How to Ream a Hole on a Stainless Sink

Reaming, or enlarging, an existing hole in a stainless steel sink to accommodate a larger faucet or kitchen accessories is easier than you may think. To ream the hole without warping or damaging the stainless sink, you need to control the amount of heat that builds up in the area you are working. This includes lubricating the hole you are enlarging and using the proper tooling to make the hole larger. The area will still get hot enough to give you a serious burn, so you will need proper safety equipment.

Things You'll Need

• Safety glasses
• Leather work gloves
• Step-down drill bit
• Variable-speed drill
• Drilling and tapping fluid
• Fine-toothed round file
• Clean rags

Instructions

1. Put on the safety glasses and leather work gloves.

2. Secure the step-down drill bit into the chuck of the variable-speed drill and liberally coat the step-down drill bit with drilling and tapping fluid.

3. Place the step-down bit into the hole of the stainless sink that you need to ream, apply heavy pressure on the drill and pump the trigger of the drill slowly to run the step-down drill bit into the stainless sink.

4. Recoat the step-down drill bit often with drilling and tapping fluid to cool the bit. If you do not control the heat, not only do you risk damaging the stainless sink, but you can also melt the cutting edge of the step-down bit.

5. Continue drilling into the stainless sink until you reach the desired hole size on the step-down drill bit, reverse the drill motor to remove the drill bit from the stainless sink and set the drill aside to allow the step-down bit to cool.

6. Remove any burrs left in the reamed hole by running the fine-toothed file around the hole's perimeter.

7. Wipe the drilling and tapping fluid from the area around the hole with clean rags.

References

• HammerZone: Cutting a Hole in a Stainless Steel Sink