Removing seat pedestal. Drilling out screws.

[CaptainBob]

Seat pedestal screws have seized. Over many weeks I tried and tried and applied wd40 and then tried again. I give up.

So I decided to drill them out. Turns out these screws are made of the hardest metal known to man, so I now have a seat pedestal with 6 groove less screws in it, laughing at me across the wheelhouse, and a bunch of blunt drill bits.

The bits I have are hss. What should I get instead?

Ty.

 

[VicS]

Turns out these screws are made of the hardest metal known to man

then no metal drill is going to be effective ...... Diamond drilling will be necessary1

But seriously cobalt steel drills will be the answer.


Drill steadily with some lubricant/ coolant. Stopping and starting will workharden the metal ( stainless presumably)

 

[CaptainBob]

Hehe cheers vic. Wonder if mrs bob will donate her engagement ring!

Are cobalt steel bits standard hardware store items?

 

[VicS]

Hehe cheers vic. Wonder if mrs bob will donate her engagement ring!

Are cobalt steel bits standard hardware store items?

I might try my local ( Sevenoaks ) hardware centre. She would probably get what I wanted if not stocked.

However Toolstation have them and they also stock the recommended coolant.

Probably Screwfix and others similar

 

[greenalien]

The essentials for drilling stainless are 1) Sharp drill bits and 2) Applying a constant pressure. If you let the drill spin on the workpiece without cutting, it will instantly work-harden the stainless steel and blunt the drill.
Better to start with a small bit, as it's easier to push into the work, then open up to size.
If the workpiece has already been work-hardened, then a diamond burr may be needed to get the cut started again.

 

[CaptainBob]

Thanks chaps. Will try cobalt steel first then diamonds!

 

[Tranona]

You may need a mortgage when you get to buy one. Bought a 5mm cobalt tip last week Over £6 trade price - but it does work!

 

[Graham_Wright]

If you can't penetrate the glaze you will probably need carbide. Before you panic, a standard masonry drill might do it but they tend to have a blunt tip which you will need to sharpen. It won't last long but may get you started.
You need lots of pressure; hand pressure is insufficient. If you can contrive a lever on the back of the drill (without it sliding sideways) you have more chance.

 

[dingdongs]

are they secured into ply.you could always cut the surrounding floor out and refit a new one in.if there within an inch of the outer diameter of the pedastal base you may be able to use a fine disc cutter too.stainless goes glass hard if not drilled correctly with sharp bits.i fitted mine with allen key heads so hopefully they'll never be a pain like your experiencing.floor removal around seat may be the best bet though.

 

[CaptainBob]

Couldn't find local src of decent bits so took a risk on a set of 10 cobalt bits from local hardware store (in Dartmouth) for £7.50.

Went through them like hot knife through butter! Brilliant.

Ty!

 

[Rigger Mortice]

You've tried an impact driver as a last attempt to undo the screws?

Edit. Oh, the drill worked! Well done!