why not drill?

[kidbeaster]

I see people have cut slots and punch holes in there cartos for there tanks. To me the best procedure would be to drill a hole on a drill press. Through trial and error you would be able to determine the right size hole for the VG-PG mix ratio you want to use. I would think that it would solve the problems with cartos being too dry or flooded.

Has anyone tried this?

 

[robcope]

I have used the madvape tank cato's with the just above pin size hole. It works without assistance with 30%VG/70% PG. With the 50/50 mix it seems you need to draw on it with out pushing the power button to keep the carto damp, but it still works fine.

I don't see why you can't drill a small hole, but you may find it difficult to not drill to far into the filler.

 

[donnah]

The drill bit would probably catch hold of the filler and twist it around. I read somewhere that someone had tried this and it wasn't pretty. With a drill press and being super careful.. it might could be done successfully though.

 

[markfm]

Yes, the filler in most cartos is the bugaboo for drilling. Go even slightly too far and the filler would likely wrap around the bit, get pulled.

The time to set up a proper jig to hold the carto, get just the right depth (barely penetrate the shell), might not be worth it unless you are going to do a big run. Generally a PITA, drilling on a thin stainless steel tube of pretty small diameter.

Then again, if it's a lazy Sunday afternoon, why not go for it Just make sure to practice on junker cartos, and figure out how you will minimize/remove any shavings from drilling.

 

[RRoberts]

I too am interested in the perfect hole size.
Hope someone posts here that drills cartos regularly, or has tried and decided punching was better/easier.
The drill press should solve the 'too deep' problem.
fingers crossed.

 

[markfm]

There's variability, but on a classic filler-based carto the filler is packed pretty tightly, right to the tube wall.

 

[gheebee]

I drilled one of the first stainless dual coils I got with a dremel and it worked fine, just as good as the ones I cut, but was a lot harder to do compared to cutting with the dremel. No idea how much better the process would be with the proper equipment but I'll probably continue cutting (despite the problems I recently posted about...) until I get a carto punch.

 

[RRoberts]

Was in the Dremel dept at Lowe's the other day. Looks like there are several options.
The diamond coated disc w/ the quick connect looked like the way too go. Thin.
Which disc are you running? (Is there any numbers on it?)
The others, I would say are carborandum looking -like on a 4.5" mini angle grinder or similar tool.
-and different thicknesses too.
For my first successful (second try) hole in a carto was the saddle valve 'pop'. It's ok and still running, I will just make it a hair bigger next time.
My first attempt was kind of a half hearted slot w/ a hack saw that flooded, so I'm skiddish on too big of a hole.

 

[markfm]

I use the standard dremel tube cutter wheel that I got with my 300 kit accessory pack. It's probably a dremel 426 wheel. I end up with a slot that's about 1/8"H x 1/3"W.

The dremel has worked well, is consistent. I just ordered one of the saddle valves that Iffy talked about on another thread for kicks, to see if it works as well as the dremel.

 

[martinc]

I imagine a tubed drip tip and a slot in the atty...twist the tip to open and close hole size....bliss.

 

[kidbeaster]

I have 20 cargos coming in the mail tomorrow. I'll have to give it a try. But first I'll practice on some old ones.

 

[donnah]

I'm waiting on this to come back in stock.. I have a saddle valve that I got from Lowes but it's not easy to use (for me anyway) no matter how tight I clamp the carto, the piercing needle keeps wanting to glance off the side of the carto instead of punching it down the middle. I can get it to work if I keep at it, but it's frustrating. Between that and trying to get the stickers off these cartos (that I can't find in SS) it gets rather annoying sometimes.

 

[gheebee]

Really not sure what kind of cutting wheels I'm using because the tube has disappeared. They're Dremel brand and look like the 409 or 420 wheels they have on the dremel site though.

 

[Nodnerb]

The drill bit skates on the carto and isn't the best result if you do get it to drill. The best thing i have found is using a 1/16 ball nose mill bit with short flute length, not a drill bit. A flat end mill also skates and chews up the filler more. With a ball end mill bit it goes through like butter and leaves a very clean hole. You have to start out nice and slow though because it is still a small diameter bit.
But i have advantage of being trained as a machinist and have access to a shop. The mill bit can be used in a regular drill press.

 

[Doorknob]

Today I found that using a drill bit slightly larger than the hole itself and bevel the edge not drilling all the way through seems to be sufficient. It breaks the surface tension and allows my Boba's to flow through with no problems. And I am not messing up the filling or destroying the carto. It is fast and easy.

 

[AZCraig]

Today I found that using a drill bit slightly larger than the hole itself and bevel the edge not drilling all the way through seems to be sufficient. It breaks the surface tension and allows my Boba's to flow through with no problems. And I am not messing up the filling or destroying the carto. It is fast and easy.

Are you saying that you are using a drill bit on the hole after making the hole to bevel the edge ?

 

[AZCraig]

The drill bit skates on the carto and isn't the best result if you do get it to drill. The best thing i have found is using a 1/16 ball nose mill bit with short flute length, not a drill bit. A flat end mill also skates and chews up the filler more. With a ball end mill bit it goes through like butter and leaves a very clean hole. You have to start out nice and slow though because it is still a small diameter bit.
But i have advantage of being trained as a machinist and have access to a shop. The mill bit can be used in a regular drill press.

I searched for ball nose end mills on Amazon and came up with quite a few hits. Can you suggest one of those (or from another vendor) to use for this purpose ? Also, can I just stick this in a regular electric drill and use it or do I need a special type of tool to drive it ?

If I need a special tool to drive it, can you suggest one for purchase ?

Thanks !

AZCraig

 

[Spazmelda]

I got a pack of 5 diamond wheels at Harbor Freight for super cheap. They work great for slotting.

 

[Nodnerb]

I searched for ball nose end mills on Amazon and came up with quite a few hits. Can you suggest one of those (or from another vendor) to use for this purpose ? Also, can I just stick this in a regular electric drill and use it or do I need a special type of tool to drive it ?

If I need a special tool to drive it, can you suggest one for purchase ?



Thanks !

AZCraig

Well, you would need some sort of drill press and vise. I wouldn't try it with a hand drill.
Search for this part number at Mcmaster Carr, 2802A43, the ball end version. That is what I use.

 

[kidbeaster]

agreed... a drill press with a vise or some type of jig to hold the cargo in place would be needed.