My Failed Attempt at Drilling An Airhole

[Plumes.91]

So I guess this is what happens when Plumes.91 tries to drill the airhole out of an atomizer.
Just got this thing yesterday. Had no preconceived notion that I'd break it by doing this.
I just wanted to make the draw a little looser. I didn't care if it made clouds.

Soooo I guess I'm never going to try this again.
I barely ever spring for a new atty and I try not to spend more than 5 dollars. This was almost 10 bucks.
Really disappointed.

1st my mom's drillbit broke in half, even though I was taking breaks & letting things cool down.
I finally got it out of the hole. Then I realized the atty's cap was stuck on the base.
So I got monkey wrench out and lubed the 2 pieces up with juice, pulled, and the base you see at the bottom came out.
So then I tried to get a better grip on the part stuck in the cap, and an entire ring came right off.
So at that point it was completely destroyed. Figured I'd share with ya'll so you can avoid this.

1.) Drill, 5 minutes off, drill for 30 seconds, 5 minutes off, so on and so forth.
2.) Don't drill a hole in the cap with the bottom inside the top cap, it could get stuck.

This was a smoktech octopus, the Cyclone clone. Was.

 

[Nermal]

Awwwww. That is sad.

 

[Ahoy]

Yeah that's a bummer. Live and learn lol

don't give up on rda's though! Pick up an octopus and drill a 1/16th hole in it, it goes from absolute garbage to something amazing. The stock airflow on the octopus is just awful lol. I think they are like 9 bucks on madvapes? yeah 9 bucks

 

[Plumes.91]

I'm pretty sure thats what this was. A smoktech octopus. The stock airhole was atrocious. So I finally went searching for my mom's little walmart brand picture hanging drill and I found it. Tried to drill the airhole out, and by the time the drill-bit snapped in half, it had finally just gotten all the way through. I was really excited. I had juice in it & a coil and the vape was fantastic. So then I tried to get the cap off to wash out all of the metal shavings and I realized the cap was stuck to the base. So I tugged on the base, holding the cap, and the center post came flying out of the thing, leaving the base stuck in the damn cap. WHAT THE H*LL! So I took a monkey wrench to the piece of the base that I could get a grip on, and the whole damn exposed ring of the base just caved in and broke off. So its garbage now. A 9 dollar replacement O ring for any future atomizers of similar size. Realllly disappointing. No more drilling for me.

I will stick to A7s. I'm so ...... off re-writing about this right now lol. I thought I was over it.
Someone send me a RDA with a bored out airhole. I will pay you. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!


To top it all off, the brand new mod I got with this atomizer came with the locking ring jammed. I have tried absolutely EVERYTHING to get it unjammed & it won't freaking come unjammed. Tried Silicone Lubricant. Did not work. I tried heating it up in the oven before tugging. Didn't help. I tried putting it in the vice in the garage and tugging it with the monkey wrench. Didn't help. Soooo now I'm just waiting for the vendor to reply about replacing the locking ring. Hopefully tomorrow. I swear to god this has been the worst experience I've had in a long time. I quit. I am not buying new ..... anymore. I'm just gonna vape. Thats it.

I hope the vendor is a good guy because this is just wrong. You can't send a mod with something wrong with the locking ring. I'm not a modder. I don't buy things to break them. Spending $60 all on one thing is probably like working people buying a new flat screen TV, for me. So I am really disappointed right now.

 

[Nermal]

Extra points earned for being persistent.

Men are persistent, of course. Wimmen are stubborn.

 

[Talyon]

Moms drill bit huh.....

Mine are the manly version. Can u say titanium......

Also,sorry mate but I had to lol while reading.

Soap and a little water make a good lubricant for drilling most metals. Also required is a good vise and some hide.

If at first u don't succeed, try try again........ Or pay someone else to do it, jesting.

Also was it a left hand monkey wrench? The ones I own are quite large 12" is the smallest, great for Mialable pipe etc

 

[Plumes.91]

I don't know what the heck I am other than ...... off & wanting the vendor to write me back and say they'll send me out a new bottom for this mod. Thats all I want right now. & for someone to say they'll sell me a cheap RDA with the airhole bored out because now I feel like I need to try one after all of this, and I aint gonna be able to do it myself.

 

[Plumes.91]

I think it was a vice wrench, whatever that is officially called. It can be screwed to different grip sizes and then it can lock in place once it has a grip on what your tugging or turning. Idk I'm no good with tools. Never had a guy in my family willing to teach me. Everything I know about mechanics is from youtube & a small engines text book I stole from the technical highschool I got expelled from freshman year.

 

[UncleChuck]

I'm not seeing how this is the vendor's fault, if you destroyed your RDA while drilling out the air hole, and tugging on it with pliers and what not, it's doubtful they will cover it. Although since it's probably such a cheap part you might get lucky and they will send you one just to keep ya happy.

Could you post a few more pics of the damage? I'm a little confused how that particular atty is put together.

 

[Plumes.91]

No the atty isn't the vendors fault. I received a mod in the same box as this atty, and the mod's firing button's locking ring was jammed in the ON position. & I tried everything to get it unjammed and its really not happening. Its stuck good. So I have contacted the vendor & I'm assuming they will honor a return for a working mod, or at least the bottom bottom piece.

This atomizer was completely my.... wrench's fault.
And sure, I will post more pictures either tonight or when I find some time, soon as I do.

 

[Craig_B]

I don't drill holes! I have a neat little machine called a mill. I'm a lucky guy.

 

[WarHawk-AVG]

Ever hear those people say to wash atomizers real good because of left over machining oil? Now ya know

Even with titanium or high speed tool steel, you need to lubricate so it can cut (well not to cut but to prevent metal on metal friction that generates heat)

Sorry for your learning experience and loss...either you have to go REAAAAALY slow or you have to lube or you snap off the bit...

 

[Plumes.91]

See my brother (who is a welder/mechanic) stood behind me and watched me drill this atomizer. He probably has 300 dollar drills, including my late father's (all of whom's tools were taken/divided before I reached 11 years old) and he didn't mention that I should lubricate the drill bit as I drilled it. He just chuckled and asked me why I was drilling a hole into the thingy. I said "for increased air" and he silently walked outside to play catch with his kids.

I thought I had read here that you can only drill for 30 or so seconds before taking a couple minutes break. Whatever, now I know that if your going to use cheaper drill-bits, you lubricate the bit as you go along, AND take breaks. Not like I'll be doing this again, I don't have $10 for an atomizer, I won't have $10 for an atomizer for quite some time, and I definitely don't have $10 for a drill bit. But if someone has a 1/16th airhole cheapy atomizer I'd be happy to throw you $5 plus shipping for it to see the difference. I've only ever used bottom air RDAs and stock airhole RDAs.

 

[Annie56]

Ahh...power tools. I am commenting on this thread for a reason. I have had great luck, so far, with drilling out airholes. LUCK being the operative word. Until today. I drilled out the airhole on one of my Dids. Went smashingly well. Recharged the Black and Decker drill. Went to do the second one. Drill bit tip broke off in the little hole. I got it out, eventually. Cap is still usable, but the perfect threading that it came with isn't so perfect now. I feel really dumb. And I live across the street from a damn hardware store( which is where i picked up a multimetre). In the future, i am either going to see if the hardware store would be nice enough to take care of my 'air-hole needs', or if they will not, search for a machine shop that will.

I do not know if anyone has already suggested this. Or if you ready know it. But you can order RBAs from Kidney Puncher, with air holes drilled out to spec. I got Aga S, Igo L, and Aga Hydra drilled out by them--They do a nice job. Do not give up, stay safe and have fun!!!

 

[sdennislee]

Sorry for you bad luck with the drilling, but had to laugh hard when I read "1st my mom's drill bit broke"

If you lived close I would be glad to set it up in the drill press and enlarge the hole for you.

 

[nostinkies]

The DIY channel might be a good place to start for an education for working with tools. When I was young, I had a taste for german cars but couldn't afford to pay our local import "specialist." So I found my library and educated myself, made my mistakes and licked my wounds. Later I turned jet mechanic on F-16's. Don't feel bad busting a drill bit. We all do it. I am amazed today at home many fortysomethings I come across that dont know one end of a wrench from the other. It seems some basic skills just aren't being passed down anymore from father to son. In your case, your really in trouble if mom has drill bits! just razzing you, get a book like I did.

 

[savagemann]

Bummer about the drilling.

What kind of mod did you get?
Some locking rings are reverse threaded.

 

[Talyon]

Glad u have a sense of humor Plumes, so sorry u had to go through this ordeal I'm sure things will work out in the end.

Oh and there called Vise Grips. Great all around tool. I have several pairs being a millwright. And yep I've broke many a bit and several taps.

 

[Plumes.91]

nono, this locking ring is seriously stuck. idk how its stuck but the first battery I put into the mod, came out with a little tiny magnet stuck to the end of it. Im wondering if maybe there's another one of these tiny disks lodged and mangled into the threading of the locking ring. I dont know where these disks came from, but I think they might be a product of making the mod. They might be the byproduct of the little hole that they punch into the firing button. & since the switch is magnetic, it picks them up. and then they spend so much time on the shelf that they get magnetized.

But the vendor just sent me a return shipping label this morning so I'm going to send it back. they said they'll either try to get it unlodged and send it back for me, or they will just send me a new mod. I want a new one because honestly, this one is scuffed up now from me trying to get the damn thing unlodged. i dont think thats fair to me to end up with a scuffed up mod. But I understand if they want to send me it back and I dont really want to kill their profit on the unit profits for that particular mod type. SO whatever. I'll def let you guys know what ends up happening.

 

[Annie56]

Hey, Plumes.91, wanted to post this--sorry if i am repeating anything anyone else may have suggested on this thread. This morning, i picked up some Cobalt Drill Bits @ the tractor supply place, for my attys. I decided to give it a go, on the cap that i already damaged. They worked amazing, and go thru stainless steel very fast, so i had to pulse so that i did not drill thru the back.