Drill bit for using on magnets?

Why not just glue it in place?

Gorilla glue works well. Tom >Subject: Drill bit for using on magnets?

Someday, it'll all be over....

Michelle - try posting your question in alt.machines.cnc. Those folks can tell you anything about forming and manipulating materials. It's probably one of the highest IQ groups on usenet.

JF

Depends on what the magnets made of. Some are the cheapy elastomer strip kind. They'd be very easy to drill, cut and mutilate. Others, like alnico, are metallic so I'd try a regular 'ol twist drill. Some magnets are ceramic. Those are very hard, like glass. Maybe too hard to drill. And still others are sintered, but they're also quite hard. I've not seen them cut.

However, the machinist guys would know more.

Drilling through a magnet will weaken it. Fasten it with epoxy.

Another group to try is rec.crafts.metalworking

I th>Hi,

If you TRUELY have to drill a hole, it's possible, but not fun at all in either a AlNiCo or rare earth magnet...doable, but not fun.

The biggest problem you'll have is that most woodworking machines won't go slow enough to do a good job, but this will still work...assuming that you have a drill press...

Get a piece of copper tubing that is the diamter of the hole you want and some diamond powder or paste...if you get the powder, you'll also need some olive oil. You'll also want some vaseline or other petrolium jelly.

Using a vise that will hold the magnet well and solid, center the drill chuck over exactly where you want the hole in the magnet and build a damn around the magnet with the jelly.

Mix a teaspoon or so of the diamond paste with some olive oil...needs to be pretty think and stiff, about the consistancy of grease or maybe a little softer...put about 1/3 to 1/2 of this mix on the top of the magnet.

Chuck up the copper tubing in the DP and set it at the lowest speed you have. Turn on the spindle and SLOWLY and GENTLY pull the tubing into contact with the magnet and pull for a moment...call it 2 seconds... and release. Raise the tube and rearrange the paste to fully cover the magnet again. Do this a couple of times...what you are doing is calling "charging"...basicly, embedding the diamond grit into the copper and then the copper becomes your drill bit.

Pull the tube into the magnet and it should start to cut a ring the size of the tube...keep the area filled with the oil and occasionaly fill the groove with more of the paste.

WARNING!!! This can be a messy operation!!!

It is sorta possible to drill an AlNiCo magent with a carbide drill, but it will often fracture the magent and when it doesn't fracture, it can still lose a lot of power due to the heat generated. Using the tubing method, the heat is kept to a minimum. Sorry that I can't tell you how hard to pull or anything like that...it's one of those things that I know what I know and how to do it, but I can't describe it without showing it.

Any other questions, feel free to ask.

Mike

I agree with the posters who say to try glue, but if you must drill it . . .

If the magnet is metal try a cobalt drill bit. Most good hardware stores carry them. My local Ace does.

If the magnet is ceramic go to

Be aware that you will weaken any magnet by removing material from it. You can also weaken a magnet by heating it, so when drilling be sure you keep it cool by flooding it with water or other coolant.

Art

Thanks everyone,

This has to be one of the most helpful newsgroups I've ever seen.

That Lee Valley place has a few solutions for what I'm doing, so it looks like I won't have to drill after all.

-Michelle