Drill bit restoration

[Rum_Pirate]

Drill bit 3/8” diameter with a 5” length of flutes and a 10” shank/shaft.

a ‘gentleman’ I lent it to to drill 64 holes through a 6”+ thick timbers decided to just force the bit straight through without withdrawing to allow the flutes to clear.
This caused the drilled material to compact in the flutes and heat up as the hole was drilled.
It heated to such an extent that the flutes are now discolored (blue) and the spur is dull.

Now it appears to be knackered (for want of a better word).

Apart from sharpening the spur cutting edges how can it be restored, if indeed it can, to provide further service?

Heating/annealing/other?

 

[Boater Sam]

Polish it to lose the blue along the flute length. Heat it to straw colour carefully, no hotter, along the flutes and quench in water.
That will harden the drill. Then sharpen it. It will be fine.

 

[Rum_Pirate]

Thanks

 

[coopec]

If it was just the tip of the drill bit (first inch) that was overheated you could cut the first inch off (with the grinder being careful not to overheat it!) Then you could grind a new cutting tip.

Recycling & rehardening HSS - The Home Shop Machinist & Machinist's Workshop Magazine's BBS

 

[Rum_Pirate]

Some pictures showing the 'bluing' that was not there before, in case it could help with restoration suggestions:

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Throw it in the bin and buy another and don't lend your tools out in future.

 

[Poignard]

Throw it in the bin and buy another and don't lend your tools out in future.

Not lending tools is best way of keeping them in good order.

 

[Poignard]

Borrowing other people's (peoples' ?) is another way of of keeping your own in good order.

 

[Poignard]

Years ago I lent my Black & Decker Workmate to somebody working in the shed at Hayling Yacht Company. He wanted to saw some timber using a power saw.

It was a mistake. He didn't know what he was doing and cut into the Workmate.

"Oh, sorry about that." he said.

If he's reading this, I haven't forgotten

 

[srm]

Now it appears to be knackered (for want of a better word).

Tell the borrower to replace it with a serviceable one and let him keep the original.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

I learned many years ago about not loaning out my tools because invariably people that borrow tools do so because they haven't reached a point where they understand the value and how to use those tools so haven't bothered to learn and buy their own. There will be exceptions and there are a few people that I would loan a tool to or even allow the use of my workshop but they are few and far between.
More recently I relearned the lesson with feckless and my wife is now understanding because she has lent him our trailer on several occasions and each time it's been returned with something broken, the last time he towed it with the jockey wheel down and buggered it. So now she has very begrudgingly told him that he can't borrow it anymore.

 

[Boater Sam]

Neither a borrower or lender be.

I will not lend tools to anyone. If someone is desperate I will sell them my tools at new price on a sale or return in perfect order basis.
If they don't like this they can go buy their own.

I have had workmate cut in half and drills burnt out before, once bitten twice shy.

 

[coopec]

Borrowing other people's (peoples' ?) is another way of of keeping your own in good order.

People make me angry. If you can't spell use the spell-checker (It is not hadr)

 

[penfold]

Unless it's made of monkey metal sharpen the thing and stick it back in the drill stand; HSS will take a lot more heat than blueing to draw its temper.

 

[Rum_Pirate]

Unless it's made of monkey metal sharpen the thing and stick it back in the drill stand; HSS will take a lot more heat than blueing to draw its temper.

Will try.