To drill or not to drill

[Old1812]

Hi All. I'm a new guy. I've been lurking on this forum for a while now and finally decided to join the convo. I have a green 22 premium. I love it, except that I really really want a lid bail. I've searched the forum and found a few posts talking about the process.

What I want to know is exactly how bad of an idea it is to drill into the porcelain if I only own the following equipment:

- a dremel
- a handheld drill (w/ enough power)

I also don't have access to machine shop, nor do I have much experience drilling into metal.

Thanks in advance for any helpful advice.

Mike





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[captainhook455]

Use a hammer and Phillips screwdriver to make a dent where are you are going to drill the hole. Use 2 pieces masking tape in an X over the dent. You have to make that dent so the drill bit won't slip and mar the porcelain. I will be doing this same thing to my grill sometime in the future. I loves me some whole baked chicken.lol

[watkinsb87]

This thread will give you some helpful advice on how to find the proper spots to drill for the lid bale. As for the filling itself, I used brand new bits, drilled a pilot hole first, and then drilled the correct sized hole. I marked them with painters tape.

Gen 2 Blue to Crimson officially under way! https://weberkettleclub.com/forums/index.php?topic=49778

I installed a lid bale on my first kettle about a year ago. I had the measurements for the top two holes just right, but eyeballed it for the bottom hole. That was a mistake. It's still completely functional, but I regret not spending more time measuring.


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[Cellar2ful]

Rather than drilling your kettle to install a lid bail, what about using a Weber Slide Aside Lid Bail? They work on 18", 22" and vintage 26" flattop kettles. The Slide Aside Lid Bail can be ordered directly from Weber #8411.

 



 

[1spacemanspiff]

+1 for slide aside

[Old1812]

@Cellar2ful & @1spacemanspiff
The Slide Aside definitely appears to be an ideal solution. A few of the folks in the old threads seemed to think the Slide Aside moved around too much (ie it didn't feel snug or secure as an accessory). Someone also said it interfered with keeping the lid on tight during the cook.

What has been your experiences on those two points?


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[Cellar2ful]

@Cellar2ful & @1spacemanspiff
The Slide Aside definitely appears to be an ideal solution. A few of the folks in the old threads seemed to think the Slide Aside moved around too much (ie it didn't feel snug or secure as an accessory). Someone also said it interfered with keeping the lid on tight during the cook.

What has been your experiences on those two points?

I have been using Slide Aside lid holders since 2017. Here is the review I wrote on it back then:

http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/index.php?topic=32786.msg325817#msg325817

I BBQ/smoke almost 7 days a week.  I've never had the a lid fall out of Slide Aside nor had it come loose from the kettle.  If your cooking low and slow, low temp smoking, I would not use the Slide Aside.  That is when a tight seal becomes important. When low and slow smoking, I have to usually use large binding clips to create a better seal between the lid and bowl.  If that is your main method of cooking, I would not recommend purchasing a Slide Aside. IMHO, a tight seal is not as important in the other methods of BBQing.

[1spacemanspiff]

What @Cellar2ful said

[JEBIV]

+2 on @Cellar2ful words of wisdom

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[bamakettles]

If you decide to drill, you might look into getting a spring loaded center punch to get a place for the bit to start (as others have suggested).  I got a cheap one from Amazon that came with a step bit set and it works great without having to hammer anything.  I also recommend taking a tape measure to a local store that has master touch grills and get some measurements from a display grill.  Good luck....

[andrewshrm]

My experience drilling numerous holes in numerous kettles relied more on a few layers of masking tape rather than using a center punch or nail-dent.  The thickness of the tape alone IMHO is enough to hold a tiny 1/16" bit steady.  The first hole is the slowest, and then I would run through larger bit sizes one by one until the hole is expanded to the size I needed.  Lots of drill bit sets start taking pretty big jumps after 1/4" so you might have to get a couple specialty sizes.  Jumping from 1/4" to 5/16" and then from 5/16" to 3/8" is pretty gnarly... I have in between sizes that make for a smoother transition.

[bigjeffb]

Lots of tape is how I did it when I did my mod. Worked like a charm.