Drilled press bucket question

[BMarNJ]

I’m doing my first all grape batch. Usually I do a juice pail and grape combination that I can crush and then press by hand. So I drilled my gazillion holes in a juice bucket, and jigsawed a circle for pressing. But how do you all clean out the plastic fragments from the drilled holes? I plan to use a fine mesh bag around the bucket so I don’t get floating pvc bits, but I was just wondering. Scraping and steel wool didn’t help much. Thanks.

 

[winemaker81]

Try a rat tail file.

 

[jburtner]

If you have another bucket to re-drill maybe try covering with blue painters tape on both sides then drill...

Cheers!
-johann

 

[David Violante]

You could try a Step Drill Bit, they seem to do a good job of keeping the edges of the hole clean from debris.

 

[Rice_Guy]

to Clean burrs I picked out a slightly larger new drill and twisted it by hand on each of the gazillon holes from the inside and lightly touched the outside with that bit in a drill. ,,, An Exacto knife should do the same.

 

[sour_grapes]

Or a deburring tool:

I don't know the size of the holes you made, but I wonder if a spade bit or split-point-tip drill would have worked better?

 

[Johnd]

Low grit sandpaper, just a few passes over the surface will clean it right up.

 

[BMarNJ]

Thanks everyone. I did a combination of sandpaper for the inside and outside of the bucket, and reamed the gazillion holes again with an awl, and then blasted the whole thing with a hose gizmo that has good pressure. I’ll still put the bucket in my fine mesh bag to catch any stray pvc buts, but at least the bucket is now smooth and won’t snag the bag.

 

[BMarNJ]

Or a deburring tool:

I don't know the size of the holes you made, but I wonder if a spade bit or split-point-tip drill would have worked better?

I used a 1/8” drill bit. I probably should have just run the bit in an out a few times to clean the hole, but with a gazillion holes, I just sort of punched it in and out quickly.