Drilling Tap Holes in an Enamel Bath

HappyMJ

Why don't you remove the toilet to make the work easier. They are very easy to move. I wouldn't go drilling holes in cast iron. That's just too hard and too risky.

BertieUK

phill99 and HappyMJ

I take both your points very seriously and will put that idea on a 'back burner'

Gratefull thanks to everyone.


regards

Bob

Hintza

Don't do it, if you hunt around you will find they have somthing that will do the job just dandy eg different tap? ou ust have to ask around.

BertieUK

Thanks Hinza I take your point. Cheers.

keystone

Hi Bob

Can you post a pic or two of this problem which is clearly associated with your other thread on leaking tails.

I really can't advocate trying to drill an enamelled cast bath for one solitary microsecond. Don't do it.

Cheers

Hintza

The more I think about this the surer I am that I have never seencast iron drilled before. Cast is a funny stuff very strong but I do wonder if it is a bit like a diamond treat it wrong and it has virtually no strength (I don't know though). It certainly doesn't bend.

birkee

If it's cast iron, then I can tell you there is no way you are going to penetrate the material with a 'crap & wrecker' drill.
Even with a powerful drill, it could take 15 minutes to drill one hole, from my experience of drilling cast iron, IF, you don't get exhausted holding the pressure on first. (I was using a magnetic drill press which you wouldn't have room to use, even if you did hire one.)

Not normally a defeatist, it's not a job I would undertake, even to put in a half inch hole, let alone a tap hole.

FORGET hole saws, you would wreck one in 10 seconds.

DVardysShadow

There are 2 issues with this job, firstly penetrating the enamel and secondly drilling the cast iron. There is no problem machining cast iron - googling on that yields http://modeleng.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=4358 which includes

I always machine it dry with no problems. Once you've got through the outer skin, good castings usually machine like butter, even with ordinary HSS tools.

You will find many everyday cast iron objects are machined.

birkee

Not by tools in the domestic armoury.

27col

Cast iron is easy to drill once you are through the outer scale. My concern would be to get through the enamel without damaging it.