Rebuilding augers after hitting nails or screws

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I've got maybe 500 auger bits. They range from 11/16 to 2"  in lengths up to 18, Milwaukee Selffeed up to 4". Murphy's law says " Whenever two or more pieces of wood are attached to each other, or there is at least one face I can't see, The hardened screw, or nail is exactly where I try to drill." A new $50.00 drill is ruined in an instant. I have had in mind to build up the ruined cutting edge, and re grind. Today I needed one, and didn't have a good one in the size I needed. I grabbed some Hastelloy W. It worked well. I did not attempt to harden or temper it. Is there a better choice of filler, or could I harden Hastelloy W?
Reply:I am a plumber, and I know your pain.    I am curious about your results.Miller BobcatHarris cutting outfitMiller spectrum 625 plasmaVariety of shopmade tools
Reply:I haven't rewelded them, but I've recut the "teeth" and cleaned them up. Results have varied from really good to fair at best. It's been a while since I did one, so I want to say I used a zip wheel on a grinder and tried to match the existing angles. Mostly I just cleaned up the faces and ground back to clean material. I think last ones I did, I drilled a hole in some scrap and put the shank in it so I could try and keep the angles as consistent as possible. I held the grinder on the correct angle using some braces to help keep things aligned, and turned the bit after each clean up pass.Teeth aren't really a big deal. Mostly it's the chisel blade that needs to be right. When I get those right the work almost as good as new. When I F them up results aren't so great. The screws can be bought separate, and I keep a few on hand for emergencies..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Willie B, I feel your pain!!  Sometimes it's best to just "bite the bullet" and buy a new one.  Best  Bob
Reply:How about rebuilding it with high speed steel from an old drill bit or tap (unless you have HSS welding rods), by O/A or TIG welding? Or welding it up with some other suitable hardfacing rod? Got an old O/A handbook showing repairs to broken teeth on metal cutting HSS tools for mills and such, and making (I don't know what they're called in english) cutting tools for lathes by building up some HSS on a piece of cheap steel, and grinding it to the correct cutting edge (instead of using a large piece of more expensive HSS and making a cutting edge on it's end). The multi-toothed stuff that got a single tooth rebuilt was recommended to be completely re-hardened, while the simpler stuff for the lathe was heated up with the torch and cooled by compressed air to get it hardened. I'd expect the latter method to be usable on wood cutting augers, if it's good enough for cutting steel in a lathe.
Reply:Originally Posted by rhuntWillie B, I feel your pain!!  Sometimes it's best to just "bite the bullet" and buy a new one.  Best  Bob
Reply:Gotta love those Milwaukee's, till they lock up!!  Been there and done that!  Best  Bob
Reply:Super Hog has a clutch on low speed so it doesn't throw you across the room, on high there is enough leverage to control it.
Reply:How hard are the augers? Will a file do anything to them, have they been deformed or do they chip? Pictures of the damages?
Reply:I'm no good with pictures. They are moderately hard when new, A file cuts them OK, will cut off pre 1960 nails with little evidence of damage. Shape isn't a concern, I build up the cutting edge, then dress it down with 4" grinder and die grinder.  Just wondering if there is a good TIG rod that lays down hard or that can be hardened with simple tooling and skills.
Reply:I have had good luck building up older ship style augers ( pre 1920 ) with either RG-65 with the torch, or 4130 with the tig, doing a simple torch heat-treat and temper after rough shaping, then doing a final shape.
Reply:There's nothing you're gonna stick on the edge that will get along with something like a drywall screw...The hastelloy W will not really harden by any means, it's just tough and doesn't get soft when hot. Mainly used to put things together that don't really want to be welded together & worked hard... At 60+% nickel, 20+% moly & a little cobalt it's not something you usually leave laying around for tweekers to run off with either.Power augers are prolly made from S-7 tool steel, the old brace bit type (slow but easy to sharpen and fast feeding) from 4140 to O-1 and less than mill file hard.If you want harder than file hard deposit go with S-7 tig filler for best toughness, more hardness go to H-12 or 13 tool steel filler. Neither will hold up to the edge treatment they are giving these china made razor blade screws they sell these days...  The tool steel is MUCH cheaper than the hastelloy.Good luckMatt
Reply:I expect the first screw to kill it again. TIG is the defibrillator that brings it back to life. Local selection is scant for good tool steel welding rod.
Reply:I used to sharpen auger drills for an electrician friend of mine.  All it took was a small file.  I think people are overthinking this.  Try dressing the end with a file to see just how hard it really is originally.
Reply:I have used the weld mold 880 tig filler for similar stuff. http://www.weldmold.com/tool-and-die...ing-materials/They also have a lot of hardfacing and specialty alloysLincolin Power Wave 450, Lincoln Powermig 255, Lincoln Pro Mig 140, Lincoln Squarewave Tig 275, Miller Big 40 G(with Hobart Hefty suitcase), Thermal Arc 95S and Esab PCM875 in an already full machine shop.
Reply:Originally Posted by lotechmanI used to sharpen auger drills for an electrician friend of mine.  All it took was a small file.  I think people are overthinking this.  Try dressing the end with a file to see just how hard it really is originally.
Reply:Most of these are ship auger style. They have no scoring tooth, the cutting edge is formed by removing steel beneath the chisel edge. The diameter of cutting edge is larger than the flighting. Looking straight on to the cutting edge it should form a sharp 90 degree angle. This is rounded with wear. Normal dulling from grit in the wood is sharpened away with a file. Major trauma causes material to be removed, it must be replaced to again sharpen.
Reply:At worst, you can try something on one or two of them and see how it works, do a couple using different materials and see what is best. If your looking at some of the more exotic fillers, talk to the LWS and see if they will let you sample a few rods if they have it on hand.
Reply:Airgas is local. I get a hearty shrug of the shoulders. I travelled this past week, stopped in at Haun in White River. They came up with a product, I have ordered. It hasn't arrived yet. I'll give you an update.
Reply:How about that update? Did you get your drills back into fighting shape so you could kill them again and again?
Reply:Sorry, I did receive the rod from Haun but haven't built up any more bits yet. Another item on my to do list.An optimist is usually wrong, and when the unexpected happens is unprepared. A pessimist is usually right, when wrong, is delighted, and well prepared.
Reply:Sharpening guide.  http://workshopcompanion.com/KnowHow...Drill_Bits.htm
Reply:I have used a small metal detector to check wood for tramp metal for 40 years.I use a larger metal detector on saw logs.Battery powered stud finders should work.
Reply:Any update on this  as im about to try  to rebuild a few bits
Reply:Total guess, but I'm wondering how some stainless filler would do on one??You can fix a lot of stuff with it, it can bail you out of a lot of jams as far as hack fixes go, and even a few legit ones Never welded on tools like that so I dunno what they're even made out of. High speed steel?  Edit, I just saw Matt commented on it.I'm interested in seeing the outcome myself Willie.Expert Garage Hack....https://www.facebook.com/steven.webber.948what would be a good rod  to buy or hard facing type of filler ?I will be using Tig for this
Reply:I've been hearing voices more than usual these days, they each tell me what to do. In most cases they tell me to do something other than welding, in a few cases they tell me to weld something other than drill bits. I did buy from Haun Welding supply some TIG rod for high carbon steel cutting edges. I haven't tried it yet. I will make it a priority this weekend. I have tried Hasteloy W, 309, and 312 stainless. All proved too soft for hard drilling. I think I need something I can grind to shape, Harden in water, then temper with less heat in oil. The stuff Haun sold me is supposed to fit the bill.An optimist is usually wrong, and when the unexpected happens is unprepared. A pessimist is usually right, when wrong, is delighted, and well prepared.
Reply:Welding Supply has S7 tool steel for a good price in 1lb, qty. It'll go 54-57RC hardness as welded.https://weldingsupply.com/cgi-bin/ei...DEF:OR:HS-7-10I generally go to H-12 hot work tool steel like below for this stuff though, it really resists chipping. Either is very safe, just weld, let it cool in still air, and put it to work.Good luckMatt Attached Images
Reply:well just ordered some of the s7 filler will be trying that soon. thank you guys for the help will let you know how it works
Reply:Try Eutectic® ChromCarb N6006 arc only but they have a lot of specialty rods and fillers.hxxp://www.castolin.com loose th xx and replace with ttLast edited by Yezok; 02-09-2015 at 08:52 PM.
Reply:Sorry to semi hi jack this thread i got my S7 tool steel filler wire today.weld up a auger bit welding went fast and easy took about 5 min to prep and weld one bit Went well.I will say trying to feather out to the edges of the bit had to be done after the bit cooled for little. And i might have gotten the bit a little to hot the whole first 3/8 of a inch  on the tip was glowing a dull red from me trying to fill in to much at one time.I let it cool in open air went fine.  Then i started shaping the cutting edge went not the fastest got it roughed in  but stop for the night cause i now know the shaping and sharping will be the long and painful part.IF it cut well it would have to last a while to make this worth it in the long run cause of the time to sharping the cuttng edge again