How to drill glass

In everyday life, not so often a person has to drill glass. However, such a need sometimes arises if, for example, you need to fix a mirror or make a structure consisting of glass shelves. Glass is a very fragile material, so when it is drilled in the living conditions you need to follow certain rules. If you carefully and carefully perform this work, then you can make a hole in the glass yourself. At specialized enterprises in this fragile material they drill holes using special machines using special tools. At home, this fine work can be done using other, simpler ways. On the question of how to drill glass, there are many answers.

Glass Drilling Tools

First you need to decide on the drill, which according to its physical and mechanical capabilities can, without prejudice to the final result, make the required hole.

• We can immediately say that technical equipment, which has proven itself in the processing of metal or wooden workpieces, is not suitable for drilling glass material. The traditional drill will not perform its task in this case, and the sheet of glass at the drilling site will generally crack and become unusable. For such a specific material, special drills with a sharp (diamond) tip are provided, which, thanks to their design, are gradually cut into glass. This process contributes to the deposition on the tip of the arrow drill. Thanks to this form of drilling, drilling takes place slowly and without prejudice to the final result.
• In the data processing industry, tube-shaped drills are also used, which are machined with diamond cutting chips — it is easy for them to cut glass material. The cutting edge of such a tool has a hardness indicator of more glass, so the tip penetration occurs slowly but surely.
• In everyday life, the most popular is the ordinary drill, during operation of which there is an opportunity to adjust the speed of turns. Glass, as a rule, is drilled at a low speed of rotation of the drill with mandatory cooling of the surface.

You need to know that when drilling hardened or reinforced glass you need to use a variety of techniques. For the high-quality performance of such work, it is advisable to contact workshops that possess special equipment.

Drill application

Glass can be drilled with a drill, but only if the material is cleansed of fatty layers with alcohol or turpentine. After cleaning the surface to be treated, allow time for the cutting edge to dry. After that, the glass is laid on a flat wooden table, while the edges of the material should extend beyond the base. After that, the places intended for drilling are stuck with construction tape. On scotch tape is made, which should coincide with the center of drilling.

You should not immediately make the first hole in the material that you are going to drill - in order to learn how to properly drill glass, you can use a small piece of glass for the sample. During the work it is not necessary to create excessive pressure on the drill, since the material must be drilled with a low feed. Sometimes a deceptive feeling is created that the glass is not drilled, while the drilling is on its own. When drilling, one should not forget that the contacting materials heat up, therefore it is advisable to either cool the drilling site with a periodic supply of water from the sprayer, or make a bath of plasticine at the drilling site and pour a small amount of water there. Also, it should not be forgotten that the drill should be perpendicular to the material.

Thin moment - as soon as the drill overcomes half the thickness of the glass, the material must be turned over to the other side, and continue drilling from the opposite side. This simple technique will allow to avoid cracks and chips. After the hole is formed, its edges need to be treated with sandpaper with fine abrasive.

Alternative methods

Humanity is notable for its resourcefulness - and in this case, if there is no appropriate tool, at least one of the methods described below can be used to make a hole in glass.

• The task is to drill a hole in a glass with a diameter of up to 4 mm. For this operation, a regular drill, but pre-hardened, is suitable. The drill is clamped with pliers, fed to the flame of a gas stove, and kept for as long as the tip warms until white. Then the heated part of the drill is placed in sealing wax. When the cooling material stops foaming, the drill can be removed. Quenching and cleaning the drill mechanically from wax can get to work.
• If the hole needs to be drilled in a small glass object, then before starting work it should be dipped in cold water, which is in a container of appropriate size. Water should barely cover the surface of the glass device being processed. The main thing is that the product before processing was not able to move.
• The following exclusive method is intended for carbide glass. To make a planned hole with your own hands, the drill must be moistened with a cloth soaked in a mixture of turpentine and camphor. After that, the product is made of clay, the inner circumference of which is intended for pouring into it the prepared liquid.

With this method of processing glass in living conditions it is recommended to lay the material on a soft cloth.

• In the absence of a drill, it is possible to insert a piece of copper wire into the drill, namely into the socket of the cartridge, and the drilling process will occur with the help of this piece. For high-quality drilling, the abrasive powder is stirred in camphor, after which it is dissolved in turpentine in the ratio? and a hard emery paper surface is added to the resulting mixture. Mixed composition is applied to the point of drilling, then you can get to work.
• In practice, another method has proved itself to be the best. A copper or aluminum tube is taken up to a length of 60 mm. After that, at one end of the pipe a wooden plug is attached, with the other moans teeth are cut out. Then a screw is twisted into the cork, the cap of which you need to saw off. Then small cartons are glued to the glass at the point of drilling on both sides, the size of which should coincide with the diameter of the hole. The drilling site is covered with abrasive fine material. The next step - the screw is inserted into the tool holder, the teeth are lubricated with turpentine. After these procedures, a hole can be drilled, which should be as thick as one third of the plate. After that, the glass must be turned over and the work continues from the opposite side.
• The last and most effective method of drilling this material in the home is to remove the desired circumference of the glass with lead or tin solder. A hill of sand is poured in a certain place, then the surface of the desired diameter is cleaned with a pointed stick at the point where the hole is made, after which hot tin or lead is poured into the free space. The metal elevation is drawn out along with the glass fragment.

There are other methods of drilling glass. But you can stay on these practical and ingenious methods.

Video

Clearly the drilling process is shown below: