OT: How to drill a neat hole in an enameled pail?

[Chris Bamford]

I need to drill two holes in this pail. One about 1" diameter in the bottom, and a second one about 1/2" diameter near the top.

I expect this coating will want to crack and/or chip — any suggestions for doing a neat job on this?

[Angmar]

I have used porcelain bits in the past, starting small and going up. Easy does it kind of thing.

[Henry K. Lee]

Using a small grinding stone in the area to be drilled down to bare metal is the key. Take your time and she will come out great.

All the Best,

Hank in Tin-A-See

[Rich Bingham]

Just nosey . . . why do you want to drill holes in that pail ? Enamelled steel articles aren't easy to come by. Would something else do ?

[CraneJon]

Makin a still?

[ModelT46]

I use a diamond coated glass drill bit.You will want to run cooling water when using a glass drill bit.

[Chris Bamford]

Thanks all for your comments. I'm going to start with Henry's suggestion.

Just nosey . . . why do you want to drill holes in that pail ? Enamelled steel articles aren't easy to come by. Would something else do ?

HI Rich — I need the look of porcelain and an intact inside coating for this project. I'll post some photos when complete (a month or two).

This pail is indeed in nice shape but may not be as old as it appears. The material is fairly light and the label has a newer look to it. A bit of online poking around suggests this piece dates back to the '50s. I combed a couple of antique malls yesterday looking for this sort of thing and was surprised how much enamelware is still around.

[HPetrino]

I'd use a diamond coated bit as Daryl suggests. I've used them on similar things recently and they work well. Just keep a spray bottle of water handy and cool it regularly.

[Scott_Conger]

Still a shame to drill a hole into something so nice that a collector would likely display...label and all.

[Tmodelt]

I am not endorsing any store or product, but Lowe's sells a rattle can of paint that resembles the blue enamel campware. I haven't used it yet but plan on picking up a can to tryout the next time that I pass one of their stores.