Has anyone installed a weldless ball valve (kettlevalve) into their brew kettle? Only 7/8 drill bit I can find that can be used on SS costs approx $50. Wondering if I have an alternative.
I used the following hole saw to install a weldless fitting on a SS pot. I bought it at Lowes (or perhaps Home Depot).
i've got a knockout punch you can borrow if you don't mind paying for postage (~$5). It's way cleaner than drilling. It's a 13/16" iirc.
step-drill bit works really well...you can get one from bargainfittings.com or brewhardware.com for under $20
I think Harbor Freight sells step bits fairly cheap as well.... Probably not the best quality but should work none-the-less
Thanks for the suggestions, I think I may go with the step bit from brewhardware.com, looks like the best option! L
I used a step bit as well. I used cutting oil and kept the RPMs pretty slow and it cut through no problem and didn't ruin the bit. That was making a keggle, which I think tends to be thicker stainless than a regular kettle too.
When using a step-bit, most people will say to use cutting oil. A guy at my local hardware store said to just pick up a good ol' bottle of 10W-30 or a spray bottle of soapy water. Tried the latter and had no problems drilling into the side of my keg. Plus, just soapy residue to clean up, no oil slick...
I used a knockout punch. In the span of 15 minutes I did 3 kegs and a kettle. The only drilling is for the pilot hole. I didn't need to do any sanding or use oil or anything. http://www.automationdirect.com/adc..._-a-_Accessories_-_Fractional_-a-_Metric_size
