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Petzl Roc Pec Hand Drill 26-Jul-2013 At 10:36:23 AM tshaw

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On 26/07/2013 IdratherbeclimbingM9 wrote:
>On 25/07/2013 tshaw wrote:
>>Just wondering if anyone has used the petzl hand drill on granite?
>>
>>Is there anything that is better in the hand drill department?
>
>The abundant powered drill responses to a hand drill question probably
>reflects the way climbing has gone in the last 10 to 15 years...
>☻
>
>The star drills that Macciza refers to, are very light and have no hand
>protection. They are effectively a long drill bit made from octagonal rod,
>that can be held in your hand and of quality stock that can be hit with
>a lump-hammer to drive it.
>The 'X' tip on them is quite effective compared to the 'I' tip of standard
>drill bits, when it come to hand drilling.
>
>I have found the best combination is to make up (or get made up at your
>local engineering workshop), a hand piece out of hex-rod that takes a modified
>star-drill. You can get a cheap rubber flange to put on the hex-rod as
>added hand protection if needed.
>The advantages of the made up holder are that it is easier to hold and
>can be hit a lot harder due having a larger base (approx 20mm vs about
>6mm). The insert portion of the star drill needs to be lathed back to round
>and taper matched to the hole in the holder.
>Due having a star-bit, it only requires a quarter turn each strike instead
>of a half turn required with normal bits, which is easier on the wrist
>and less tangle for any retaining lanyard.
>
>If you go down this track, don't forget to get a drift pin also made of
>tempered steel, as removing the star-bit from the holder will require a
>couple of decent whacks on the drift pin, and mild steel simply deforms
>without budging the bit!
>
>Good quality star-drills used to be English or Australian made. This is
>important for retaining the cutting edge of the star, as well as taking
>the hits on the shank base if used without a holder. I have no idea if
>the likely Chinese equivalents have the staying power of the older models...
>
>Also make sure that the bolts you use match the hole made by the star-drill,
>as the size of modern star-drills may not match the 3/8^th bolts
>of old?
>
>
>
>>hand drill on granite?
>>the crag requires a fair few days of work with a bit of a hike in.
>>looking at hand drills as the routes are quite long and will be ground
>up bolting.
>
>The granite you want to drill wouldn't be at Mt Buffalo or it's back blocks
>would it?

Cheers M9,that is some great info. Definitely going to look into the custom made option. Sounds like it will be a bit more effective than the petzl.

and yes drilling will occur at Buffalo. Thinking The Horn needs some more work. Nah looking at Nug Nug and Nth slabs, Mt Mcleod area. Keen for some of the bigger cliffs in the area.