Drilling in SS StockPot

[Saruman (Reuben Gray)]

HBC has them. Otherwise, amazon or ebay will work but I think the ones on HBC are reasonably priced. Plus, the sale means 10% off and then apply your NHC or Beoir code on top of that.

Found a website with decently priced punches in Ireland too.
handyhardware.ie

[armedcor]

I used 2 qmax cutters with my Keggle build. One for the half inch holes for tap/sight glass etc and one 40mm one for my elements. They worked an absolute treat!

[molc]

Didn't even think our local suppliers would have them - thanks!

[Shanna]

Where do people get the A's taps and bulkheads btw? Need to get a proper tap for the kettle that I can reuse later

If you want them quick you can get them from here - http://www.mybeerandwine.ie/accessories/90--ss-tap-and-bulkead.html?search_query=stainless+steel+tap&results=15

If your more cost conscious & are not in a rush (e.g. prepared to wait for a month) you can get the tap + stainless steel bits from Ebay, search for a shop called dailyappliance2010. I bought a lot of 304 stainless steel taps, bends, nipples from them in the past and had no problems with them. The only thing is that you can be unlucky on how it take for them to get the stuff here as they use china post who batch items together & deliver approximately once a month. Beware though you won't get o-rings or stainless steel washers from them and these can be tricky to source here. I got a set of them from a colleague in the US.

Shanna

[molc]

Cheers Shanna. There's no rush, I just use an auto siphon to transfer from the kettle right now after whirlpool, so it's a convenience step. I have vague plans of a pump and valves in my future but I'm trying to restrain myself.

Do need to source some more o rings and a washer soon though, as the mash tun I got is a bit leaky from the valve.

[Shanna]

Cheers Shanna. There's no rush, I just use an auto siphon to transfer from the kettle right now after whirlpool, so it's a convenience step. I have vague plans of a pump and valves in my future but I'm trying to restrain myself.

Do need to source some more o rings and a washer soon though, as the mash tun I got is a bit leaky from the valve.

If your mashtun has an existing oring & washer then try take it apart and refit it. Sometimes they are put on too tightly & it can cause the washer to distort the shape of the oring causing it to leak.

If you have contacts in the US try these guys - https://www.brewhardware.com/category_s/1838.htm

Shanna

[biertourist]

I've got some experience on the subject but I'm generally really awful with tools and not super handy so take my experience with a reasonable amount of skepticism.  ;-)

• Step bits will work for small holes (1/2" shouldn't be a problem.)
• The torque that the drill exerts goes up significantly as you get into larger hole sizes and the drill will really "kick" when you bite into the next largest hole size- a drill press will definitely help with the torque / avoid the problem entirely and will also prevent the drill bit from wandering when you start
• Cheap step bits are essentially disposable tools and can deal with making 3-6 ish holes depending upon the thickness of the stainless before they really aren't very sharp any more; expensive ones will be hardened and can keep cutting without much of an issue
• The cheap step bit that I used could not START a hole on its own, it just wouldn't "bite" into the stainless and I had to use a very small drill bit to get started.  I broke 4 or 5 small drill bits with very dangerous sharp pieces flying around until I finally broke down and bought one high quality hardened small drill bit to use for starting holes. --WEAR GOGGLES when using the thin drill bits plus lots of pressure!!!
• Punches (Green Lee/QMax) are the ideal tool but as you have found are WAY more expensive than step bits AND they often come in odd sizes to be used for conduit MAKE SURE you have the right size before making the hole.  There are some seriously odd sized hole punches that claim to be "1/2 inch" but make holes that are larger than a 1/2 inch I believe it's some weird electrical conduit standard that makes for the strange sizes.
• Hole saws work but DEFINITELY wander all over the place and don't make as clean of a looking hole and as soon as you screw something up and make a hole bigger than the inner drill bit you can't use them any more.  Use an Awl/"punch" to make a small dent or / and a small pilot hole if using a hole saw.  Hole saws are also often made of softer metal that does NOT standup to hard metal like stainless so pay attention to what it's made of.  We ground all of the teeth off of two hole saws before we successfully made 3 holes in my HLT & Mashtun.

[Shanna]

I've got some experience on the subject but I'm generally really awful with tools and not super handy so take my experience with a reasonable amount of skepticism.  ;-)

• Step bits will work for small holes (1/2" shouldn't be a problem.)
• The torque that the drill exerts goes up significantly as you get into larger hole sizes and the drill will really "kick" when you bite into the next largest hole size- a drill press will definitely help with the torque / avoid the problem entirely and will also prevent the drill bit from wandering when you start
• Cheap step bits are essentially disposable tools and can deal with making 3-6 ish holes depending upon the thickness of the stainless before they really aren't very sharp any more; expensive ones will be hardened and can keep cutting without much of an issue
• The cheap step bit that I used could not START a hole on its own, it just wouldn't "bite" into the stainless and I had to use a very small drill bit to get started.  I broke 4 or 5 small drill bits with very dangerous sharp pieces flying around until I finally broke down and bought one high quality hardened small drill bit to use for starting holes. --WEAR GOGGLES when using the thin drill bits plus lots of pressure!!!
• Punches (Green Lee/QMax) are the ideal tool but as you have found are WAY more expensive than step bits AND they often come in odd sizes to be used for conduit MAKE SURE you have the right size before making the hole.  There are some seriously odd sized hole punches that claim to be "1/2 inch" but make holes that are larger than a 1/2 inch I believe it's some weird electrical conduit standard that makes for the strange sizes.
• Hole saws work but DEFINITELY wander all over the place and don't make as clean of a looking hole and as soon as you screw something up and make a hole bigger than the inner drill bit you can't use them any more.  Use an Awl/"punch" to make a small dent or / and a small pilot hole if using a hole saw.  Hole saws are also often made of softer metal that does NOT standup to hard metal like stainless so pay attention to what it's made of.  We ground all of the teeth off of two hole saws before we successfully made 3 holes in my HLT & Mashtun.

I bought a hardened step bit and used it to drill 1/2" holes and also 1/4" holes in 3 different Stainless steel vessels. Trick as you pointed out was to use a starting hole to get the step bit to grip in. I used a lump hammer & a steel nail. I used a low speed & loads of pressure on the drill. I also used a bi-metal hole saw to cut 38mm holes for heating elements. The trick with the hole saw is to go slowly & ensure the area being cut is kept lubricated/cooled. This stops the teeth of hole saw burning out & or breaking.

Shanna

[Ozbrewer]

Scroll to almost the end of this page - http://www.nationalhomebrewclub.com/forum/index.php/topic,5267.30.html

The conversation  carries over onto the following page as well.

It shows a hole punch - purchased from handyhardware.ie

I was looking at step bit for this, but decided that the hole punch will do it exactly as it needs to be without the worry of over drilling.

[armedcor]

Scroll to almost the end of this page - http://www.nationalhomebrewclub.com/forum/index.php/topic,5267.30.html

The conversation  carries over onto the following page as well.

It shows a hole punch - purchased from handyhardware.ie

I was looking at step bit for this, but decided that the hole punch will do it exactly as it needs to be without the worry of over drilling.

On topic of the punch. You still need to be able to drill a 10mm hole for the half inch punch. I used up like 4 drill bits on 4 holes!

[jawalemon]

I bought a step set but it didn't do the hole big enough for the element from an Argos kettle so i got one of these cutters
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-Pc-16-65mm-Carbide-Tipped-Metal-Hole-Cutter-Saw-Drill-Bits-New-Heavy-Duty-/371045925210
It worked great but took 3 weeks for delivery.

the step bit was grand for doing the hole for the rap. Got thesehttp://www.ebay.com/itm/1-2-Ball-Valve-1Pc-Threaded-Female-Stainless-Steel-SS-316-NPT-CF8M-8-Sizes-new-/271457739671 taps and bought the connector and washer in B&Q for a couple of quid

[Lurchalicious]

As someone said - if you go the punch route, make sure you get a "radio punch" and not a "chassis punch", of which are more common as they are for conduit sizes.

I brought a full set of Greenlee radio punches with me from the states.  I have the following sizes - 1/2", 5/8",3/4", 1 1/4", 1 5/32".  Shoot me a message and depending on where you are we can get a hole put in that stock pot for you.  I also have a step bit and punch to start it.  I am in booterstown.