Need Vent Holes In Your Tubs? DIY

[Bruce Whitehead]

Great idea. I won`t use a soldering iron either (they are not designed to burn plastic - that and I hate the smell) so I use a drill and it is a major pain.



Bruce

[icygirl]

I also use a drill (or dremel) to make holes, but it always creates a lot of plastic "dust" that's annoying to clean. Thanks for the tip I will look out for it. Would they have something similar at Home Depot or do you have to go to an auto specialty store?

[Slim]

Would they have something similar at Home Depot or do you have to go to an auto specialty store?

Sorry, it's a pretty specialized tool aimed at a small market. Your best bet to find one locally will be a Hobby Town USA or something similar. You might be able to find one at a place that specializes in toy trains.

[Bruce Whitehead]

Not to mention if the pressure is off and the tub is CHEAP (my favorites) then they crack as well.

B

[Custom Exotics]

Very cool DIY, I might have to hunt one of those down and get it myself, I hate the smell of burning plastic (which I did to all my tubs) and like Bruce said sometimes when you drills the holes the plastic will split, making for an ugly site. Again, Thanks for the info!

[nixer]

thats not for making holes thats for enlarging holes in lexan/polycarbonate.
what they do is drill a hole a size smaller than what you need and then use this tool to enlarge the hole and keep it round in doing so. drill bits dont put round holes in plastics and thend to bind which is why this product was copied from a tool used in metallic reloading equiptment. point in case those hss bits are just general purpose bits. they they do actually have a special bit for plastic.

plastic drill bit: http://www.eplastics.com/Plastic/Plastic_Drill_Bits

[Slim]

thats not for making holes thats for enlarging holes in lexan/polycarbonate.
what they do is drill a hole a size smaller than what you need and then use this tool to enlarge the hole and keep it round in doing so. drill bits dont put round holes in plastics and thend to bind which is why this product was copied from a tool used in metallic reloading equiptment. point in case those hss bits are just general purpose bits. they they do actually have a special bit for plastic.

nixer, I've built over 60 R/C car bodies, and I never pre-drilled. The tool has a very sharp point....just a little pressure gets a good bite on the plastic, and then you're off to the races. Even in poly car bodies. It's even easier in the plastic used for tubs.

[Ladydragon]

kewl.. thanx for the tip and link for this tool. something else to add to my arsenal of supplies. I used a bead reamer (hand held) to puncture the holes into the tubs I have and then used a large diameter philips head screwdriver to expand the width of each vent hole. It was a long labor intensive process, but I didn't crack my tubs like I would have had I used a drill.

[Slim]

So far, I haven't cracked a tub yet. The IRIS tubs for my rack system are fairly pliable, and cut easily.

It also works on Rubbermade tubs. I have some 12qt Rubbermades that I put snakes in for weighing and when I'm cleaning.

[Darkice]

I use a high speed drill with a paddle bit. Its a flat bit with a point in the center for guiding and 2 small spikes on the outer edges for cutting the hole. Then i use a shop vac to clean up the curlies. Can drill out hundreds of holes in dozens of tubs in mere minutes.