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  #1  
Old 06-05-2012, 03:01 AM
Ed Tipton Ed Tipton is offline
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Drilling holes for scale pinning

Lately, I have been making most of my knives from CRU5V steel as purchased from Alpha knife supplies. I really like this steel and I love the way it works up...but there is one area where I have a problem.
The steel is supplied in 1/4 inch thickness, and is too thick to be used as-is, and requires thinning down to make a reasonable blade. I am able to do this, but after thinning and grinding, and forging, I am unable to drill through the handle area for the pins. I have tried annealing, carbide drill bits, cobalt drill bits, and even diamond tipped drill bits. The only thing that I have found that will drrill through it is the diamond...and that lasts for only about three holes before they are dull and will no longer drill through this stuff.
I am pretty sure that my drill press is running too fast, although it is running at the slowest possible speed using the existing pully drive system.
Whenever I try drilling it, my drills will drill it about 1/32" deep....and then it work hardens and thats as far as she goes.
This is very frustrating. Having slain so many dragons in knifemaking, it is frustrating to be stopped by something as "simple" as drilling a hole.
Although I use Acraglass for a bonding agent, I feel that it is still best to pin the scales onto the handle. I am not comfortable using nothing but the epoxy
Has anyone had similar experience with this steel...and if so...how do I fix this problem.
I can always buy or rig up a drill that runs slower, but I don't want to go that route without knowing in advance that doing that will fix the problem.
I welcome all suggestions.
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  #2  
Old 06-05-2012, 07:17 AM
WBE WBE is offline
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Hi Ed. I don't recall the carbon content of Cru5V, but am thinking it is a hypereutectoid? If so, try a few sub magnetic heats for an anneal on a piece of scrap. This will spheroidize the carbon and should allow easier drilling. Somewhere around 1300? and 1350?. A dull red but still magnetic.
Ed, if you're using Acraglas, you can be confident it will hold without pins. Ever hear of a Randall grip getting loose? They stopped using pins in the sixties.

Last edited by WBE; 06-05-2012 at 07:25 AM.
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  #3  
Old 06-05-2012, 09:43 AM
Ed Tipton Ed Tipton is offline
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WBE...Thx for the quick response. I can't remember trying that technique so I'll give it a try.
My thinking is that the speed of the drill press is too fast and thereby causing the steel to work harden. I've even considered trying to drill it under water to reduce or eliminate the heat from friction....but I haven't tried that yet either.
I've encountered tough steel before, but this stuff is just rediculous. My guess is that the vanadium is the culprit.
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Old 06-05-2012, 01:02 PM
WBE WBE is offline
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Ed, not too sure on the vanadium, but if a hypereutectic is annealed in the common manner of a slow cool down, the carbon will form in laminate sheets, and be very hard on drill bits. If you anneal below non-magnetic, but above 1100? or so, the carbon forms balls or spheres, and if cooled quickly, as in air cooling, the carbon stays in this form and allows cutting tools to pass it by much better.
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  #5  
Old 06-05-2012, 02:45 PM
Ed Tipton Ed Tipton is offline
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WBE...I did as you suggested this morning, and I was able to drill two holes using a standard drill bit. The third hole did work harden while drilling, but I was able to drill through after re-heating again. Thanks for the tip...nothing else I had tried worked, but it looks as though this might be the answer. Thanks again.
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  #6  
Old 06-05-2012, 04:39 PM
WBE WBE is offline
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You are most welcome sir. If you have the means, a short soak in the heat cycles may help a little more. You can even quench it to cool. Some of the real metal brains have recommended that, as it is supposed to lock in the carbon balls in their best condition. I have a piece of that steel, but have never used it.
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  #7  
Old 06-11-2012, 03:54 AM
EdStreet EdStreet is offline
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you should normalize and anneal it before working it like that.



This looks like a poor substitute for W-2 but with some very critical parts missing.

Also for your setup try doing the process 3 times before drilling



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Gold is for the mistress - silver for the maid
Copper for the craftsman cunning in his trade.
"Good!" said the Baron, sitting in his hall
But steel - cold steel is master of them all.
Rudyard Kipling (1865 - 1936)

Last edited by EdStreet; 06-11-2012 at 04:07 AM.
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  #8  
Old 06-11-2012, 05:16 PM
WBE WBE is offline
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Acually, that would be a NO Blacknet. All he wanted was to be able to drill holes in it. What I told him IS a form of anneal, and if you read his post, it worked. I think he knows how to take care of the rest. A slow anneal is not a good thing to do with hypereutectics if you are going to use cutting tools of any kind on them.
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