drill 15N20?

K

KenH

Well-Known Member
Hello all - I've just made my first knife blade using 15N20 steel from Waldo - I drilled a small 3/32" diameter hole before grinding. This drilled, but I could tell it was HARD steel with small shaving. After grinding/shaping the blade I tried to enlarge the hole to 11/64" - I burnt a bit trying to drill that steel!! Just won't drill! I was using a new "Made in USA" bit (should be good steel).

The attached shows the blade with 3/16" hole drilled. Note, this is a rough shaping grind. I was thinking the big flat tip would be good for heat treating, then finish shaping after tempering - comments? Comments are welcome on the blade also, but be gentle as I'm a newbie on this stuff and still learning.

Does 15N20 steel from Waldo normally require anealing before drilling? Will that help?

Thanks to all for info - this is my first attempt with 15N20.
 

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What was the condition of the steel when you bought it? If it was annealed or spherotized then it should have come in a soft machinable condition. If you bought tempered steel then that could be your problem. Try ordering a carbide bit if it has been hardened or draw the temper in the steel and re-harden it.

Doug
 
Its the hardness, CARBIDE CARBIDE CARBIDE!

That's what you need to drill this steel. Its a simple matter of the steel is harder that the drill bit.Really doesn't matter why?

Laurence

www.rhinoknives.com
 
that stuff is tough even anneled and it is bad about red harding. i have been using it for a while. i get by with colbalt bits slow you drill speed to about what you would run a tool steel bit at and use soapy water as a coolant. hope some of that helped. i don't get it from waldo, i traded for a very large bandsaw blade. after deatroying every drill bit in my shop i had it analised 15N20 .
 
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I had the same issues drilling, must have been a speed and coolant issue as the bits were brand new M35 steel. What surprised me is I did not have any problems cutting with a bandsaw. the 15N20 aldo sells is advertised as annealed.
scott
 
Thank you all for the info on 15n20 - I was thinking Waldo's steel was annealed. As you said, cutting with a bandsaw was no problem so I didn't think anything about it. I don't guess it will do any good to attempt annealing in hopes of making it easier to drill?

Gary, what do you mean by "Red harding"? Is this air harding when got to the red color with heat? At one point last night I did get that little bit pretty hot while drilling - and now I realize the press was too fast for this. The hole you see in the blade was drilled at same speed, but with the smaller bit the "cutting" speed was less.

I'll check and see what size carbide drills I've got - got a good selection of small carbide bits in the .020" to .050" size, but only a couple of larger size - and I "think" perhaps 1/8" might be the largest carbide drill I've got. The hole is now all discolored and mushed out due to pressure/heat from attempting the drill with 11/64" bit.

It's for a Buck 501 folder I've had for a long time, but the blade got broke. I can make another blade if need be.

Thanks again to all for info and suggestions,

Ken H>
 
Ken,
Many of these steels will work harden from getting it hot while drilling it for two long.
Buy any inexpensive cutting/Threading oil/Fluid and slowing down the drill press to your lowest setting along with a USA made Carbide bit with light to medium pressure and you will be able to drill through it.

There is a sweet spot with the amount of pressure used, when I see the nice curls of steel spiraling off the bit I know I have the right amount of pressure.

Laurence

www.rhinoknives.com
 
Yep Laurence, carbide as you and others have suggested is what I'm finding works best for 15N20 steel. My carbide only goes to 1/8", but it sure does drill nice, so I ordered some more carbide bits. I can use HSS bits just fine for 1095 or even 52100 steel when using Tap-Magic (that stuff works like magic<:)

OK, I just got off the phone with Waldo himself about this steel. Per Waldo, the 15N20 of the 0.130" thick is very annealed and soft. No problems drilling. BUT (always a but<:) - the thinner selections, .095" and thinner are NOT fully annealed. They are saw blade grade. He has found a way to buy the thinner selections that will be fully annealed.

For annealing, Waldo suggested to bring the 15N20 up to temperature, cooling to black twice, then bringing up to temperature and allowing to cool very slowly. He says this will make it much more machinable - should drill just fine with HSS drills and lubrication. Perhaps I jumped the gun when ordering the carbide drills, but I'm sure they will be used.

Now it's time to fire up the forge.

Thanks again to all for their input.

Ken H>
 
KenH said:
Yep Laurence, carbide as you and others have suggested is what I'm finding works best for 15N20 steel. My carbide only goes to 1/8", but it sure does drill nice, so I ordered some more carbide bits. I can use HSS bits just fine for 1095 or even 52100 steel when using Tap-Magic (that stuff works like magic<:)

OK, I just got off the phone with Waldo himself about this steel. Per Waldo, the 15N20 of the 0.130" thick is very annealed and soft. No problems drilling. BUT (always a but<:) - the thinner selections, .095" and thinner are NOT fully annealed. They are saw blade grade. He has found a way to buy the thinner selections that will be fully annealed.

For annealing, Waldo suggested to bring the 15N20 up to temperature, cooling to black twice, then bringing up to temperature and allowing to cool very slowly. He says this will make it much more machinable - should drill just fine with HSS drills and lubrication. Perhaps I jumped the gun when ordering the carbide drills, but I'm sure they will be used.

Now it's time to fire up the forge.

Thanks again to all for their input.

Ken H>
Click to expand...

Ken,
Get a bag of vermiculite and put it in a bucket. This will let the steel cool slowly. A bucket of sand will work also and that can be free! get the steel to a medium cherry red and slide it in to the bucket. Leave it for 3-4 hours. then repeat. Or? Just use the Carbide drill bits!


Laurence

www.rhinoknives.com

www.rhinoknives.com
 
Is that Vermiculite the same stuff used for gardening? Seems like that needs to be heated so it doesn't cool the blade too much when first inserting? I heated up and did a 2 stage normalizing, then brought up to nice cherry red again (about 1460ºF) then turned forge off and allowed to cool in forge. Took a couple hrs to get down to 150ºF where I could handle it. Still pretty hard, but did manage to get a HSS drill thru so I can use my bearing for the folder pivot. I think it's a good thing I ordered the carbide drills after all.

Thanks to all for the help -

Ken H>
 
YES! Vermiculite is the same stuff people use to fill potted plants lightly. I am not sure about heating it? I live by the ocean so sand is readily available.

Sounds like you did well with your forge anyway.

Laurence

www.rhinoknives.com
 
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