Good ol' Joeglow, which I use for all coffee side cleaning. I just fill a tub with hot solution and drop thae parts in as they come off. By the time I'm ready to start putting it back together the parts are ready to give a quick scrub. I use a toothbrush for the crevices. For the panels that can't soak, i just wipe with a sponge. Everything is towel dried before reassembling.

Part of the secret is to not wait too long between cleanings, making the machine easier to tear down for cleaning helps.

This weekend I visited family and took along my Quest M3 drum to modify. I was taking the pictures.

First, laid out the measurements on some tape. Basically a measure of - 0.2 inches - 0.2 inch hole - 0.2 inches - was the plan all the way around.



Used a centre punch on each target point to make it easier for the drill press.



The steel turned out to be quite hard. We killed the first bit (a titanium coated? bit from a cheap set from Princess Auto that turned red and smoked up). We replaced it with a higher end bit and used oil. The bit smoked a bit at the end of each hole.



Cleaned up the holes. Also used a de-burring tool in the holes, a rotary tool, and sandpaper.



The black paint came off a lot in this process and I had to wash the drum in dish soap and dry it to clean off the oil. I will have to repaint the drum.

So if you were able to do this with a hand drill, I'm amazed-- you must have great drill bits.

We discussed over dinner and my father suggested other people might just want to cut fin slots into the back of the drum using a grinder.

Drilling metal that thin not clamped down is a pain with a twist drill.. I would guess your drill bit speed was to fast.. Metal this thin should not heat up that much.. It should only need a drop or two of oil if any..
When drilling metal most of the time I always drill a 3/32" pilot drill before stepping up the size of the hole..

For drill thin metal you can not beat a set of drill like these..
http://www.amazon.com/KKmoon-Titanium-S ... lute+Drill

What worked for me Was a cobalt drill. Like a paintbrush through butter. But it was the older thicker drum.

(After wasting two titanium drills...)

I used cobalt drill bit with cordless drill for my perforated plate, which is the same thickness / type of stainless steel my thinner drum is made out of. I quickly worked out that really slow drill speeds were the key and dipping the bit in some water after each hole kept the temps under control.

Makes sense. This press used a pair of belts and multiple wheels to adjust speed. We tried a few different speeds but given some deadlines of other family events we weren't that patient

It was a cobalt bit we switched to.

Hi, I first drilled 29x4 mm holes at the end of the drum with an ordinary handdrill.I was not totaly satisfied with the results. So, I asked a machinist to cut 1 cm end of the drum. The end is a hand food mill strainer both were cut with a water jet. The strainer is not flat but bends inwards to match the angle of the stiring blades.

Molly does still offer the thick 2012 drum in clockwise or counter-clockwise configurations.

Just wanted to share...

With the modifications, I used a thick 3/4 service copper tubing to try and heat up the air. The copper wire allows a close fit. As a reference the tube is sitting on a Kindle.

Bottom view


Side view, the bottom is filed down to facilitate putting it in and out for cleaning. The end cap is locked in place with a filed down screw.
The incoming air is directed to the outside shroud. I mesured 100F (half fan) up to 250F (fan barely turning) rise Inside the tube.

My first roast on the modded Quest was my best ever by far. Floral hints throughout my Guatemala with sweetness and the mildest kiss of lemon flower.

I thought I had messed up as I had preheated to a BT 465f (got distracted by work) and then cooled it off with power off and doors open until I got it down to around 400. Closed all the doors and it was ramping up again and I dosed 250g. Didn't apply heat again until after turning point. It had a very long drying period. Tried to keep steadily dealing ROR. Didn't save data as I thought I had botched it.

This is pretty much usual routine although usually only preheat up to 410f then turn off heat with the dose and reapply after turning point.

Wow.

About Drills...
China made drills are no where near the quality of USA or Quality EU made ones..
A quality made HSS (high speed steel) is all you need if you don't burn it up..
700 RPMs is a good general speed for drilling metal..
M42 or Cobalt is tougher than HSS but on quality drills had a thicker web (center section) and is ground at 135° not 159°
That means if you're using a push drill you have to push harder and due to the cutting angle it will want to wander off starting and drilling deep..

Titanium or TiN ( Titanium Nitrite) is a hard coating helps with chips sliding up flutes is meaning less on cheap quality drills except in drilling wood..

Black & Decker makes/Made a good quality hobbyist set of BULLET POINT drills that is not to expensive..