VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1929-1932 Drilling a 1/2" hole in new paint

I need to drill a 1/2" hole in my newly painted dashboard. I have read on other forums that the heat generated by drilling could cause problems with the paint around the hole. I am considering starting to drill with a very small bit and progressively use a larger and larger bit until I reach the desired size. Of course I will also drill slowly and hopefully this will keep the heat generated down to a minimum. Can anyone find a problem with my plan or have any other suggestions? Thanks.
Frank

Hello oldcarz,
Suggest drilling your pilot hole at the chosen location. Apply painters masking tape (the blue or green kind) over the hole and surrounding area. Find the pilot hole again. Mark the 1/2" diameter on the tape ( a 1/2" forsner wood boring bit would work to mark the circle ) or a nail in the middle of a 1/2" dowel. Cut the circle and the paint using an exacto knife. A step drill sounds good for this installation.

Using the tape, pilot hole, drilling lube and a sharp drill bit will minimize any heat damage. Actually I don't expect any heat damage if the bits are sharp.

I like using step drills for sheet metal. Start with a 1/8 -3/16 then go slow.

sharp drill bits are a must have.

mike

When you remove the tape pull toward the hole. If you pull from the hole out you may pull the paint with the tape.

Hi Frank,you may think this to be weird but it worked well for me. On advise of someone with much more know how than me---I took a 2"+2" piece of kitchen sponge,got it wet,squeezed out the excess,froze it (flat) overnight then taped it to the back side of piece to be drilled just before you drill !! Worked great !! kept the metal nice & cool without adversly effecting the operation !!!! cool , right? Sharp bit is a must !!Best of luck!

Thanks guys.