Quote Originally Posted by jw2373 View Post
...... he simply reduced the cutting angle of the bit to almost nothing. Still cut perfectly well because of how soft the brass is and then he resharpened the bit when he was done......
Josh, the casual 'resharpened the bit when done' has me utterly envious. Sharpening drill bits freehand is a skill that got deleted from my DNA at the embryonic stage. I had an uncle who was a fitter & he showed me several times how 'easy' it is, but I still make an unholy mess of it every time I try!

The safest way for me is to start with a relatively small drill, & work up to full size in 1mm steps. Apart from reducing the chance of a 'grab', you get a neater, more accurate hole in the end, that way. It's when impatience takes hold & I try to move up too quickly that trouble strikes...

Cheers,