Drilling out tungsten

[wedge]

Anyone have a reccomendation for a drill bit that will drill out a tungsten weight?

[Derby Worx Pro Team]

wedge said:

Anyone have a reccomendation for a drill bit that will drill out a tungsten weight?

Tungsten can be machined by turning, milling, or drilling. For thick-walled parts, slight preheating of the work to 400 oF is
sometimes helpful, otherwise a highly chlorinated oil such as trichloroethylene is used.

Using a C-2 Type Carbide Tool, a Suggested Geometry is:
Side Angle:10 o
End Cutting Edge Angle:3 o to 10 o
Back Rake:0 o
Clearance:3 o to 5 o
Nose Radius:1/32" to 1/16" Radius
Cutting Speed:100 to 200 RPM

[wedge]

okay sounds good - but i need to clarify my need... I have a car that is too heavy with far to little wood to remove 1/8 of an ounce and maintain structural integrity. We unfortunately had to add some bondo and now need to remove weight.

The best I can come up with is to drill out some of the tungsten. So we have cylindrical tungsten inside a very thin body. I'm hoping a good carbide tungsten tipped bit would do it. Just need to drill out approximately half the size of a axle's worth from the 3/8" 1/2 oz. cylinder.

[DerbyDoc.com]

Its gonna be fun trying to drill out that tungsten. Tungsten is one of the hardest known metals, so you would have to use a very expensive drill bit. You might have some luck going to a machine shop in your area and asking if one of the guys there would be willing to give it a shot. Dont forget to take your scales with you. Good luck

[slkrnsntracing]

Wedge,

I know this will not help you this time, but it might help in the future.

I usually use tungsten for most of my weight, but I do add some lead so I can easily adjust the weight after I finish painting my cars.

Good luck with this project.

Phil

[wedge]

Completeley agree on that approach. Last year, we switched 100% lead-free for safety. Too much lead dust for our comfort with the son invovled (myself for that matter).

We are usually a little shy of 5 oz. after lots of careful planning but angle too shallow cut on the wedge this year left us havingto bondo over our weight holes. Learned that bondo weighs more than pine this year so it isn't a complete loss

Next step will either be going with a hollowed out interior or starting over. Thanks for the feedback.

[DerbyDoc.com]

slkrnsntracing said:

Wedge,

I know this will not help you this time, but it might help in the future.

I usually use tungsten for most of my weight, but I do add some lead so I can easily adjust the weight after I finish painting my cars.

Good luck with this project.

Phil

Good idea Slkr!

[ProQuest]

I've been in that situation tons of times, and here is what I do --

If you know approximately where in the body the tungsten cylinders are, drill a small hole, I recommend using a #44 drill (.086) directly on top of one cylinder that you want to remove. Drill all the way down until you hit the top of the cylinder. Place the car on top of a standard pinewood block for support and to take all pressure off the wheels and axles. Then use a #44 drill blank or a gage pin with a .086 diameter -- place it in the hole you drilled and tap the drill blank/gage pin with the hammer to loosen and remove the tungsten. Replace with lead or lighter tungsten piece. Any questions, pm me.

ProQuest/Steve H.

[wedge]

thank you all for the info. drilling out tungsten in a car certainly doesn't work!

my son ended up with an unexpected lesson of 'fine tuning' with the belt sander And another tool seminar so again not a loss. (He's going to know how to run my whole arsenal by his last year in Cub Scouts.)

Right at 144g with one coat of paint to go, crossing our fingers that his last spray doesn't go over.