hitekmastr Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 (edited) I'm looking for a 3/16 diameter drill bit that is 9 to 12 inches long, ideally diamond or other material that will punch through hard rock, including rock with iron content. Any ideas? I'm drilling holes through my Devonian shell pieces (through the rock behind the fossils, not the fossils) and ran into a section that seems to be harder than the shale/limestone - probably iron content. Needs a long drill bit ideally with diamond dust or whatever is needed to punch through. UPDATE Now you can see why I needed the long drill bit - this is the display piece I created from several Devonian pieces I collected in summer 2012, from the Mahantango formation in Pennsylvania. More photos of this sculpture are in a separate post in the General Discussion section of this forum. Edited April 1, 2013 by hitekmastr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickNC Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 Most big box hardware stores sell diamond tipped drill bits. Not sure if they will carry one that length but worth a shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 That's an awfully long bit at just 3/16" diameter. I'm willing to bet that it doesn't exist, except maybe as a hyper-specialized (and hyper expensive) tool. "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ash Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 Coming from a metal fabrication shop, I've never heard of or encountered a drill that small that long. Honesty dont like your chances outside of what Auspex said about custom. You could attempt to make one yourself, using a shorter 3/16 and welding a length onto it. Doubt it'd bestrong at all though, and probably quite tricky to align correctly. Are you just using a mason drill bit at the moment? I'm unfamiliar with drilling rock. "Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe" - Saint Augustine"Those who can not see past their own nose deserve our pity more than anything else." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixgill pete Posted March 23, 2013 Share Posted March 23, 2013 in 3/16 the longest I have seen is 6", but in diamond tip or a masonry bit I have never seen longer than the standard length(about 3"), but I would think they would be available somewhere in 6". The idea of welding a length on works fine in much larger diameter bits, but would be very hard and tricky to do in that size. You would probably need a master welder to do it and have it be strong and aligned properly. here is a link I just found of a 5mm x 150mm masonry bit, about 3/16 x just short of 6" http://www.hilti.com/holcom/page/module/product/prca_productdetail.jsf?lang=en&nodeId=-13964&selProdOid=13023 Bulldozers and dirt Bulldozers and dirt behind the trailer, my desert Them red clay piles are heaven on earth I get my rocks off, bulldozers and dirt Patterson Hood; Drive-By Truckers May 2016 May 2012 Aug 2013, May 2016, Apr 2020 Oct 2022 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixgill pete Posted March 23, 2013 Share Posted March 23, 2013 (edited) Coming from a metal fabrication shop, I've never heard of or encountered a drill that small that long. Honesty dont like your chances outside of what Auspex said about custom. You could attempt to make one yourself, using a shorter 3/16 and welding a length onto it. Doubt it'd bestrong at all though, and probably quite tricky to align correctly. Are you just using a mason drill bit at the moment? I'm unfamiliar with drilling rock. a masonry bit will drill through rock, I have used them many many times drilling through marble and granite counter tops. Edited March 23, 2013 by sixgill pete Bulldozers and dirt Bulldozers and dirt behind the trailer, my desert Them red clay piles are heaven on earth I get my rocks off, bulldozers and dirt Patterson Hood; Drive-By Truckers May 2016 May 2012 Aug 2013, May 2016, Apr 2020 Oct 2022 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hitekmastr Posted March 27, 2013 Author Share Posted March 27, 2013 (edited) Thanks for the input, everyone. I'll try a masonry bit - right now I have a 12 inch metal drill bit but it's not cutting through the iron part of the rock - and I only have a couple of inches to go. This is the last piece of the sculpture I'm creating and the only suitable specimen so everything is on hold until I can drill the last 2 inches...never knew fossiling could be so complicated! Edited March 27, 2013 by hitekmastr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullsnake Posted March 27, 2013 Share Posted March 27, 2013 Are you drilling a plate for vertical display? Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hitekmastr Posted March 28, 2013 Author Share Posted March 28, 2013 I'm drilling a Devonian rock that is the last of 3 rock pieces that I am stringing on a 3/16 steel rod - the rod is bent at 90 degree angles to hold the three pieces and I'm putting a jewelry bead under each rock so that it can be spun on the rod to view all sides. The last rock piece is 3/4 drilled but the last 2 inches appear to be iron content and won't drill. I'll post the finished piece when complete...this is part of our ongoing experimentation with creative ways to display fossils which is also part of our "anti-hording" campaign. We feel that fossils should be preserved AND displayed rather than stuck away in boxes in basements and attics... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boneman007 Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 I'm drilling a Devonian rock that is the last of 3 rock pieces that I am stringing on a 3/16 steel rod - the rod is bent at 90 degree angles to hold the three pieces and I'm putting a jewelry bead under each rock so that it can be spun on the rod to view all sides. The last rock piece is 3/4 drilled but the last 2 inches appear to be iron content and won't drill. I'll post the finished piece when complete...this is part of our ongoing experimentation with creative ways to display fossils which is also part of our "anti-hording" campaign. We feel that fossils should be preserved AND displayed rather than stuck away in boxes in basements and attics... I love the sentiment behind this, but I'd need a full time preparator for a couple of years to get half the stuff out of my garage and on display! I cannot wait to see the piece. I suspect it will be fantastic! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 as a mechanical engineer, my go-to site to see a comprehensive suite of commercially available tooling is mcmaster.com. type in "about drill bits". to see a discussion of various drill bit materials and geometries. there are more specialized tooling websites out there, but i'm guessing you want to pay "commercial grade" prices in small qtys. Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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