Punching holes through thick parts

[Dazliare]

Hello!

I'm not sure this is the right place for my question, but I'll ask anyway. I need to drill/punch/cut some 3mm holes for axles on a train model I'm working on. Problem is, the chassis I'm cutting through is 4 mm thick so my hole punch really can't do it.

I tried using a drill with a 3 mm bit, but it tore the paper pretty badly and I ended up having to do a fair bit of filling/painting/repair to fix it.

A drill press might work, but I don't have one, and I don't know what bit I would use.

I have a pin vise, though my largest bit for that is .5 mm.

So I'm at a bit of a loss. I have 10 of these holes to drill and I'm not really sure how to achieve it. Please share your trade secrets

[hornswoggler]

I would soak the spot where I want to drill with thin cyanoacrylate (runny superglue) to turn the card into something more solid. That should prevent the drill bit from tearing up the material. Drill a small pilot hole first. Soak again if necessary before using the 3mm bit. Good Luck!

[Tim Crowe]

Might be worth trying a dermal punch

Usually available via eBay

Tim

[SCEtoAUX]

Try a Japanes Screw Punch or a book drill
Edit:
Here is a thread from 2014 where I discuss one
Screw Punch

[billmcc]

I have used cyanoacrylate (as hornswoggler suggested) and a rotary (Dremel) tool to make holes in thinner cardtsock, but the technique should still work on thicker cardtsock. The drill bit will tend to skate around until it bites into the surface of the material, so I suggest you make a small starter hole with a pin vise.

I am going to check into getting a screw punch as SCEtoAUX suggested. It seems like a very handy tool. This one comes with a 3mm punch: Amazon.com

[John Wagenseil]

Originally Posted by hornswoggler

I would soak the spot where I want to drill with thin cyanoacrylate (runny superglue) to turn the card into something more solid. That should prevent the drill bit from tearing up the material. Drill a small pilot hole first. Soak again if necessary before using the 3mm bit. Good Luck!

or apply varnish or lacquer to the paper backside.

They are hard to find and expensive, unless you luck out and find a basement priced used set at flea market, but mini spade drills seem to work better on paper than twist drills (they work best for holes smaller than 1 or 2 mm).
You can make your own spade drills from sewing needles with a coarse and fine whet stone (or if you have lots of patience and a light touch, wet and dry sandpaper on a glass plate or back side of a glass pie pan).
how do I make a spade drill? | NAWCC Forums

or drill a smaller hole in the paper and enlarge it with a broach or small triangular file.

[Dazliare]

Originally Posted by billmcc

I have used cyanoacrylate (as hornswoggler suggested) and a rotary (Dremel) tool to make holes in thinner cardtsock, but the technique should still work on thicker cardtsock. The drill bit will tend to skate around until it bites into the surface of the material, so I suggest you make a small starter hole with a pin vise.

I am going to check into getting a screw punch as SCEtoAUX suggested. It seems like a very handy tool. This one comes with a 3mm punch: Amazon.com

I just purchased this, thank you so much for the recommendation! This looks like a good solution

[dhanners]

I will say the screw punch is one of the handiest tools in my tool box. The trick is centering the hole that you’re punching.

[BigGiraffe]

Hello,

This thread interested me because making small holes in cardboard has always been a "pain" for me. So, I bought a screw punch on Amazon --
It works GREAT!

Thank you!
Kurt

[hangman]

I use a hollow punches & a hammer, available from a hardware store.