I'm fixing corrugated iron to 25mm diameter galvanised water pipe with Tek screws. I've tried regular and hardened tek screws but neither will penetrate the water pipe; so I'm predrilling the galvanised water pipe; but even titanium coated drill bits only last a short time.Any ideas how to make drilling easier?
comadi,
May 31, 8:52am
Get some cutting oil and spray it on the pipe and drill bit as you drill. Use a slow speed as well.
flancrest,
May 31, 8:53am
Cobalt bits. Reduced drilling speed.
tiny15,
May 31, 9:09am
'high speed steel' drill bits should be fine for galv pipe. my guess is that your drill is going way to fast. depending on the diameter of your drill bit- you probably only want a maximum speed of 600rpm (a lot of hand held drills are around 2500rpm)
beachboy61,
May 31, 9:28am
Yes, I may be going too fast, I'll try reduced speed. I've used 2 cobalt and 2 titanium x4mm diameter bits to drill about 30 holes.
You might find that despite the free set of "Ginzu steak knives" that came with your "titanium" drill set if you visit your local engineering supplier, (in your neighbourhood I'd 100% recommend Grossman Twigg Engineering Supplies) they will sell you an appropriate bit that will drill countless hassle free pilot holes in galv pipe.
BTW max recommended rpm for tek screws is 2,500 and IMOP 1500 is more than enough, the earlier posters are making good sense to me.
beachboy61,
May 31, 8:33pm
sr2, I visited and purchased the bits from TRADE TOOLS a reputable engineering tools supplier and there were no "free steak knifes."
ceebee2,
May 31, 8:45pm
Why not pop rivet them
franken1,
May 31, 8:54pm
If the drill bit tips have turned blue, they're stuffed. As above, slow speed and cutting fluid or water to cool the bit down. Don't forget to use galvanising spray on the holes or they'll eventually rust.
trade4us2,
Jun 3, 8:21am
If you are just putting up a fence, I just whack a couple of holes in the corrugated iron and thread some wire through them and around the pipe.
kenw1,
Jun 4, 8:28pm
I found that the 1/8 double ended rills that they sell for pop rivet are the best ones for that type of job + some cutting oil and you should be good.
sr2,
Jun 5, 10:30am
Thought I'd add a postscript.
30 years ago we wouldn't let an apprentice drill a hole in anger unless he'd mastered the art of sharpening a drill bit. These days it is sadly becoming a lost art.
Buy a cheap bench grinder with a fine stone on it & find a neighbour over the age of 50 that used to work "on the tools" and ask him to teach you how to sharpen a drill freehand, (he'll probably jump at the chance to pass on a few of his skills). There's a bit of a knack involved, it's not only the grinding part it's knowing what a sharp drill cutting on both edges feels like and being able to pick when it??
cjdnzl,
Dec 22, 5:41pm
Are you sure it's water pipe and not boiler tube? Boiler tube is a lot harder than waterpipe, which is usually soft iron, where boiler tube is steel.
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