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Update: I found a setup I am happy with! Details here.

I heard how great pin vises and drilling out barrels were, so I went ahead and got an "Ebay special":



I am not happy with it. It's fine for plastic, but I'm trying out some metal Sisters of Battle, and a) the drill bits slip like a tap dancer, and b) seem to dull after drilling a single hole through metal. (Seriously. The first hole drills great, and the next one takes 5 minutes.)

I'd like some higher-quality stuff. I'm actually looking at buying the GW Hobby Drill, because I've heard it's got a great solid feel. I'm open to others, but I want to make sure I get something good. (The Ebay Special drill is okay, but the collets deform really easily.)

Anybody got any good drill bits to recommend? I've heard of bits with a thick shank, but couldn't find any. Could somebody point me in the direction for those? I'm otherwise thinking of getting a GaleForce 9 pinning kit, which comes with brass rod and a matching drill bit or two.

Just did the rounds on Amazon and settled on this one after reading about 30 different reviews for several products.

I got it in the mail today actually, and immediately set to work pinning a large conversion I've been working on. Works great! There are 4 seperate chucks in the handle, so you make sure to get a solid fit on bits ranging from "large" to extremely tiny. This set is perfectly adequate for precision work. I think it was $6 more than the Ebay special equivalent, and I can tell already that it will last longer than my body will, provided its taken care of...this is a tool that you can pass down to a young one or kid some day.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001RJE3X8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Gotta say, I'm happy with my dremil.

The pin vice shown is fine, you just need some quality HSS or tungsten tipped bits. GW white metal is a pretty hard alloy, as far as modelling metals go, so you need a reasonably hard bit to cut it well.

The skipping is more likely you not putting a pilot mark or hole in though. Get a hard carbon steel scribing tool and use that to mark your drill point. You can also use an x-acto to score a + where you want the hole, but the scribing tool is safer and more accurate.
Do not go straight to large bore, always start with a reasonably small bit to get the pilot hole going, this keeps the cut even.

Thanks for the suggestions. When you say tungsten tipped, do you mean tungsten carbide or tungsten vanadium?

Also, when I talked about slipping, I meant the bit slips back into the collet, not that it skips around on the surface. That's why I was talking about getting a bigger shank.

I did find some drill bits with a bigger shank:



Also, drillbitsunlimited.com sells carbide drill bits (with what looks like thick shanks) per piece, with $3 shipping in the US:

http://drillbitsunlimited.com/Create-Your-Custom-Drill-Set-P4800627.aspx

I'm going to try getting a set of them.

I just picked up one of these drills from Tamiya. I see a lot of people using them on YouTube. I'm hoping that it's more convenient than the Dremel.

I have both the P3 and Games Workshop pin vises (as well as a no-name brand one). In Canada, they were $25 for GW, $12 for P3, and the generic one I got was many eons ago, so the price isn't comparable.

The GW one DEFINITELY feels the nicest. It's weighted really nicely, and the knob that presses against your hand is very large, which is helps stabilize it, especially when you're drilling metal. I think the GW one comes with 5 drill bits of different sizes starting at 1 mm, which is really handy if your hobby shop doesn't carry bits (my hobby shop sells has many sizes, individually for $1.50). The bits are of reasonable quality.

The GW drill does not include any pinning rods, but this isn't really a big deal in general, because a small paper clip fits a 1mm hole perfectly.

The P3 pin vise comes with 2 drill bits, both 1mm, and a bunch of pinning rods. You can buy "refill" packs that come with more drill bits and pinning rods, too. The pin vise itself is well constructed and well-balanced, and I've used it on 100+ models. It's quite a bit narrower than the GW one, so it happens to slide into a spot on my paintbrush drying rack that I don't use There is absolutely nothing wrong with the P3 pin vise, and it was a fantastic deal.

The generic one that I have works fine too, but its construction feels cheap and cruddy compared to either the P3 or GW pin vise.

Now, having used the GW pin vise, I can tell you, I might as well throw away my other ones, because I can't really imagine ever using them again. The GW pin vise feels like a Ferrari. The craftsmanship just feels so nice and it feels great... I WANT to use it. That being said, the holes it drills aren't any better, hehe.

One quick pin vise tip -- mark where you want to drill with the tip of a No 11 blade, and turn the hobby knife around a couple of times to score it to guide the drill. There is nothing more irritating than a bolt gun barrel that is slightly offset!

I will also have to put in a plug for the ridiculously overpriced diagonal cutters from GW. A couple of weeks ago, there was literally nothing to buy at my hobby store, so I impulse purchased these. They were the only GW tool I hadn't bought, because really, who is dumb enough to spend $30 on a pair of snippers? Well, after having used them, I still think they are stupidly priced, but I must say, they are very nicely made. The weight and material is fantastic, it looks very... professional... and most importantly, it made very good cuts on plastic sprues. I snipped up a bunch of pieces from my second Stormclaw box, and I was able to cut closer to the plastic than I normally would with my cheapies. It is extremely sharp, although of course this won't last. And, of course, you still have to use a knife and file afterwards.

Anyhow, the snippers are an extravagance that are a terrible value, but if you're into really nice tools and don't mind blowing some money (which is kind of what the pin vise is like, to be honest), the box picture doesn't do it justice.

Listed this off in a post a while back:
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/591328.page#6752653

You can get mixed drill bits pretty cheap pretty much anywhere. <edit> cannot say drill bits have varied enough in quality to be fussy, they are a disposable item!

These are what I use after trying many kinds that just did not work well:


My list of ones I own that I really do not like...
And this is what I want to get as the ultimate set:
http://www.jewelerssupplies.com/Pin-vise.html

The "Bergeon 30026-A"

Good Luck.

Below is a picture of the GW and P3 pin vises beside each other.

By the way, I'm not a fan of the jeweler pin vises above because they don't have the spinny knob at the back, which I find really helps with miniatures.

Talys wrote:
By the way, I'm not a fan of the jeweler pin vises above because they don't have the spinny knob at the back, which I find really helps with miniatures.

Yes, everyone has a preference.
I am not a fan of the spinny knob because you are tempted to press down which is too hard with a 1/16" of 1/32" bit.
Turning my wrist rather than cramping my fingers feels more natural to me: to each their own.

Talys wrote:
Below is a picture of the GW and P3 pin vises beside each other.

By the way, I'm not a fan of the jeweler pin vises above because they don't have the spinny knob at the back, which I find really helps with miniatures.

Yeah, the P3 one is basically the same as any other "noname" one you'd get from a place like Hobby Lobby. I had had an older GW one but I can't find it anymore -.-; I've been tempted to get the new one, but dang it I have a decent, working one already!

 Angrypuffin wrote:
Also, when I talked about slipping, I meant the bit slips back into the collet, not that it skips around on the surface. That's why I was talking about getting a bigger shank.

Bits with enlarged shanks are going to be more expensive and harder to source. Much better, IMO, to focus on finding a pin vice with decent collets (plural - unless you have a separate tool for each 2-4 size bit range (the jumps get larger as you go up in diameter), you really want something interchangeable) and to make sure you're only exerting reasonable downward pressure. I regularly use wire gauge drill bits like the ones pictured in the "Ebay special" post (#s 60-80) in a zero closure collet, but I can (and sometimes do) fit shanks all the way up to 3/16" by swapping collets. Putting too much downward pressure on my smaller bits will make them snap ten times over before they'd ever slip.

It can be a pain to find quality hand tools, but they're out there and well worth the effort of the hunt. Wish I could recommend you a particular model, but my "Ol' Faithful" pin vice is decades old (from my dad's wooden ship modeling days - it's likely quite a few years older than I am), with no identifying marks.

Do check the body of your pin vice for the spare collets - most are also double-ended, with a different size grip in each.
Edit: It's the handle end that usually comes off to hide the collets, not the actual chuck. Try unscrewing that end and see what you find in there.

It's good to be the bearer of good news.

A few days ago, I said I was ordering a GW Hobby Drill and some drill bits from drillbitsunlimited.com. Today they arrived.

I had ordered the "Custom Drill Bit Set", which allowed you to select the bits you wanted individually. It said they were solid carbide bits- that got me excited. You could choose from new, resharpened, or used bits (they're used in a high-tech industry where you have to cycle them out as a matter of course after a certain number of uses, even if they're fine).

It turned out, the "set" was more than just a shopping cart gimmick: they came in a nice little box.


Inside, the bits were all arranged in the same order as the invoice. I've got two 0.75 mm, two 1.0 mm, one 1.25mm, two 1.5mm, and one 2.0mm bits. You can see that they all have thick shanks- I think they're around 3.0mm.


They've also all got nice colored collars. They've got labels right on the collar, so you know what bit you're using:


I'm sure you've all seen the GW Hobby Drill, so I won't do the unboxing of that here. Suffice it to say that it reminded me of when my friend opened his first iPod. More importantly, I found that these drill bits did not fit in the GW Hobby Drill's collet. (Yes, I tried both sides!)

Top: Drill bit doesn't fit in GW collet. Bottom left: 0.75mm drill bit next to GW 1.0mm drill bit. Bottom right: GW Hobby Drill collet next to "Ebay Special" collet.

Happily, I was able to take the largest size collet from the Ebay Special and put it in the GW drill. The shanks are actually still slightly larger, but the collets are flexible, so I was able to get the shank in the collet with just a bit of force- more like firmness, really. And once I did, the bit slid right in up unto the collar. All in all, it was brilliant- no more fiddling trying to get it just the right amount in the collet, no more skew angles.


And when I actually tried cutting with it, it was great. It's a wonderful feeling to go from frustrating, insufficient tools to excellent tools. With the Ebay Special, I found that the bits would drill one hole well, the second tolerably, and after that they would just spin pointlessly against white metal. (The Ebay Special bits were still fine for plastic.) But drilling with these carbide bits was as easy in white metal as the Ebay Special was with plastic. It was marvelous. I pinned 3 Sisters in less time than it took to pin one before.


The bits were $1-$2 apiece. Shipping was $3. This Drill Bits Unlimited guy has made me a very happy customer. (So has the GW Hobby Drill, but that's not news.)

 Dullspork wrote:
I just picked up one of these drills from Tamiya. I see a lot of people using them on YouTube. I'm hoping that it's more convenient than the Dremel.

This is what I use. I find it to be my go-to drill, especially since I have a horde army.

Just enough torque for me, without the plastic-melting overkill and weight of a dremel. This thing is nimble.

As a plus, or maybe a disadvantage to some, it requires assembly, just like the models upon which you are probably using it.

Tip: in my experience, they don't provide you enough lubrication for the job, so have some additional plastic- friendly lube handy.

There's also a quick mod you can do it to accommodate a quick-change Dremel chuck. I'll try to find it.

Update: I think I used the Dremel collet in this guy's tutorial to modify mine. I did NOT need to machine the piece he's talking about in the attached pics. I think it fit snugly with a light wrap of tape.

Whatever I did, I can use most drill sizes in it with no swapping.

http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/node/11404

 Angrypuffin wrote:
It said they were solid carbide bits- that got me excited.

In case you are unfamiliar (or for others information) carbide is good - in that it means you will likely never dull them on the materials we normally drill into.

However - it also means they will snap off in a second. Very hard, but very brittle. Be sure not to toss them in a box where they can rattle against each other, as carbide hitting carbide generally will chip at the least and crack often enough. When drilling into something be careful not to change angles, that can cause them to snap off (much more readily than regular HSS bits - which already are pretty easy to snap).

Still, generally worth the effort as you don't have to worry about much else with them. You should get clean, consistent holes in anything you can put in front of the bit.

 Sean_OBrien wrote:

However - it also means they will snap off in a second. Very hard, but very brittle.

Huh! Very interesting! I don't feel like I've done a particularly excellent job in keeping the bits straight, but no snapping so far. I'll keep an eye out for that.

You should get clean, consistent holes in anything you can put in front of the bit.

I have noticed that the holes are much, much cleaner than my other bits.

Those bits seem really awesome, how much for the set?

And is there any pattern to the coloring?