OH $#@*!

[sdilts]

I was drilling the touch hole for the volley gun I'm working on and of course the 5/64" drill bit breaks off. Now I have 5/8" of drill bit stuck in the breech block and it broke off flush so there is nothing to grab. Any ideas how to get this sucker out?

[45-110]

Assuming its a blind hole? If you can, take a carbide endmill and mill it out, Or find a real machine shop that can burn it out with a edm tap disenigrator.

[al56]

Take to a machine/tool and die or mold shop.   They should be able to EDM it out.

[borderdogs]

Like everyone has said, find a machine shop or tool & Die shop let them take it out.
Rob

[David Rase]

EDM

[DavidC]

1/16" 2- flute carbide EM 3600-4600 Rpm and .0001 feed by hand. Any machine shop with a vise and a cnc mill (manuals rarely have the rpm) can knock that out in less than a half hour assuming the vise is on a table.

I literally did this to a Nachi SSG #6 drill that broke in some stainless today, it's no big deal and just an irritation, and an expense for you. Good luck.

EDM is better but becoming uncommon.

[BDPalmer]

Exactly what DavidC said, works like a charm. I would knock as much as I could out with a punch first, then in the vise of the milling machine with old carbide endmills. That's why I save all my dull, small endmills, for just such an occasion.

[Dphariss]

A Carbide drill or center cutting end mill will easily cut HS steel. But run the speed pretty high and make sure thing are clamped down tight. Carbide is pretty brittle and will work wonders but get too aggressive, and it can shatter.

[Reegee/Flint]

 :-\I heard old timers would pour either nitric or sulfuric acid ( don`t know which) in the tap hole and the acid would eat the tap teeth quicker than the surrounding steel and taken out with tweezers. Maybe?

[okieboy]

 Small drill are usually not stuck that tightly. I my former life in manufacturing I have removed a lot of drills like that. I would spray them with WD40 and then grab them in the flutes with a pair of needle nose tweezers that were ground even more needle nosed and just patiently start wiggling the drill to loosen. Often they will come out and when they do it is a better solution than carbide drilling or EDM. Worth a try.

[Metalshaper]

another old timey way, is oil of wintergreen. It'll eat at the drill's edges and loosen the stuck bits..

Respect Always
Metalshaper/Jonathan

[sdilts]

Got that sucker out. After closer inspection, I saw that the vent hole had just barely broken into the breech block hole. I took a 1/4" end mill and drilled the breech hole a tad deeper which opened up more of the vent hole. Took a 1/16" punch and drove the drill bit down into the breech hole, then put a grinding point on my drill and ground the bit off. Repeated this about 3 times and it all came out. All is good now.

[577SXS]

Can you drill from the other side and then knock it out with a punch.