ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area Welders: Hardfacing old drill bits?

"Hardfacing" is both effective, and a time-proved technique. The only real 'downside' is that you need to be able to grind a new point- without grinding through the new metal.

I believe that three things have made 'hardfacing' a thing of the past: the availability of cobalt steel (and coatings like TiN), the availability of carbide bits, and the affordability of bits.