It turns out that a hot solution of alum (ammonium aluminum sulfate), which is available in the spice rack of your local supermarket, will dissolve the steel drill bit without reacting with the brass.

So it’s always a joy to pick up a new trick, especially one as simple as putting a hardened edge on mild steel using a drill bit as a filler rod. This tip comes to us by way of [Jody], aka ...

the extra control afforded by the design of these bits was especially helpful. It takes a tough bit to drill through hard ...

Almost any general-purpose twist bit will do a decent job of drilling holes in metal. In fact, most drill bits labeled ...