Drilling bit for knife handle

[cwilson]

I bought a carbon steel blade from Atlanta Cutlery to make me a ball handled knife, got the blade an handle shaped like I want it but the predrilled holes don't align now so need to drill a couple of new ones, problem I'm having is its eating up my drill bits, I bought some titanium drill bits a lowes yesterday and they started to drill then just started squalling and spinning with out cutting, putting oil on it an trying it doesn't work, I can't anneal the thing cause I've no way to re-temper it does anyone know of a bit I might use to drill this thing, don't know what type of carbon steel the blade is but is definitely is good.
Chris

[coutios]

  If you live close to a tool supply company you can try carbide. ( a little pricey for what you get). Sounds like the tang is full hardness. I take it you ground the blade to shape..  You could try and make a heat sink by wrapping the blade only in a wet cloth, while clamped in the vise. Try drawing the tang back with a torch. You might get enough to allow drilling..

Regards
Dave

[rich pierce]

I'm with Dave on drawing the tang.  If the wet rag does not appeal, stick the blade in the ground outside and use a torch, or stick it in a potato, squash, watermelon, pumpkin etc for grins.  They make good heat stinks.  I meant sinks 

[LRB]

  I would just make new grips.

[Birdhunter]

Try a Cobalt bit. That will drill spring steel ,stainless etc. However you have probably hardened the places you were trying to drill to the point where annealing is the only answer.
Curt

[Harnic]

I would do as Dave & Rich suggest: anneal the tang.  A tang that hard is a recipe for disaster down the road if a hard blow is directed at the knife, a broken tang can make fightin' that grizzly off !@*%&@ difficult! ;-)

[KennyC]

Plus 1 on Dave and Rich's suggestion

[TPH]

  I would just make new grips.

There ya go, sounds like the best way to go.

[lonehunter]

  I would just make new grips.

There ya go, sounds like the best way to go.

Yep!!!