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@lae
I agree with Purple Mist.
I don't think you could drill it. You probably won't be able to find a bit large or long enough, and even if you did, you wouldn't be able to drill it accurately yourself. Your local engineer would have to build a jig to hold the frame before drilling.
Mercury is pretty difficult to obtain (although my friend did bring a jar of mercury to school once... it was safe because his dad had put sellotape around the lid). Perhaps if you're friendly with a chemist you could get hold of some - he/she could probably advise you on how much mercury you'd need, too. You'd also need to find a fume cupboard large enough to fit the whole frame into.
Like I've said before, caustic soda and patience, followed by a flush with ammonia to remove remaining aluminium oxide, is the best way to do this. You won't need to ream it out afterwards, either.