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Author Topic: Snapped drill bit!  (Read 632 times)

Offline Oldgamer

  • Scientist
  • Posts: 202
Snapped drill bit!
« on: April 05, 2022, 12:57:30 PM »
While drilling out a piece of old Snapdragon scenery, my drill bit snapped off flush with the top of a tree stump, l suspect my only option is to cut the stump down a little and remove the broken bit with pliers but wondered if anyone else had any other ideas?

Offline FierceKitty

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Re: Snapped drill bit!
« Reply #1 on: April 05, 2022, 01:39:26 PM »
Soften the model with warm water, then in with the needle-nose pliers?
The laws of probability do not apply to my dice in wargames or to my finesses in bridge.

Offline tin shed gamer

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Re: Snapped drill bit!
« Reply #2 on: April 05, 2022, 01:55:55 PM »
If it's flush or just below the surface ,and not a component joint.
Leave it where it is and fill in the site. As it'll make begger all difference to the piece if it's buried in tree stump.
Keep it simple .Digging into the piece is only going to cause more damage. That'll need reworking.

Offline Daeothar

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Re: Snapped drill bit!
« Reply #3 on: April 05, 2022, 02:21:17 PM »
...Digging into the piece is only going to cause more damage. That'll need reworking.

Absolutely true.

But if the drill bit is in a place where you absolutely have to pin, with no space to redrill elsewhere, there is a way to remove it, but it'll be some work.

I've had several of these instances, mostly in model parts that I was in the process of pinning: regardless of the material (plastic, metal, resin), you can carefully cut away the material around the hole with the bit, to create a conical hole, with the drill bit in the middle. With a pair of needle nose pliers, you can now reach the drill bit and twist it out of the hole.

Often the breakage happens when the drill bit is not regularly  lifted out of the hole during drilling, causing the cut away material to catch the drill bit, and the resulting torque can break it. And because of this, you can't pull the drill bit out straight, but instead, you'll need to reverse turn it out of the hole.

When the bit is out, you can continue deepening the drilled hole with a fresh drill bit, and when it's deep enough, put in the pin.

Then, when the pin is glued in, add some modeling putty into the conical hole, and presto; pinned and repaired...

Miniatures you say? Well I too, like to live dangerously...
Find a Way, or make one!

 

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