Drilling holes in brass tubing

[Dekenba]

How?!

How do you drill 0.50mm holes in brass tubing? I've got the tube & the correct size drill bits, but do you need to dremel the holes or just be patient with a hand powered drill thingy?

[Pete Nottingham]

Are you drilling the holes in to the end of the tube to make the inside dia. bigger, or are you drilling in to the side wall of the tube?

Cheers

Pete.

[Dekenba]

Side wall. 0.50mm drill bit, 1mm diameter tube.

That's the plan, anyway!

[Dekenba]

I've decided that raw power is the answer, so I'm going to dremel a hole - finger power is an abject failure in this instance.

[Chris Johnson]

With thoughts of replacing the plastic boom on Roden's 1/32 DH-2, I've always wondered how to do this myself. Are you making a pilot hole in the tubing before drilling, and if so, how? The sharp tip of a hobby knife perhaps?

Cheers,

Chris

[Dekenba]

Chris,

That's the problem, the drill bit keeps slipping off the tube!

I've tried masking tape, but as soon as it breaks the tape it slides all over the place again.

I'm going to try your suggestion of a pilot hole with a knife  - I'm thinking maybe a small, deepish X marked on the face of the tube may help?

[uncletony]

Have you tried making a jig? Bore a hole for the tube to slide into, and another perpendicular for the drill bit.

* Caveat -- I've never tried this with at this scale, but it has worked for me drilling holes in the sides of small bolts and so forth.

[Chris Johnson]

Both Uncle Tony's and your idea Dekenba, are worth experimenting with. I think I'd try the 'X' idea first, just for its simplicity. You should really only require a faint 'X' as a guide for the tip of your knife. However, if you're laying out a series of holes though, I'd try Uncle Tony's jig to ensure that they're equidistant from each other.

Cheers,

Chris

[Dal Gavan]

G'day, Dekenba.

Slide some plastic rod into the tube.  Make sure the rod's long enough to protrude through the tube and be grabbed by a pair of fine pliers, so you can remove it, and that it closely matches the inside diameter of the tube.  Then put the point of a fine nail where you want to drill the hole and tap it with a spoon to create a small dimple for a drill guide.  The plastic will stop the tube crushing when you tap the nail and when you put pressure on the drill to cut the hole.  Pull the plastic out- if catches on swarf from the hole use a fine drift or pin punch to knock it free.

Cheers.

Dal.   

[Dekenba]

Success!

I flattened the tube at the point I wanted to drill, just a tiny little bit to provide a flat surface, using a very small file.

Drill bit manages to bite and does not slip off.

Hooray!

[ALBATROS1234]

i like dal gavans idea. simple and effective. i will have to try this one oneday.