Good luck with it Jim,
just remember nothing is impossible but sometimes buying the tools to do the impossible can be expensive 
Glad you got the other re-pivoting job done, that clock will run for much longer now
You can buy carbide drill bits to go through hardened steel but you do have to be very careful with them, because they are so hard they are also brittle. Have you tried one of these for drilling out your flag? Please dont snap one off in a pivot hole either, you will have a monster job getting it out again.
Let us know how it goes.
Paul.
