>In a message dated 00-02-22 13:44:20 EST, you write:
>
><< Copper is a pig to work with. Drill at the slowest speed you can get
> to minimize the drill bits' tendency to dig in to the metal instead of
> cutting it. The cleaner your holes, the better your silver solder joints
> will be. >>
> You might try grinding a zero or negative rake on the drill for drilling
>copper, depending on the alloy this usually works better than a standard
>drill.
Love those uni-bits. This has been covered in the past, I can't
remember if that's a generic name or a trade name. They are a single
flute, stepped drill bit. Available at any hardware store. Absolutely
required for any sort of work with sheet or thin metal such as the
fittings Vance is recommending. Because of the stepped structure,
they can often be used to create the perfect chamfer to increase the
quality of the solder joint as Vance mentions above. (Doesn't always
work, geometry of the assembly might get in the way of this side
benefit.)
They are expensive, in the $20 range, one must amortize them over
more than just a few holes. Brings to mind the two cent marketing
magic books that claim that Black & Decker doesn't sell drills, they
sell holes. I have yet to find a variable speed hole at Ace Hardware
however. And pre-manufactured metric holes are hard to sell in the
US.
:-)
-Richard
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Richard Finlayson
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