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Reply to "Newbie with many questions"

First off, drilling through most stainless steel is really, really tough, mostly because the metal, being an alloy, is really hard (think tool steel hardness).  Expect to totally dull any drills you use on it.

Second, I have had no luck with step drills on Stainless - they tend to take too big a bite of the metal and/or overheat and dull prematurely, but I've only tried them one time so your mileage may vary.

I use a set of Cobalt or Titanium drill bits and keep increasing every other size til I get where I want.  They tend to self-center in the previous holes so that hasn't been an issue.  Usually after 3 - 4 holes the bits are really dull and may or may not take a sharpening (I use a Drill Doctor).  Look for extremely heat resistant drill bits for the best results.

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