Putting together a couple knives. Need to drill thru the handle. I bought a bit that said it was for metal but it won't go thru a 1/8" 1095 blank.

You guys have recommendations for a brand of bit that will?

Carbide drill bit, Doubt you'll drill enough holes to wear one out but you can sure as hell chip one so take care. They aren't cheap.

Knife handle should be relatively soft. You could try drawing it back.

What is drawing it back?

Chinook3

Unless it’s hardened any metal bit should run right through that pretty easily. I just have a set of Irwin bits. Maybe use a little cutting oil and go slow. Using my drill press I can punch holes in the 1084 I’ve been using all day as long as do that.

It is hardened.

You could try using a torch to heat the tang up where you want to drill so you take the hardness out of it. You'd want to be careful make sure the blade didn't heat up too much though. It can be done. Drilling hardened steel is no fun!

If you heat up the handle with a torch, you can wrap the blade in a wet towel/rag to keep it cool.

Just stand it up in a can of water with the blade down when torching the handle.