MES 30 - Drilling through the body...

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slack

Newbie
Original poster
May 27, 2012
15
10
Charlotte, NC
anyone done it? 

Reason I'm asking is before I do it to mine - wondering if the insulation will snag / wrap around the bit?

If it's rockwool I am told it wont grab the bit.

.
 
The rockwool might grab... not good.... The the inside SS is difficult to drill...   Drill the inside first and at a slow RPM....  use a smaller bit and wrap with tape.... drill the outside hole from the inside....  Drill the outside hole with the correct bit from the outside...   Insert a tube, in the hole, to seal it off....   use a lamp tube and put nuts on each end to seal....  

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what are you drilling the holes for?
Thermocouples

The rockwool might grab... not good.... The the inside SS is difficult to drill... Drill the inside first and at a slow RPM.... use a smaller bit and wrap with tape.... drill the outside hole from the inside.... Drill the outside hole with the correct bit from the outside... Insert a tube, in the hole, to seal it off.... use a lamp tube and put nuts on each end to seal....
This MES 30 is an older model. The inside is not stainless. I tested it with a magnet, it grabbed as hard as it did the exterior shell. the tape and lamp tube are great tips. Thanks for that.
 
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what are you drilling the holes for?
Thermocouples
The rockwool might grab... not good.... The the inside SS is difficult to drill... Drill the inside first and at a slow RPM.... use a smaller bit and wrap with tape.... drill the outside hole from the inside.... Drill the outside hole with the correct bit from the outside... Insert a tube, in the hole, to seal it off.... use a lamp tube and put nuts on each end to seal....
This MES 30 is an older model.

The inside is not stainless. I tested it with a magnet, it grabbed as hard as it did the exterior shell.

the tape and lamp tube are great tips. Thanks for that.
Is it silver ???  There is stainless that is magnetic...  and it's harder that hades
 
Dave, i have a question for you sir. If my amnps arrives for Dads day as i am hoping it will, is it neccessary to remove the chip tray and loader from my mes30? Or can it remain and will it fit on left side? Or can i just remove water pan and use lower grate?
 
Dave, i have a question for you sir. If my amnps arrives for Dads day as i am hoping it will, is it neccessary to remove the chip tray and loader from my mes30? Or can it remain and will it fit on left side? Or can i just remove water pan and use lower grate?
I can answer that question!!

The very first AMNS Todd made was 6 X 6, and it didn't fit where I wanted to put mine.

So when he was designing his next AMNS & AMNPS, I had an MES 30, so he asked how much room was on the bars to the left of the chip burner assembly. Mine was just under 6", so he made them a little smaller---I think about 5 5/8". No reason to remove anything.

Don't remove your water pan---That's a NO-No.

It will fit perfectly on the bars to the left.

Bear
 
Thanks Bear! I am kinda glad in a way not to have to remove it, case i cant sleep and want to do the whole tend the smoke thing. Plus, i love mods, but since its so new and the wifey bought it for me, i was feeling a little guilty removing the parts that actually make it a smoker in the first place, and turning it into a big patio oven..whew!!
 
Is it silver ???  There is stainless that is magnetic...  and it's harder that hades
Well then, if that is the case I can come out of the top side vent.

My experience with stainless is from German made industrial enclosure manufacturers (Rittal) , and it is definitely NOT magnetic.

Was hoping to not get my stainless meat probe all gunked up with smoke residue.

So as a skeptic I find it hard to fathom why a company in lil' ole Columbus GA, (my former home town). Building smokers in in the PRC would dictate stainless. Nice feature, but the thing is put together with rivets.....and seems engineered for cost. (I am not bashing the item, it has lots of features I yearned for with previous home builds.) .....would spend the cash for stainless steel?

I paid very little for mine.
 
Well then, if that is the case I can come out of the top side vent.

My experience with stainless is from German made industrial enclosure manufacturers (Rittal) , and it is definitely NOT magnetic.

Was hoping to not get my stainless meat probe all gunked up with smoke residue.

So as a skeptic I find it hard to fathom why a company in lil' ole Columbus GA, (my former home town). Building smokers in in the PRC would dictate stainless. Nice feature, but the thing is put together with rivets.....and seems engineered for cost. (I am not bashing the item, it has lots of features I yearned for with previous home builds.) .....would spend the cash for stainless steel?

I paid very little for mine.
MES smokers aren't exactly built like they were made in Germany, but many of them, including my MES 40 are completely SS, inside and outside.

I found it hard to believe too----That's why I snapped it right up!!

Bear
 
Hope for the best - Expect the worst....

My MES 30 is definitely not stainless inside or out. I was prepared for sore arms, and cursing...but my drill bits went through without issue. (Think these bits were from Harbor Freight, aka cheap. But they are USA made, so perhaps they make short work of stainless? Nah, still find that harder to believe than this MES 30 is carbon steel inside and out.).

Insulation looks to be Styrofoam - so grabbing was not an issue. I now have two very nice, if not level, thermocouple ports in my MES 30.

Anyone want the MES 30's digital controller? I won't need it as I have BIG plans. I took control of the MES 30 element directly, and will have PID temp control (including auto-tune), with Web, PC, iOS (iPAD), and Android interfaces to control the smoker (android is monitor only at the moment) - including sms text messages for user configurable 'events'. Events? whatever I can think of....add wood, apply Texas Crutch, payload at temp, sensor break, heater break, overtemp alarm, undertemp alarm. An unattended start would also be possible.

Tomorrow I will work on the software it's functional at the moment, but needs some refinement.

DaveOmak: Thanks again for the lamp pipe tip, worked a treat.

 
Hope for the best - Expect the worst....

DaveOmak: Thanks again for the lamp pipe tip, worked a treat.
Another member came up with that....   You are darn lucky I remembered it......LOL.....

Nice job on the probe inserts...    
 
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