Drilling a hole in a recessed contol/coin box.

[Buzzie8]

I am mounting a credit card reader on the wall next to my self serve controller/control box. I need to drill a hole through the masonry where I will mount the swipe and run a small wire into my stainless steel box. Problem is that I need to drill a hole through the stainless box on the side to fish the wire through the masonry and there is no way to get a drill positioned correctly. I know they make right angle drills but thought that might be a problem because stainless is so hard to drill through. Any ideas on a good solution would be welcomed!
Buzzie

PS. Thinking torch possibly, but the remnants could cause some problems with all the electric components located in the box.

 

[Mr. Clean]

Cobalt bits will drill SS without a problem. Check Northern Tool or Sears for a close quarter drill. Should fit inside your cabinet. Torch would be the last resort.
Good luck.
MC

 

[I.B. Washincars]

What about a dremel tool with a tunsten carbide burr?

 

[DiamondWash]

My washcard install was like this and the guy helping me used a mini butane torch (from Walmart) and heated the metal up inside the coinbox then drilled though the metal with minimal debris we to had a block between our coinbox and washcard box I can send you some pictures?

 

[Buzzie8]

My washcard install was like this and the guy helping me used a mini butane torch (from Walmart) and heated the metal up inside the coinbox then drilled though the metal with minimal debris we to had a block between our coinbox and washcard box I can send you some pictures?

That's an interesting technique. I'm wondering how much the heating helped the drilling process. Also, how hard was it to fish the cable through the block?

 

[DiamondWash]

It softened up the metal enough so when he started to drill it just went through with hardly any effort as for the fishing the wires through the 1/2in hole we drilled wasn't hard at all, are you installing washcard?

 

[Ric]

I had to do the exact same thing. A 90 degree drill would not fit. I used a combination of a 4" grinder with a metal cutting wheel and a Die Grinder (Harbor Freight Tools $25) and just cut a square hole. The large square hole made fishing the wires thru easy. I protected the existing bundle of wires with tin foil and let the sparks fly.

 

[Buzzie8]

It softened up the metal enough so when he started to drill it just went through with hardly any effort as for the fishing the wires through the 1/2in hole we drilled wasn't hard at all, are you installing washcard?

Actually I'm installing Eport swipes. They do not do count up, but they are the least expensive way to replace the Swipe N Clean that never worked and seem to have a simplistic operation and installation. I'm going to try the KISS principal for once in my life!

 

[DavidM]

I had to do the same thing for our WashCard boxes. I had a welder cut a hole with a plasma cutter. It was quick and easy.

David

 

[soapy]

I always use a good cobalt bit with some cutting oil. On some installs I drill and tap the stainless so I can just bolt the reader to the existing stainless box.

 

[Earl Weiss]

Did this for bill acceptors. I was able to drill thru the masonry from the side where the new box was going. Once i cleared out the masonry I used a cobalt bit thru the new hole into the exposed surface of the box.

Is there some reason this will not work for you?