forum on drilling holes and what to use. well it took 1 hour to make two holes. i used a diamond tip stone. that got burnt up fast. i also used cobalt bits. i know spring steel is hard, but man i have had easier times drilling on hardened steel parts. is there an easier method to doing this that i have not read about? if not ill stick with the long hard method. thanks

[timmy85]

i would say use a TON of lube (wd-40,pb blaster,ect) and go nice and easy let the bit do the work.

[dirk379]

Just drilled holes in tamiya leafs last night no problem. I've found the titanium nitrade coated bits work the best, they are the brass colored ones.

[jwo]

thanks for the replies, i will keep plugging away on them. these are home made leafs out of a mower recoil. i just wasnt sure if there was something i was missing or an easier route. i was soakin em in wd40 while drilling, to reduce the heat on them. i knew they were hard, but holly crap... looking forward to doing the other 7 of them

[gas]

id use a carbide bit and go slow

Originally Posted by jwo

thanks for the replies, i will keep plugging away on them. these are home made leafs out of a mower recoil. i just wasnt sure if there was something i was missing or an easier route. i was soakin em in wd40 while drilling, to reduce the heat on them. i knew they were hard, but holly crap... looking forward to doing the other 7 of them

[bob1961]

jwo i've heard people using a leaf rake blades for scaler springs....they r springy but not very hardened.............bob

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[vw_thing]

You could anneal the area that needs drilling. Keep most of the spring cool with a water bucket or something else non-flammable. Heat to cherry red with a torch. Let the heated area air cool so it doesn't re-harden (make sure to keep the "cold" part submersed so it doesn't mess up the spring). *I'm no metallurgist, but this should work...

A masonry bit might be another option.. From what I have read, they don't drill as cleanly, but work well for tough metal parts and are fairly cheap.

[rugerboy]

get some rap-id-tap instead of wd 40. a new bit and the slowest speed you can. slow speed fast feed.

[RcBro]

Sounds like your going fast. You need to drill slow

[jwo]

Originally Posted by bob1961

jwo i've heard people using a leaf rake blades for scaler springs....they r springy but not very hardened.............bob


thats an awesome idea, i am gonna take another crack at it tomorrow. im gonna look into that one.i i wanted to make my own, not cause im cheap, but i want a longer leaf then i can buy. its looking ad for me at this point though. i knew this stuff was hard, but i underestimated it.

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Originally Posted by vw_thing

You could anneal the area that needs drilling. Keep most of the spring cool with a water bucket or something else non-flammable. Heat to cherry red with a torch. Let the heated area air cool so it doesn't re-harden (make sure to keep the "cold" part submersed so it doesn't mess up the spring). *I'm no metallurgist, but this should work...

i though of something along these lines to. i read on a site that after you dimple the spot to use a nail. the nail generates enough heat i guess to soften the area to be drilled without compromising the rest of it.

A masonry bit might be another option.. From what I have read, they don't drill as cleanly, but work well for tough metal parts and are fairly cheap.

when i was at home depot i almost picked up a concrete bit, but i figured knowing my luck it would be a waste. the diamond stone was for my drumel. it said not for drilling. i didnt drill with it but it made it threw 3/4 of one hole before it was coming undone.

Originally Posted by rugerboy

get some rap-id-tap instead of wd 40. a new bit and the slowest speed you can. slow speed fast feed.

im gonna go down to my fathers house tomorrow. he has a nice big slow speed drill press.

once again thanks for the responses. it greatly appreciated i hope i can finish these. my hats off to every one that makes their own leafs.

[Sydwaiz]

Don't use WD-40. It's NOT a cutting lube. I prefer carbide ball endmills for something like this. You have to peck at it.

[rex cars]

if there is a local tooling supply house, gat a couple of 'screw machine' length drills in the size you need, they are shorter than a standard drill length. the steel they are made from and the point angle grind will be better than anything you can get at the hardware store. The spring material you are using is harder than a preacher at a youth retreat so use slow speed and hard feed. do not try to hold the leaf by hand in the drill press. if the bit grabs, the spring could rip you open.

[jwo]

well i was able to get the leafs drilled out. i picked up a 3 more bits today after work. i picked up another cobalt and two titanium bits to try. went down to my old mans welding shop to use the low speed press. in the end i used a piece of c channel to lay behind the leaf. after some trial and error. i had found that putting a hole in the c channel using the size that i was to be using helped out big time.allowed the bit to get maximum bite with out messing up the leaf. the titanium bit ripped right threw it.i though i broke the bit on the first one(only the weight of my hand on the wheel.that only lasted about 2 leafs, then the progress slowed down due to the bit dulling out. this stuff is unbelievably hard.i did 6 of the 8 leafs with one bit. took a few hours to get them done. the nail trick i read about didnt do. burnt the tips right off em, with no heat marks or any thing to the leaf. now that i know how to go about it i wouldn't mind making more at all. thanks to everyone who helped aid my issues. greatly appreciated.