Practical advice
How to properly drill the glass to get a high-quality result? To solve this problem, it is enough to adhere to the following recommendations:
- To minimize the risk of cracking and splitting at the drilling site, the glass can be treated with honey and turpentine.
- The pressure applied to the drill from above should be minimal.
- The drilling process itself must be performed for 5-10 seconds, after which it is imperative to cool the tool in a vessel with water.
- The drill must not be rocked from side to side.
- The distance of the center of the hole from the edge of the workpiece must be at least 1.5 cm.
Naturally, before you drill the glass, you must degrease it and lay it on a flat surface, which is best used as a wooden base.
Product preparation
When wondering how to cut a hole in glass so that the hole formed in it is as accurate as possible, and the glass itself does not crack, it is important to know how to properly prepare it for processing. To drill glass with your own hands, you need to perform the following preparatory steps:
- The surface of the glass to be drilled is degreased with alcohol or turpentine. After that, it must be wiped with a dry cloth.
- A glass sheet or mirror must be laid on a surface that will prevent the product from sliding during processing.
- The surface on which the glass sheet or mirror will be laid must be larger than the workpiece itself. The edges of the sheet should not be allowed to protrude beyond its limits.
- On the place that needs to be drilled, it is advisable to stick masking tape or a piece of plaster to prevent the tool from slipping.
- The center of the future hole is indicated using a conventional marker.
- If you are familiar with drilling glass at home only from video, then in order to gain practical skills, it is better to pre-train on unnecessary glass fragments. Such training will allow you to subsequently drill quality glass.
- Drilling holes in glass should be done as carefully as possible, without unnecessary haste. At the same time, minimum pressure must be applied to the tool used.
- The drill for glass and ceramics, which will be used for processing, should be positioned strictly perpendicular to the surface of the product.
- Do not drill holes in the glass in one pass, you must periodically stop the process to allow the tool to cool completely.
- When the glass sheet or mirror is almost completely drilled, stop the process, turn the workpiece over and continue on the back of the workpiece. This approach will allow you to drill a hole in a mirror or glass sheet as efficiently as possible, to minimize the risk of chips and cracks.
- To make the edges of the hole you drilled even more neat, you can additionally polish them with fine sandpaper.
Using a homemade drill
You can drill glass by making your own tool for this, the design of which includes a diamond roller from a glass cutter and a metal rod. The diamond roller, which will act as a cutting part, is tightly fixed in the slot made on the end part of the metal rod. By fixing such a tool in the drill chuck, you can drill any glass product, while the result will be of sufficient quality.
By hardening a conventional drill, you can endow it with the ability to drill through glass. To do this, the working part of the drill must be heated white with a gas burner, and then cooled by dropping it in sealing wax.
Glass cutter application
You can drill a glass sheet not only with a tubular drill or a tool for processing ceramic tiles. A regular glass cutter is also used to create holes in this material. How to drill (cut through) glass using such a tool? Simple rules should be followed: you cannot make sharp movements with a glass cutter, while gentle pressure is exerted on it, and during processing, the formed cut is tapped with the handle of the tool.
TUTORIAL. How to Drill Glass
A compass is used to cut large-diameter round holes with a glass cutter
How to make a hole in glass using sand
Few know how to make a hole in glass using ordinary sand. You will need:
- the sand itself;
- petrol;
- a small amount of tin that can be replaced with lead;
- gas-burner;
- a metal vessel, for which it is permissible to use an ordinary mug.
The surface of the glass to be drilled is degreased, as in all previous cases. A pile of wet sand is poured onto the area where the center of the future hole should be located, in which, using a sharp object, a depression is made with a diameter corresponding to the cross section of the hole being created.
Making a hole with molten solder
Molten tin (or lead) is poured into a depression formed in a hill of wet sand, after which it is necessary to wait a few minutes. Then the sand is removed from the surface of the product, and a piece of metal-glass alloy is easily removed from the processed material, the dimensions of which fully correspond to the geometric parameters of the hole being formed. A gas burner and a metal mug are used to bring tin or lead into a molten state.
The cut made according to the above method is of high quality and does not require additional refinement.
How to drill a hole in glass at home: we disassemble all the options
If you need to create an even and neat hole in the glass surface, it is not necessary to contact experienced and qualified specialists, whose services are quite expensive. Such a procedure can be performed with your own hands in a home workshop, but, of course, for this you need to know how to drill glass, what tools, consumables and equipment to use.
To drill through glass, use one of the methods discussed in this article.
We understand the features of the material
Before wondering how to drill glass at home, you should at least in general terms get acquainted with the characteristics and features of this material.
The glass production process is quite complex. It is carried out in industrial enterprises equipped with special equipment. The main stage of this process is the preparation of a melt, which includes several components. Such a melt for glass is subjected to sharp supercooling, while the crystallization process is not completed completely.
To prepare a melt, a mixture of components that make up the future glass is subjected to significant heating. up to 2500 °. Depending on the chemical basis of the melt, glasses are distinguished:
- oxide category;
- sulfide;
- fluoride type.
For the manufacture of bottles, oxide glass is used (it is also silicate)
Drill Holes in Glass Easily Wine Bottles, Mason Jars ( in under a minute ! )
Glasses, which can be opaque, are divided into different types depending on the main characteristics of the material. So, glasses are distinguished:
- quartz crystals, which are obtained by melting quartzite, also known as “rock crystal” (this material may be of natural origin and is found mainly in those places where quartz deposits have been affected by lightning);
- optical type used for the manufacture of the main elements of optical devices (lenses, prisms, etc.);
- characterized by high resistance to aggressive chemicals and high temperatures;
- for industrial use (the most extensive category of glasses used in everyday life).
The question of how to drill a hole in glass most often arises when using products of the latter type. Industrial products, in turn, are also divided into several categories:
- potassium-sodium type (such glasses, characterized by a clean and light internal structure, have a relatively low melting point, therefore they are often used for the manufacture of glass products of complex shapes);
- potassium-calcium type (glasses of this type have a surface without a pronounced gloss, are highly hard and difficult to melt);
- lead type (such glasses have a pronounced luster, which makes them very similar to crystal, high fragility with a sufficiently high plasticity of the internal structure, a significant specific gravity and a higher price when compared with the cost of other types of products);
- borosilicate (they are highly resistant to temperature extremes and mechanical stress and a fairly high cost).
In most cases drilling of window or display glass is required
There is also a classification of glasses by purpose. So, various types of glass are used for:
- glazing of windows and other translucent structures;
- manufacturing of containers;
- reducing the level of radiation;
- fiberglass production;
- protection of smartphone screens;
- making utensils;
- production of thermometers capable of measuring temperatures in the range from –200 ° to 650 °;
- the manufacture of laboratory glassware (such glasses are characterized by high thermal stability);
- production of medical devices (ampoules, tubes, medicine containers);
- fireplace screens and ovens (in such cases, heat-resistant glass is used);
- the manufacture of light bulbs (in this case, the so-called electric cone glasses are used)
- production of incandescent lamps, X-ray tubes, ignitrons (this requires an electric vacuum glass);
- creation of elements of optical devices. cameras, microscopes, telescopes, etc.;
- the manufacture of thin-walled chemical containers and other products that require high resistance to chemical and thermal effects (for this, quartzoid glasses are used, also known as vikor).
Drilling thick glass is best done on a machine
Drilling glass with a conventional drill
Many home craftsmen are interested in the question of how to drill glass or a mirror, using not a tubular or other special drill, but an ordinary tool. In order to perform this procedure, you will need the following tools and consumables:
- drill, with which metal, ceramic and tile material are usually drilled;
- a low-speed drill, instead of which you can use an electric screwdriver;
- a piece of ordinary plasticine;
- turpentine;
- alcohol solution.
A plasticine glass edge is needed to keep the coolant in the drilling area
The drilling itself is performed in the following sequence:
- The glass sheet or mirror must be laid on an absolutely flat surface, while the edges of the workpiece should not protrude beyond its limits.
- The area of glass that needs to be drilled must be degreased using cotton wool soaked in an alcohol solution.
- After fixing the drill in the chuck on the tile and glass, the minimum number of revolutions is set on the drill. Before starting work, it is necessary to check the degree of drill runout: if it is too large, then the tool should be replaced with another.
- On the surface of the glass that needs to be drilled (in the place of direct processing), it is necessary to fix a piece of plasticine, in the middle of which a small depression is made in the form of a funnel. Turpentine is poured into such a depression, through which holes are drilled in the glass.
- In order not to throw away the cracked object after drilling, such a process should be carried out as carefully as possible, without making great efforts. The minimum rotation speed of the drill chuck must be 250 rpm, and the maximum cannot exceed 1000 rpm.
How to make holes in glass yourself
There is an ancient, but something now forgotten method of making holes in glass. The space on the glass, where the hole should be, is properly cleaned of dirt and grease with gasoline, acetone or alcohol. Further, moist fine sand is poured onto the washed place and a funnel is made in the sand to the glass with a sharpened stick of the required diameter. In the form prepared in this way, molten solder is poured in the sand (lead or tin is acceptable). After 1-2 minutes, the sand should be discarded and the solder cone removed. A smooth through hole appears in the glass.
Once again on how to drill a hole in glass
How to drill a hole in glass in 10-15 moments. To do this, you will need to sharpen a thin file like a chisel and attach it to a hand drill chuck. Do not forget to let the file cool down only at the moment of drilling, even occasionally sharpening it.
Another way to make a hole in glass
Another method of how to make a hole in glass. For work, a plasticine drill made of hard metal is useful for producing a small bath, a combination of equal proportions of camphor and turpentine, as well as a piece of dense rubber.
Drilling a large hole in glass
The drill is made from a piece of aluminum, duralumin or copper tube 40-60 mm long. From the first end, a wood cork is hammered into it to a depth of 20-25 millimeters, and at the other end, the teeth are cut out with a triangular file. A small screw 4-5 mm thick is screwed into the cork so that its smooth part protrudes 10-15 mm. The head is sawed off. They are glued to the glass on both sides along a paper washer with a hole equal to the diameter to be drilled. The glass is placed on a piece of rubber. A little abrasive powder is poured onto the drilling space. Then insert the end of the screw protruding from the cork into a hand drill, lubricate the teeth with turpentine and then start drilling. When the tube deepens into the glass by at least 1/3 of its thickness, turn the glass over and finish drilling on the second side.
Cutting round glasses
We offer the possibility of cutting rounded glasses. A roller from the glass cutter is attached to one jaw of the caliper. Another sponge rests on the glass through a rubber washer. The roller is rolled a couple of times in a circle, then 3-4 tangents are drawn with a standard glass cutter, making it easier to chip the glass along the edges of the cuts. Sharpened edges are cleaned with a file or emery under running water.
Making holes in glass
There is an ancient, but something now forgotten method of making holes in glass. The space on the glass, where the hole should be, is properly cleaned of dirt and grease with gasoline, acetone or alcohol. Further, moist fine sand is poured onto the washed place and a funnel is made in the sand to the glass with a sharpened stick of the required diameter. In the form prepared in this way, molten solder is poured in the sand (lead or tin is acceptable). After 1-2 minutes, the sand should be discarded and the solder cone removed. A smooth through hole appears in the glass.
Drilling a hole in the glass
A hole in the glass can be drilled with a carbide drill. The secret to the success of this operation. in the liquid with which the glass is wetted. It is prepared from alum dissolved in acetic acid, or from a mixture (one to one) of camphor or turpentine. A plasticine roller is built around the drilling space. Liquid is poured into the resulting bath. Glass during processing must lie on soft matter.