Universal Stopper with 2 Drilled Holes

I've been searching for a commercially available carboy stopper that has 2 drilled holes: one for a thermowell and another for an airlock. I either have very poor Google skills, or this is a product that isn't readily available from online homebrew supply stores.

I've seen a couple of threads discussing adding a 2nd hole by using a piece of sharpened tubing as a drill bit on a drill press, but I don't have a drill press handy or a piece of tubing with the correct OD. It would be great to find a universal type stopper with 2 holes, but I'd settle for a classic #6.5 rubber stopper. Has anyone seen these available for sale online?

In case you're wondering, a carboy cap will not work for my purposes. I want to use it in the top of my conical fermentor so that I can monitor temperature inside while allowing for an airlock/blowoff.

This place has 2-hole lab grade stoppers: http://www.hometrainingtools.com/stoppers/c/126/

I'm looking to do the same thing. I've read that freezing the stopper before drilling will make it easier to drill. I also don't have a drill press, so I am planning on figuring out the best way to clamping the stopper down and then going freehand. I bought a couple solid stoppers in case I screw it up. Just waiting on the stainless tubing that I ordered to arrive.

This place has 2-hole lab grade stoppers: http://www.hometrainingtools.com/stoppers/c/126/

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The holes in these stoppers are only 5mm. I suppose you could drill these out to the size you need.

Morebeer makes them. You won't be able to get them cold enough in a regular freezer to drill them.

http://morebeer.com/view_product/16672//Stopper_Thermowell

I want to freeze it in my chest freezer, which sits at around -10°F normally.

I drilled some for transferring beer into and out of barrels with counter CO2 pressure. I have a drill press but I'm sure you could do it without. It's much easier than you think, you don't have to freeze it, mine were room temp. I used dish soap and water as a lubricant. Drill slowly and don't let it get hot, remove the bit every 1/4" or so to cool it with water. It doesn't take much pressure if the tubing is sharp. I used a file and then sand paper on the tubing. I cut a piece off the stainless raking cane to make it.

lactardjosh said:

The holes in these stoppers are only 5mm. I suppose you could drill these out to the size you need.

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Yeah, that's too small and drilling out is what I was trying to avoid in the first place given the issues I've seen other people come across in attempting to do so.

microbusbrewery said:

Morebeer makes them. You won't be able to get them cold enough in a regular freezer to drill them.

http://morebeer.com/view_product/16672//Stopper_Thermowell

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It looks like MoreBeer only sells them with the thermowell, which I do not need. Maybe I can get them to sell me some without the thermowell?

dstar26t said:

I drilled some for transferring beer into and out of barrels with counter CO2 pressure. I have a drill press but I'm sure you could do it without. It's much easier than you think, you don't have to freeze it, mine were room temp. I used dish soap and water as a lubricant. Drill slowly and don't let it get hot, remove the bit every 1/4" or so to cool it with water. It doesn't take much pressure if the tubing is sharp. I used a file and then sand paper on the tubing. I cut a piece off the stainless raking cane to make it.

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If I get to a point where I have to fabricate them myself, I'll definitely take your advice and follow your process. Can I ask if an airlock fits snugly inside your drilled hole? Also, is the hole quite smooth, or are there little nicks and tears where bacteria can hang out?

That said, I'd still like to find a source to purchase them considering we're talking about a $1-$2 item and I don't have to hack up my racking cane to pull it off.

The bore can be quite smooth if you're careful. I boil them before use anyway.

ocluke said:

Yeah, that's too small and drilling out is what I was trying to avoid in the first place given the issues I've seen other people come across in attempting to do so.

It looks like MoreBeer only sells them with the thermowell, which I do not need. Maybe I can get them to sell me some without the thermowell?

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They have them without the thermowell too, http://morebeer.com/view_product/16654//Stopper_-_#65_Drilled_1_3_8"_hole_and_1_1_4"_hole

They claim they use liquid nitrogen to freeze them before drilling

microbusbrewery said:

They have them without the thermowell too, http://morebeer.com/view_product/16654//Stopper_-_#65_Drilled_1_3_8"_hole_and_1_1_4"_hole

They claim they use liquid nitrogen to freeze them before drilling

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Thanks for posting this. When I called in about it, the person I spoke with told me he couldn't sell me just the stopper because it was part of the package.

I guess 2nd holes are expensive, considering this stopper is $5.95, which is 626% the price of the $0.95 1-hole stopper

No problem. I've been meaning to order one myself.

Reurrecting an old thread to post an additional solution: head to Harbor Freight and score one of these sets. It made short work of a #10 stopper that needed another hole. Like others above, I'm looking to try counterpressure filling a keg through a filter.
http://www.harborfreight.com/9-piece-hollow-punch-set-3838.html
http://www.harborfreight.com/9-piece-hollow-punch-set-3838.html

And now, I lay this thread down to sleep, until the next inquisitive noobie once again rousts it from its slumber...

Ike, how are these used? Did you put them into a drill press or manual bore into the stopper?

geepmaley said:

Ike, how are these used? Did you put them into a drill press or manual bore into the stopper?

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As far as a drill press goes, I guess you could do that. The diameter of the punch correlates with the diameter of the hole it is drilling, so I guess the limiting factor would be the size of the chuck on the drill you had available.

I imagine you could twist them through manually, if you were big and green, were named Bruce, and nobody liked you when you were angry. Those #10 stoppers are THICK. So, being a normal non-radiation-modified person, I grabbed my 3 pound sledge hammer and just hammered it through. There was a bit of bouncing the first couple of swings, but once the punch started digging in it stopped doing that and worked its way through nicely.

One hint: you may want to choose the punch that is one size bigger than the one you THINK you'll need. I found that in the stopper I punched through, the resulting hole was a bit smaller than intended. It'll do the trick for my needs, but just a heads-up...