Replies

1. 
   FatRoman | Mar 20, 2008 11:43pm | #1

   Welcome to Breaktime.

   (Rez, I'm taking your job)

   There's a usually good search feature here. See the 'Advanced Search' in the upper left of your screen.

   And there was just a thread about drilling cast iron recently.
   http://tinyurl.com/2slzax

   'Man who say it cannot be done should not interrupt man doing it' ~ Chinese proverb
2. 
   BUIC | Mar 20, 2008 11:47pm | #2

     You don't want to drill. What you need is an abrasive hole saw to "grind" your way thru.

     Any plumbing supply house should have what you need.

     buic

3. 
   802Mike | Mar 21, 2008 02:08am | #3

   You need to chip off the enamel first. Then use a hole saw.

4. 
   Mongo | Mar 21, 2008 05:32am | #4

   I've got a set of Klein hole saws that will do the trick nicely. They're called Great White and they're carbide grit.

   The local rental shop has these as well, I have no idea what they'd go for for a half-day rental.

5. 
   popawheelie | Mar 21, 2008 06:52am | #5

   Grinding your way through witha hole saw is the way to go. As others have mentioned.

6. 
   Karl | Mar 23, 2008 08:01am | #6

   I had a client ask me to drill a hole in her granite countertop (and the cast iron sink flange) for an additional plumbing fixture. A diamond core drill worked fine but the porcelain coating did flake off a little. Fortunately the caulk joint sealing the sink to the countertop hid the area where the flake came off but I expect there may be rust stains bleeding through the caulk by now.

   You can buy 1 3/8 diamond core drills as cheap as forty bucks. The two inch ones are closer to a hundred bucks.

   karl

7. 
   wallyo | Mar 23, 2008 09:24am | #7

   I did to a sink not to long ago, was two hole, two faucet ( separate hot and cold fasucets), old cast about the same age as the tub. Went to a two handle one spout.

   1. First a 1/4 carbide bit through the porcelain till you hit steel
   2. Switch to a !/4 HSS bit to get through the cast iron
   3. Used a carbide hole saw through the porcelain I happened to have one .
   4. Standard Bi metal hole saw through the cast

   But I was only doing a 1 1/4" hole I did not need much to get the spout in. Took some time and a 1/2 drill. Kept water on it to keep the porcelain and iron cool. You may need to grind the back of the tub flat to get a good seal with the overflow. It worked for me,

   Wallyo