When Water Proofing the GT what did you use to drill the holes??????

[Jim Robertson]

I went with the Plano case and need to drill two holes one for the coil cable and one for the speaker cable. I don't want to crack the case. Thanks

 

[Crispy Critter]

I'd use a hole saw. Although, I am curious to see what everyone else is using.

 

[fir469]

Place masking tape on the inside and outside of the hole you're drilling in 2 layers. Then use a standard size bit the same as the cable and drill very slowly, no force behind it... Allow the bit to slowly chew through tape then case. The tape will provide added resistance to cracking and allow you to make a hole easily without the bit walking.

 

[Crispy Critter]

Place masking tape on the inside and outside of the hole you're drilling in 2 layers. Then use a standard size bit the same as the cable and drill very slowly, no force behind it... Allow the bit to slowly chew through tape then case. The tape will provide added resistance to cracking and allow you to make a hole easily without the bit walking.

This is good news. The hole must have to be alot smaller than I envisioned it to be. My clams are coming in the mail today so I'm pretty anxious to get started.

Edit: A second thought is.....the hole has to be large enough to allow the cable connector to pass through, which will require the drilling of a pretty good size hole.

 

[Mel Parker]

they don't damage the plastic and they don't pull themselves into the box. Here is a link.
http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=step+drill+set&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=4150116389&ref=pd_sl_1xav02ptek_e

 

[Critterhunter]

When I need to "drill" a hole in plastic I find the safest method is by not drilling at all. Instead I'll heat up the reverse end of the intended drill bit size with a propane torch and then melt the hole out. The melting process also strengthens the edges of the hole instead of weakens them like drilling will do. Just make sure to test the temperature of the drill bit on some similar junk plastic because if it's too hot it will melt out too large of a hole due to radiant heat. I like to test it's temperature until it is just cold enough to just be able to push through the plastic with a tiny bit of force. That insures no extra diameter by playing it on the safe side with the heat. Lock the drill bit or whatever you plan to use into a pair of vise grips. That's how I plan to "drill" the holes for my headphone/coil cables on my box, and then I'm going to skip the expense and hassle of the clams by using Shoe Goo for a water tight seal.

I use the same technique for similar reasons when melting foam during RC plane construction. If I need a chamber in the foam for say a battery compartment or servo chamber I'll heat the foam to remove what I want. By way of what happens to the foam it ends up making the edges stronger. I'll either heat up a piece of metal in a vise grip with a torch to do this or use some home made hot wire cutting tools to do the job, which allows me to control the heat better. Again, testing on junk foam is critical for that to insure wanted temperature.

I've cut foam and plastic with exacto knives or drilled them for a particular task and not only do you risk something like cracking when it comes to the plastic at least, but the edges are not as strong on either one of them.

 

[GraveDiggerMax-VaBch-Va]

i like the med. clams for the outside dia. is smaller and takes up less room on the box

just opinion............

we all learn from these posts daily

 

[Critterhunter]

For melting larger holes than your typical drill bit diameter I'll find the right size socket for a socket wrench and heat that up to "drill" the hole. If you don't have a propane torch heating it up on the stove will work. Just remember the fumes are toxic when plastic is melted, and like I said double check on a junk piece of plastic first to make sure it's not too hot and melting too much around the desired hole. The edges of the hole are heat treated in such a way that you won't risk future cracking like you would with drilling a hole in normal fashion. Works like a charm.