Hi Does anybody have any advice on what brand a good strong - sharp set of drill bits for drilling the heads of rusty old screws and bolts is - The drill bits I already had just span around till they get that hot they smoke and make little or no impression on the items I want too drill ,So I bought a set from ebay that the description led me to believe would simply slice through the bolts and screws like a hot knife through butter But they also failed ,So now I wonder what other people who have got a bit more experience than me in this situation might recommend

 

Get in with a grinder wherever possible, its loads quicker. However if you do have to drill lots of heads off it will take a bit of time and probably go through a few bits. Just go to a local tool shop and get a handful of the size you require and persevere is all I do.

 

Avoid ebay, it's really pot luck what you'll get.

I'd suggest some dormer drills. I use them daily and they last pretty well. They can be expensive but worth it in the long run.

 

You get what you pay for lol a good set of colbolt ones is what you need and dont drill to fast and burn them out! I've a good set of dormer bits

 

Ok Thanks very much for the advice ,I am giving up on the quantity over quality approach - and i'm going to buy a set of Dormer ones

 

Slow and steady with a drop of oil and they should last

 

Yes Thanks mate, I will take that on board been doing a bit of research on t'web and it seems full speed fast drilling may not always be as effective as a slower more controlled action

 

Very pleased to report that with using a x7 more expensive than my others carbide tipped drill bit designed for drilling into hard plate, and done at a slow speed with a drop of oil, it worked a treat and took only around five minutes to complete the job,which is a very different result to the 40 minutes of struggling and snapping normal HSS drill bits yesterday that did not make any impression on what I was trying to drill -the whole job made much worse due to it being under a car So thank you to everybody for the tips and advice

 

When drilling metal, it's always good to go slow, and add oil. Let the sharp drill bit cut the metal as you go.

Also, get a bench grinder and you can sharpen the drill bits as they go blunt. B&Q are doing cheap ones at the moment.

 

Also for really hard steels
You can get a carbide tipped masonry drill
Re grind it (on a green wheel otherwise it won't cut) and that will work really well to

 

Again thanks for the advice - since I made the switch from cheap and cheerful to a set of more expensive dormer bits I have used them on a number of occasions now on various grades of metals with brilliant results the difference between my new bits and the cheap ones I had to keep buying in singles from my local hardware shop are like night and day

 

Dormer all the way. expensive but last forever! i paid £60 (half price) for a set going up in .5mm increments to 10mm, had a lot of hard use and still cut beautifully

 

I have to agree ,my dormers are still a delight to use and from now on I won't waste my money on anything else

 

Best thing you can do with drill bits is also learn how to sharpen them lol.
A quick going over on the grinder and there like brand new! The amount of times I've seen guys a work burn out drill bits then chuck them away and go get another such a massive waste

 

Cleveland Twist drills are the best ones out there. Expensive, but last for ages!! If you have a mate in the aircraft production environment, ask them to get you Boelube.