anyway as the build progressed so did my confidence so much i even had the time to take snaps of how i did it for anyone as nervous as i once was with the last bit i did..
I still probably make a meal out of it, but have burnt and broke a few bits on the way..
Now this job is thru the lid of a thermotopt and the SS is thinner than the wall of a stock pot. but its just the same (almost)..
First thing to do is work out where you want to cut, the thermopot lid has 2 surfaces the inside is flat so i chose that to cut first as it was easier to measure and mark.
when you know where to cut put tape down or put tape down before you mark..
The tape is crucial the thicker the tape the better, i did use painters masking tape but that wasnt so successful. duct/duck? tape is good.. i used insulation tape here..
thats what im fitting and the proper drill 450w mains job fitted with a basic 4mm i think jobber bit.
I do have a proper metal punch, but the old crosshead micro screwdriver works really well too, and a big amma. With a stockpot wall you wont puncture , but will mark well enough, if you want to puncture , a good whallop will do it but you want to brase the back of the target with something substantial if u do.
With this thinner SS a decsent tap will puncture the skin making it a doddle..
Then just open up the hole with the small 3? 4? mm ordinary drill bit.
Now when using a powerdrill like this where its on or off, i have been pulsing the trigger 1 quick pull and release as to not overheat the bit. in between pulses i spray the bit and bite point with a diddy squirt of wd40. if its a pre punctured skin like this a single pulse will cut the hole.
with a pilot hole open its easy to open it up futrher, if your using a qmax cutter you dont need to open it up much more, but im going thru a dble skin so cant use a qmax befor opening up a bigger hole to start with.. so im using a stepper drill bit.
the wd40 is used to cool the drilling. if u see it smoking STOP!!
cooling wasnt needed opening up the pilot hole, but i have killed a stepper bit when not cooling it..
so first squirt the hole with wd40, and again pulse the drill trigger for a second, Now its crucial, if you can co=opt help a 3rd hand to squirt as u pluse the drill trigger helps and makes it a super quick job.
as the hole gets bigger the drill will kick more when it bites, so be warned if your tempted to drill one handed and spray with the other.. your wrist may not thank you.
it wont take long before the holes start looking big enough
when i hit the bottom skin i used the cone hole to guide my punch for the 2nd skin..
Back to the small drill bit to open it up with a pulse to prep it for the stepper drill bit..
And when the holes are big enough for use...
I spent more time picking up and turning on/off the camera than the job took so if nervous about drilling SS dont be.
unlike a qmax cutter the steper dril wont leave a nice clean cut so you will need to file or grind down the rough cut hole edge, a dremil type tool with a sanding drum or stone works very well, or a small needle file with a round edge if nothing else.
