Hardened steel is resistant to wear and high-impact pressure, making it a choice material for applications that require hard-wearing materials. These characteristics can also make it challenging to machine hardened steel. Read on to discover the best drill bits for drilling into hardened steel.

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Carbide is a compound composed of carbon and a metal. Carbide drill bits are tungsten carbide and can contain cobalt for enhanced durability. Carbide drill bits can handle higher temperatures than cobalt drill bits.

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Titanium drill bits are one option for drilling hardened steel. These drill bits are high-speed steel bits coated with titanium nitride. High-speed steel bits that consist of vanadium and tungsten can drill through soft steel, but they won’t cut through hardened steel.

Cobalt drill bits contain an alloy of five to eight percent cobalt. M35 bits contain approximately five percent cobalt, and M42 bits contain about eight percent cobalt.

The titanium nitride coating has a dark gold appearance, improves wear resistance, and reduces friction. Since the titanium nitride is just a coating, once your drill bit wears down, you cannot resharpen it and maintain its performance level. The titanium layer will no longer be on the drill bit except in the fluting and perhaps on the sides.

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Cobalt drill bits are often the best for drilling into hardened steel. Whereas titanium drill bits only have titanium in the coating, cobalt bits have cobalt throughout. After cobalt drill bits get worn out over time, you can resharpen them.

The more cobalt the bit contains, the harder the metal it can drill through. But the tradeoff is that increasing the cobalt increases the drill bit’s brittleness. Be sure to use the appropriate drilling techniques to preserve your cutting tools.

Hello, pals! I went in to get second lobe and helix piercings in each ear; the piercer advised that she'd do the helixes if I'd really like, but that I would have a bad time for a few reasons:

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Hardened steel is medium- or high-carbon steel that has been given heat treatment, rapidly cooled and tempered. The high amount of carbon in the steel makes it possible to harden the metal.

Almost anything involving poking holes in flesh with sharp metal. | New here? Welcome! In the app, tap on "see more" first. On desktop, check the sidebar first

I still find myself really hoping to get the helix piercings, so I thought I'd seek some additional advice: would you have made the same recommendation she did? Am I setting myself up for failure if I ask her to do the piercing despite the drawbacks (which she indicated she'd be fine with)? I do value her expertise and artistry, so I don't want to be presumptuous if I'm asking for something I really shouldn't do.

If you’re looking for a tool to cut through hardened steel, check out the cobalt drill bit sets at Drill Bit Warehouse. Our premium M42 drill bits come in various lengths to suit your project needs. Shop with us today for high-performance drill bits.

She gave me a few recommendations for other piercings, and I said I'd take some time to think about what she said and sleep on it.

These drill bits can be tungsten carbide tipped or full body. Carbide-tipped bits can drill through hard, non-metallic materials like masonry. If you want to drill hardened steel with tungsten carbide, use a full-body bit.