Drilling Blade Blanks

[Over&Under]

To all you knife guru's here...

Could you provide some tips for annealing or softening the tang steel (assuming it is tempered) so it can be drilled...without affecting the temper of the blade portion?

The blank I am working on has been triple tempered and cryogenicly froze if that makes a difference.

Thanks
Jake

[Lin Rhea]

Jake,
        The first thing that I would ask is, it's hardened and tempered but dont already have pin holes drilled? Where did this blade come from?

If cryogenics were involved, it probably is heat treated, but that makes no difference as to whether or not it can be drilled back in the handle area. The only way to know is ask the maker or try to drill it. If it's too hard, soften it or get harder bits.

My point is that some testing would be necessary for me to know what the next step in drilling would be. Simple testing, not complicated. If you have a photograph of the blade or the product specs, that would help.

[Bobby Urban]

with a blade that has been HTed and cryo dipped or whatever they do and no means of repeating that process w/o sending it somewhere and paying to have it re-done I would just drill it as is.  Buy a high quality drill bit and go slow on a drill press so you don't heat up the blade.  JMO

I will 2nd that contacting whomever did the HT may offer a lot to the equasion regarding the tang.  It may have remained tempered to retain some fleibility allowing you to drill with a lesser quality bit.

[Todd Robbins]

Is your blade made from air hardening steel, or a simpler alloy?  For a simple carbon steel, you can soften it enough to drill simply by watching the colors while heating the tang with a torch (it helps if the tang and blade are shiny, not tarnished). Heat just the tang until the color goes past the blue stage, while keeping the color off of the blade.  You can clamp the blank so that the blade end is in a can of water to protect the temper in that area while you heat the tang, just to be sure you protect the hardness there.  Be sure to heat both sides evenly to prevent the tang from warping.  You can also use carbide bits that are made for drilling hard materials.  They are more expensive than regular bits, but might be the best choice.

[Over&Under]

Excellent responses guys.  Thanks

Lin - the blade is from Blind Horse Knives and is the Snapp Capp model. It is a neck style knife that has a sheath attached to the blade and the blade swivels out of the sheath.  So the blade does have one hole in it already.  The bade is made of O1 steel.  I just don't care for the sheath so wanted to put scales on it to make a nice fixed blade.

I have not tried drilling yet, and have not called the company yet...didn't have the heart to tell them my plan on their brand new knife  

I will try to drill it with a carbide blade and see what happens first.

Thanks
Jake

[75diagg]

Use solid carbide drills and good lube....And a drill press,,,,,dont matter whether its tempered not tempered....Pre drilled or not.some pre drilled can at times be made larger with cobalt drills...I quit wasteing my time,,now use only carbide..always good idea to tap a pilot hole if possible,,if not go slow and keep drilling....Carbide drill bits will go right through.....I learned the hard way...Cobalt,titanium use em all...Maybe over a $100 in differant bits.....The carbides are also brittel.USE a good grease/oil coolant for that purpose...One I have looks like STP,,,another is a blue stuff thats for Marine use on bearings...And bearings are made out of the hardest of stainless..BUT one drill I even put some chips on tip,,,has still done probally a dozen or so tangs with the chips.
KEEP PRESSURE ON DRILL.....LET IT DO ITS JOB SLOWLY  and that metal will start makin a little metal shaveing goo ball...and then go through otherside

[Doug Campbell]

I too use mostly carbide for drilling blades but it takes a good drill press or mill to be "true" enough so you wont break/chip them every time. No hand drilling with carbide, if your trying to use a hand drill or worn drill press, anneal your steel first and use HSS bits with a good lube/cutting fluid.

[75diagg]

I dinged the one drill while drilling out existing holes.....Not quite level....Lesson number 9000...Make sure its level!! LOL
And when using carbide bits   Slow is good and slower seems better...Thank you Mr Campbell its called cutting fluid...I get the special goop at the welding supply store,,,get my pin making material there also.

[madness522]

You should be able to get O1 soft enough to drill but using a torch on the handle.  Just be careful not to let the color run into the blade.  Suspend the blade in a bucket of water with just the part of the handle you want to soften or even cover the blade with wet sand would work.  If you use a good epoxy the scales shouldn't come off without pins under normal use.  Another thing you can do is to drill the scales and use fake pins if you just want them for decoration.

[75diagg]

If the blade is already tempered and treated.
Why bother wrecking what the pro's have done.

You can heat to 1400 and let it set.Steel will be soft..Then you have to send it back to have that excellent treatment done....Sounds kinda the hard way???? When the carbide drill will get her done in minutes....And if that blade you have is what you think it is....Ask the mfg....
Im sure if you ask,,,,they will tell you dont torch it,,,test it or fool with it!!!!!! Drill it with a carbide drill. Pins finish the knife...And I have had handles come off with hard users.and the best of glues..Once a year knife users these people dont have the problems...Many of my people use the knives daily all day....Taxidermists,,pig hunters etc.
Butchers and the like...Might as well do that nice blade even nicer...Kinda bullet proof...
For show and tell we can do all kinds of cosmetic things...Being a jeweler...Jewelers can come up with all sorts of frilly things.
But hard use is what a hunting knife should be made for. question is it a show knife or a user?

[Over&Under]

Excellent thoughts gentlemen. I will be picking up some carbide bits in the very near future and see if I can get this done.

This knife will definitely be a user... so I'm good and needed to hold up...nothing fancy here.

As stated, I worry about messing up a perfectly good temper that was done by professionals.

Thanks again for your help

[75diagg]

Exactly!!!!!  I have almost all my blades done professionaly.....It takes alot of money to have that equipment...Even when I do grind my own..I send it to a outfit in San Leandro,Ca.
Or there is another one in San Jose,Ca
Just like almost every custom knife maker sends their wood to be stabilized professionaly..I just started doing my own wood...And I am happy with the results.
The mfg knows how to drill that blade.
Some will even tell you that  OUR blades cant be drilled..Tangs many times are not as hard as blade.stainless metal mechinist's...wont even think about drillin real hard steelHeck they just Grab carbide. Watched my Dad most my life...But when they are done by a big outfit,,seems everything gets the full treatment.
If and when I get moved to TEXAS....I hope to set up all that fancy metal treatin stuff..Just on a smaller scale. Rhea and Campbell and Anderson   know there stuff!!!!
Me I'm a self taught big reader,,,and get from all of them..As do so many on Trad...Lota nice knives on Trad...To many!! I get real jealous!!

[wissler]

Just a noobs input,
I didn't see this mentioned above, but I'm slow like that. LOL

Place the blade in a vise. I saw a thread where one of the guys cut the tip of his finger off on here.