I need a safe way for children to make a 2mm hole through a shell or an oak gall without using a drill bit.
I had thought of a mini pump drill with a flint tip, has anyone made one?
cheers,
Toddy
Hmmm ... tough to do without electric or man-powered modern drills. And using a pump drill would take a lot longer to develope some skill in using it. Plus knapping a long/thin enough flint drill is pretty hard to do. A lot of skill/experience at flint knapping would be required.
So everything tends to point towards some version of a modern metal drill - either hand operated or electric.
One quick/simple option, though, would be a Punch. You would need some sort of clamp/vise to hold the shell, and then a thin metal punch and hammer/maul. Clamp your shell/gaul in your "vice", hold your metal punch down against it, then smack it with your hammer or maul. The force should "punch" through part or all the way through with that blow. Additional blows might be necessary.
Drawbacks:
The shell/gaul might crack/split. The hole might have sharp or jagged edges. Little bits might fly out. The hammer might miss the punch and hit a hand. The hammer/maul might hit the punch at an angle instead of straight down.
Now, some of the "problems" with this could be minimized by making up a combination holder/swingarm/punch. Like making a large wood version of an office stapler - but with the metal punch attached to the end of the swinging top arm, and a shallow depression/hole below it where the shell/gaul would set. Put a shell/gaul in the hole/depression, swing the arm down so that the punch attached to the end of it rests down on your shell/gaul, then smack the top of the punch to make your hole down through the shell/gaul.
This would eliminate holding the punch in a hand, and getting it lined up just right, and also direct the hit/blow correctly. In theory, it would be quick and simple. But you would still have some problems with cracking/splintering of the shell/gaul, and with some potential sharp edges around the hole you just punched through them.
So a drill still would be the best option. And a modern metal drill bit would be better than risking a flint drillbit (extra sharp edges and greater chance of breaking). That modern metal drillbit could be used in an battery operated drill, a hand cranked drill, or even clamped into a handle and twisted in by hand. A clamp-on screwdriver handle, or file handle would work.
Just a few rambling thoughts to share. Hope they help.
Mikey - yee ol' grumpy blacksmith out in the Hinterlands