Pin vice for small drills

[IvotB]

I am using several pin vices for drilling holes in all kinds of materials. I am having problems in fitting smaller drills into such a pin vice. 0.6 mm is never a problem, 0,5 doesn't always fit, but smaller from 0,4mm and smaller never works to my satisfaction.

Does anybody has some advice on how to fit smaller drills into a pin vice, or is there just a perfect tool on the market that I haven't found yet.
I usually wind a small piece of tape around the drill, but that results in bad centering and you can't still really fix the drill.

I am asking it here as I see Des mentioning 0,2mm worn (!) drill bits in the article about making your own spark plugs. So perhaps you have some good suggestions.

regards,
Ivo

[uncletony]

I use the carbide drill bits with the 1/8" shanks so this is never an issue.

http://drillbitsunlimited.com/

[Dekenba]

I second the carbide drill bit route.

They are strong, relatively cheap, good value, last for ages (if you are gentle!) and have substantial shafts that can easily be rotated without need of a vice.

There is a thread somewhere on here where we discussed them in more detail last year.

[skeeterbuck]

I have two pins vises I use.

The larger of the two will go down to approximately 1/16". The smaller one can close completely down to smaller than a #80 size bit.

[Chris Johnson]

I second the carbide drill bit route.
They are strong, relatively cheap, good value, last for ages (if you are gentle!) and have substantial shafts that can easily be rotated without need of a vice.

I'm using them now too and they're the sharpest miniature bits I've ever used. Unfortunately, I tend to break them quite regularly. No doubt it's got something to do with my ham-handed approach!

Cheers,

Chris

[lcarroll]

I am using several pin vices for drilling holes in all kinds of materials. I am having problems in fitting smaller drills into such a pin vice. 0.6 mm is never a problem, 0,5 doesn't always fit, but smaller from 0,4mm and smaller never works to my satisfaction.

Does anybody has some advice on how to fit smaller drills into a pin vice, or is there just a perfect tool on the market that I haven't found yet.
I usually wind a small piece of tape around the drill, but that results in bad centering and you can't still really fix the drill.

I am asking it here as I see Des mentioning 0,2mm worn (!) drill bits in the article about making your own spark plugs. So perhaps you have some good suggestions.

regards,
Ivo

Ivo,
   The thread Dekenba refers you to is "Micro Carbide Drill Bits" in "HINTS And TIPS" 29 May 2012. Like the others I've switched to the 1/8 Shank products from Drillbitsunlimited.com. Although fragile they are sharp, cheap, and easily controlled by hand or with a pin vice. They sell a 1/8 Chuck Pin Vice and it's a good one. Try them out, you'll never go back to the Straight Shank Bits.
Cheers,
Lance

[ALBATROS1234]

harbor freight has micro carbide drill bits that go as small as .2 mm with 1/8"shank. but to solve the problem immediately you can take a very small piece of masking tape and wrap it around the base of the tiny bit then insert into the pin vice.

[IvotB]

Thanks, this all helps. I have been looking for small drills with thicker shanks, but below 0,5mm I hadn't found any. Now I have an address to order them from. I just have to translate them into the metric system for myself as my mind is used to that. Still I have projects where you can't use the thicker shaft drills, but you need to have longer thin ones (before they break). I did use the masking tape trick alreay, but most times the drill becomes less centered in the vice and it is also difficult to clamp them really tight. But it is the only way around it, if the vice doesn't accept small drills.

Ivo

[pepperman42]

metric chart/conversion is also here somewhere - link pros take it away!!!

Steve

[Des]

I also use the micro carbide drill bits with the 1/8"shank, beautiful little drills, extremely sharp, but can be fragile.

I also have a pin vice which will go down to zero, so it holds the 0.2mm drill bits quite well, don't know the name of it though, sorry. Another solution is to get a short length of brass tube with the correct size hole, insert your drill bit and use CA to hold it in place, this can then be placed in your pin vice giving you a larger holding area, increasing the size of the brass tube will give you even bigger size.

Des.

[IvotB]

Des,

The brass tube idea is one to try immediately, as the 1/8" shank drills will take some time to arrive.

Ivo