Pieter Mostert Posted April 16, 2015 Report Share Posted April 16, 2015 I need to widen the hole for the thermocouple in my kiln, since I want to replace the old thermocouple with a thicker one (the original is 3mm in diameter, but local pottery supply place only has 13mm ones). Any advice on how to drill without chipping the brick or creating more than the minimum amount of dust? The existing hole in the metal jacket is large enough to accommodate the new thermocouple, so I don't need to drill through the jacket. Am I right that a slow drill speed is best? Should I wet the brick and drill from the inside out? My kiln is a 3.3 cubic foot toploader, so drilling from the inside may be a little awkward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted April 16, 2015 Report Share Posted April 16, 2015 yes- wet from inside out slow speed. You could place a piece of tape over it. The issue is the drill has no center to grab.If you have help have them vac as you drill. Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pieter Mostert Posted April 17, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 17, 2015 Thanks Mark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted April 17, 2015 Report Share Posted April 17, 2015 No water or drill needed. It's not a good idea to use water in an electric kiln. Just slowly twist the drill bit by hand through the existing hole, halfway through from each side. Keep a shop vac on it while you do it and there will be very little dust. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pieter Mostert Posted April 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 Thanks Neil. I'm not sure how well I'd be able to align the two holes if I went in from both sides, but I'll try do it by hand. Will definitely use a vacuum cleaner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dale pots Posted April 20, 2015 Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 Pieter you already have a small hole as a pilot hole, just drill with a drill bit thats a little bigger each time don't just jump to the finish size right away. Try to keep it straight and it will follow the hole. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted April 20, 2015 Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 Yep, the bit will follow the existing hole. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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