making drainage holes in supermarket flower buckets

[highonthehill]

Hi
I got some flower buckets from Morrisons and tried to make drainage holes in the bottom - first I used a drill and that couldn't actually penetrate the plastic, then a hammer and nail - that caused a crack - then put some tape over the part I was trying to hammer a nail in and that caused another crack. Any suggestions?

[Scarlet]

Potty says heat a cooper pipe and push it through. I don't have any copper pipe so I heated the OH's screw driver on the top of the aga and that worked a treat

[alldigging]

A drill and a small bit.

[Potstubsdustbins]

It is true I use a short end of copper pipe but there again I am a plumber. Anything you can heat to cherry red will do the job quickly, with out damage and will leave a circle of what was molten plastic around the hole that gives great support.

[Jay22]

I wish I could get these buckets but sadly not here.

[Thelma Sanders]

I have an old bone handled kitchen knife for just this purpose. Heat the knife up on the gas stove, push it through the bottom of the pots and twist to make a bigger opening.
Works a treat

[Nicos]

I've managed to get them over here in both Lidl and Aldi!

[skeggijon]

I use a cordless drill at about 1/4 speed, but drill through 4 buckets at once and it seems to work fine.

[rustylady]

I use a hand drill and have had no problems

[Tomatoe]

The trick to drilling through them is to apply very light pressure, once you find the "sweet spot" you'll be fine

[Kleftiwallah]

A hole cutter is what you need.

A hole cutter is what you need. Not expensive from a tool shop. Cheers, Tony.

[Jay-ell]

Blowlamp and a metal skewer. The blowlamp is to heat up the skewer. I can generally do half a dozen holes through 4 pots with one heating of the skewer

[DannyK]

15mm copper pipe heated up makes neatest job.

You may be able to weld cracks using hot heavy gauge wire or old screwdriver.

Do it outside as any molten plastic gives off fumes when you reheat tool.

[noviceveggrower]

I used a drill on the slowest setting and with the smallest drill bit. Then I got the holes a little bit bigger I just changed the drill bit to a bigger size and re drilled the holes. Didn't have any pots splitting or cracking.

[jackarmy]

I use a hand drill and have had no problems

Simple as that , just treat them gently , done about ten of them today, 6 holes each, no worries.