by britta2
Challenge: How to safely drill a 1″ diam hole through the end of a bottle?
March 2, 2010 in Materials and Resources, Uncategorized by britta2
Time for some good ideas, People.
We really like screwing the bottles into one another. It cuts down on a lot of evaporation and when bottles get jostled, they remain chained together, preventing dripping on the floor. The chains of bottles help stabilize the system.
However, we are at a loss for how to tell people to cut through the ends of the 1.5 Liter Poland Springs/DeerPark/Ozarka water bottles. Screwing the bottles together requires getting that hole to be just the right size– 1″ diameter.
The plastic is very thick at that point. Here’s what we have tried:
1) Drilling using various bits: spade/paddle bit ($5),
2) Heating a 1″ Outside diameter cylinder. Sitting the bottle bottom on top of it until it burn through.
Criteria for a good solution:
1) Cheap
2) Safe
3) The tool is small and light so it could fit in kit packaging.
Ideas?
The main issue with the challenge is being cheap.
Unibits work nicely, but they are around 50 bucks up here.
A spade bit should do the job but to avoid destroying the bottle, you might need one with a threaded point.
http://www.builderonline.com/products/improved-spade-bit.aspx
http://www.boschtools.com/Products/Accessories/Pages/BoschAccessoryDetail.aspx?pid=356
I am personally probably going with a hole saw. Usually used for door installs but I think it’d do well here.
http://www.lenoxsaw.com/enUS/Products/HOLE_SAWS.html
Ok well after trying the whole saw, its still pretty difficult. Drill a pilot hole to make things easier. But the main issue is the bottles easily collapse…especially the eco, thin kind.
A hole saw drill bit worked great for me..
http://yfrog.com/4idrillbitj
Use a small bit for a pilot. Then use a bit the same size of the hole saw guide bit. Then use the hole saw bit. Then, optionally use an x-acto knife to cut away some of the inside edge debris.
The connection is so tight that I can screw the bottles together.
Filling the bottles about 3/4 with water and freezing worked really well for me. Don’t fill them all the way because the water expands when frozen. I also used my electric soldering iron to melt a small pilot hole, you could drill one instead but melting was faster (and produced a satisfying *pop* when interacting with the ice and air). My hole saw worked better on the thin ecoshape bottles, and the spade bit worked better with the thicker bottles used with carbonated bevvies. I put the iced up bottles neck-down in the sink drain braced with a wet dish towel. Recommended: a protective glove for the hand supporting the bottle, I have a cheap knit glove with a rubberized palm for non-skid bracing. My drill is cordless, so less power, but easier to handle.
okay, thought of a alternate solution (but I like the ice idea);
don’t drill the hole, instead pop a drip hole with a nail, then glue a cap, also with a hole in it, using PC 11 or PC 7 (plumbing epoxy).
This will easy and require almost no tools, and PC 7 costs about $6 to $8 US
For what its worth, I had used the 1″ hole saw with the built in pilot bit. I had cut the hole for the net pot first so I could get a piece of wood up in it to drill against. Whether it is wood or ice, you need to drill against something to make it easy and safe.
http://our.windowfarms.org/files/2010/04/HoleSaw.jpg