"Need help drilling resin" Topic

Not sure if this is the right section to post this question but after quickly reviewing the option, I guess this is the best fit…

I'm encoutering a problem in drilling a bore for a 5mm magnet in a resin HS-129 from battlefront.

So I got a pin vise set. Wonderful little thing, I progressively enlarged my bore until I hit 1/8". I'd procured a bigger hand drill in which I then proceeded to insert a 5/32 drill bit.

From there…things changed. A bigger drill then 1/8 seems too aggressive and tend to bite too hard. Feels like it's trying to rip off instead of cutting, bites in the material. Thank the gods of miniatures that I looked into this and didn't barge in with an electric drill.
Unfortunately I still had some way to go, needing to drill the bore ideally to 1/4", at worst to 5mm so I can at least insert the magnet. What to do? Can always try to go with less increment (go with 1/64 increments, but that will mean havind to procure new drill bits, probably at work), but I'm asking here first in case there's something I don't know about drilling resin.

I'm using good old HSS drill bits, 118 degrees lip. Is there a different kind of drill bit that is recommended for resin? Perhaps use a less agressive angle for the drill? Should I simply abandon the idea of 5mm magnets and go smaller?

Any help to face this new issue is welcome

If I have that problem (bit grabbing the item) I usually step down in size and it works.

What Striker said is the easier solution, but if you don't have the bits then that's a problem.

Try using a palm pin vice and turning the bit a quarter turn, back off to release the cut material, then turn another quarter. The problem with resin is that it can crack quickly, sometimes just to annoy you, so using a new, sharp bit is important.

Don't try using carbide bits, though they are very sharp and can have shallower flutes. Stick to HSS. Carbide bits and resin do not get on well, in my experience (though I haven't used any on 3D printed resin), though they are brilliant for hard plastics.