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wildwest450 · 06-24-2011, 03:46 AM

Congrats on the giant hole in your keg, stare at the girls, stare at the girls....

_

**pickles** · 06-24-2011, 04:22 AM

Thanks, it took me two years to build cause i couldnt focus thanks to those pesky "girls" Wildwest has!

shortyjacobs · 06-24-2011, 01:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pickles

You got to be very careful, if you generate to much heat at the drilling spot you'll "work harden" the area and you'll never get that drill through there. Like others have said, it's slow slow, lots of pressure and oil. There's no real substitute for cutting oil, but other oils will do in a pinch. A pilot hole is also a good idea.

Yeah, I did this recently trying to put a 1/2" hole in the keg. Said "screw it" and drilled at full speed, no coolant. Drill bit got halfway through and stopped going. I put some water on the hole and forced the drill through, (took a lot of effort), got my hole, but now the drill bit is hosed, (tip is discolored from the heat, it's so dull I had a tough time drilling copper with it last night).

Slow, with pressure, as I'd done it in the past, and even with just a trickle of water from a garden hose works great. Don't be impatient and try to rush it like me.

**SeanGC** · 06-24-2011, 02:12 PM

My Knockout punch had no problem going through my keg. However, requires a little elbow grease when you've managed about halfway through.

John0872 · 06-28-2011, 05:05 PM

I used a cheap Harbor Freight step bit on my HLT keg and my 62qt SS Bayou Classic boil kettle to drill both the spigot and element holes. The keg was a freebie so I wasn't too worried about screwing it up. I was surprised how clean of a hole I was able to make using the cheap step bit.

When I was close to the 1 1/4" step, I would stop and insert the element until I could almost screw it in. Because the step bit creates a bevel, you need to finish the hole with a metal file or dremal tool for it to be perfect.

The 62qt Bayou cost actual money and is much thinner metal. I used the same technique as the keg, but it was a messier hole and the dremal was a must. Also, because of the thin metal, it dimpled around the hole. I had to hammer it a little to get it close to flush.

Both elements were attached using Kal's technique and are luckily 100% water tight.

If I had to do it again, I would buy the punch tool. It's far too easy to mess it up using a step bit.