drilling holes stainless steel pots

[mrbees]

Hi just received my 3 stainless steel pots from bergland bit concerned what sort of condition they would be in when they arrived but upon arrival the only problem was a slight dent in base mash tun.
I`m was wondering if anybody in or near newport south wales could lone me a cutter to drill a couple of holes.
This is my first post and i am still in the early stages of getting of the ground.
Cheers

[Fil]

welcome in, guess you have been lurking a while

hope you get a local lend, I would offer mine but PnP 2 ways would cost virtually as much as buying new and my 20mm qmax isnt the sharpest anymore.. (well over 1/2 the price at least)

what size holes are you looking to open ??

my #1 tip is to use a hard sharp point (old micro screwdriver works), brace the back, and hit with a hammer to break the skin before using hss drill bits to open up the pilot hole step by step..

[alexlark]

Look on ebay for a qmax, the size you need. I had 1 for an electric element, cheapest place online that I could find was ebay. You can always sell the qmax on after you've finished with it.

[sbond10]

Have you got an email for Bergland ? I've got two different ones

[Fil]

Catering-Portal.Bergland@msg.afterbuy.de

[BenB]

Just an update on using the Qmax cutters. My top tips are

1) grease the thread on the bolt
2) as said above wallop a nail where you want to drill- it doesn't matter if it doesn't break the surface, it will dent it slightly, flattening it and presenting a drillable surface (the convex surface of the boiler makes it very difficult to drill unless you do it from the inside so its concave). Banging with a nail cut down my drill time from about 20 minutes to 1 minute (even if you can't see that it has flattened the surface it makes a massive difference).
3) 100% cobalt bits are a good investment if not cheap. DeWalt do a relatively reasonable set.
4) If using the small cutters make sure you assemble them properly (!)- caught me out the first time!

[bobsbeer]

Depending on the size of hole you are wanting, a decent step drill bit is good once you have drilled or broken through with a nail. Just go slowly and watch out when you go through. Easy to break a bit at that point.

[Fil]

if using a step drill clamp/tie down the pot/work piece, holding it with your spare hand may not be enough to counter the kick when a 'next step' engages..

[Collingwood]

if using a step drill clamp/tie down the pot/work piece, holding it with your spare hand may not be enough to counter the kick when a 'next step' engages..

Yes, and also orientate the pot so its curved sides are running east-west when you stand in front of it with the drill. In other words the curves are running away to the sides and not towards you.

Reason is that stainless is hard and you will need a fair bit of downward pressure (+ slow speed drilling with lubricating oil) to break though. If you have the curvature of the sides rolling north-south and the drill bit slips, you risk shoving the bit forcefully into your groin.

[Oakey22]

Centre punch where you want to drill, start off a small drill bit and work your way up then step drill once you are at a big enough size to take it.

I don't understand the need for nails being hit in to it, but a good set of drill bits and lubricate with cutting oil whenever you use them. Will last you a long time if you keep them sharp and take care.

Remember with stainless, apply pressure and run the drill slow as too fast will work harden the stainless.

[IronBlue]

I've just drilled a Bergland pot. As others have said the initial pilot hole is the hardest bit. I just used the same 20mm hole saw and arbour I use on thicker stock pots, plus a thinner bit to get started. The hole sawing bit is really quick, it's just getting that initial hole through. The most important thing is a slow drill speed and some cutting lubricant.

I've got a 20mm Erbauer hole saw from Screwfix that was £2.99 and has now done 4 stock pots and the thermopot no problem. £3.99 for an arbour if you don't have one.

[BenB]

With convex surfaces the surface curves away from the drill bit so it does not "present" to the bit properly. Hitting a dimple creates a localised concave surface which allows the bit to work much much better. I didn't believe it would make a difference but decided to try it anyway. I was quite frankly astounded..... In fact there's almost no time to reapply the cutting oil! A 3mm goes through in about 20sec then up to 8mm and a taper bit to 10mm.