For years I’ve watched farmers and mechanics, including myself, squirt WD-40, JB-80 or motor oil on drill bits while drilling holes in an attempt to lubricate and cool the drill bit tip. The result is an oily mess and sometimes odiferous smoke, along with the frustration that the drill bit spins the lubricant out of the hole unless you apply a continuous stream. Plus, if drilling overhead or horizontally, it’s difficult to keep the lubricant/coolant around the drill bit’s tip.
Have you heard of “stick lubricants” for drill bits? They’ve been around for a long time but escaped my view until recently. Stick Kut, Hougen’s Slick-Stick, Drill-Ease Lube Stick and Lubri-Cut Drilling and Tapping Paste are thick, waxy coolant/lubricants applied to the flutes of drill bits before drilling. They stick to the flutes and liquify as the drill bit warms up, cooling, lubricating and speeding the drilling of holes with either a drill press or a hand-held drill. No need to keep squirting lubricant that immediately gets flung out of the hole.
A drill bit lube stick is now on my Christmas List, rather than another pair of socks.
