Enlargement of holes in glass. Unconventional methods of drilling glass. Glass Drilling Technique Basics

Glass is a very fragile material that breaks very easily, so when performing work involving it you need to be extremely careful and attentive. That is why many, faced with the need to drill through this material, are lost, not knowing how best to do it. Today I will share with you three methods that will answer the question of how to drill glass.

The first method (the simplest).

To drill a hole in glass we will need: a flat surface (board, table or other), a screwdriver or low-speed drill, plasticine and turpentine.

So, first, place the glass on a prepared, flat surface so that it lies stable (does not “play” on the surface) and its (glass) edges do not hang down. Now we insert the drill into the drill (screwdriver) and set the minimum possible drilling speed. We scroll in the air, determining the “runout”; if it is large, then you should choose another drill. Having selected a drill, degrease the surface of the glass with alcohol and sculpt a boundary circle on it from plasticine, into which we pour turpentine (a small amount). Now you can drill, the main thing is not to use much force so that your glass does not crack under pressure.

Second way.

Allows you to make a hole in glass without using a power tool. For it we will need: a metal mug, alcohol, lead or tin, sand, a gas burner or stove.

So, we take the glass and degrease it with alcohol, after which we sprinkle it with wet sand, in which we make a funnel of the required diameter with a sharp object. Then we pour pre-molten tin or lead into this funnel. We wait two minutes, remove the sand from the surface and remove the frozen solder, obtaining the desired smooth through hole.

Third way.

This method of drilling glass is not special; rather, it is a modification of the first method.

Let's take a glass cutter and remove a diamond roller from it; we will need it to make a homemade drill. We fasten this roller with a rivet to a metal rod (in which a slot must first be cut) so that it cannot rotate and sits rigidly in its seat.

Almost everyone probably has to work with glass. home handyman. Cutting a sheet of capricious material into pieces does not pose any particular problems, but the need to drill glass causes difficulties for many. To perform this manipulation, you can contact a specialist, whose services are quite expensive, or you can try to do this work yourself. In fact, there is nothing noticeably complicated here; you just need to be careful, since the slightest deviation from the following recommendations will cause the surface to become covered with cracks.

It is possible to drill any holes in glass

Types and features of glass as a material

Glass manufacturing technology is quite complex. Molten at very high temperatures a mixture of several components is subjected to rapid cooling, while the crystallization of the material is not completely completed, and it remains amorphous. The type of glass is determined by the main chemical ingredients it contains. There are the following types of glass:

  • oxide;
  • sulfide;
  • fluoride

Silicate or oxide material is widely used for the manufacture of various glass containers, including bottles. Melting quartzite produces quartz glasses, sometimes called rock crystal. It is formed when lightning strikes quartz deposits. Glass can also be classified according to its purpose. So, various types glass can be used to reduce radiation levels, produce fiberglass, protect the screens of laptops, tablets and smartphones, as well as in the manufacture of incandescent lamps, picture tubes and x-ray equipment.


Samples different types glass

Depending on the application and performance characteristics glass of different compositions can be optical, chemical, medical, safety, window, tableware, and so on. Industrial varieties that are also used in everyday life are divided into several subspecies:

  • characterized by a low melting point and light color potassium-sodium glass;
  • hard and refractory calcium-potassium material;
  • expensive and fragile lead glass;
  • borosilicate products resistant to aggressive chemical environments and temperature changes.

Proper preparation is the key to success

It is quite possible to make a smooth and neat hole in the glass with your own hands, you just need to properly prepare its surface before performing the manipulation. This is the key to successful completion of the work. The following actions will be necessary:

  • Fatty contaminants are removed from the glass and it is placed on a non-slip surface;
  • the marked location is sealed with adhesive tape to prevent the incisor from slipping;
  • the drill is positioned strictly vertically when drilling;
  • It is unacceptable to exert strong pressure on the material;
  • work must be carried out with breaks for cooling.

There are drills for holes of different diameters

The standard option is to use a drill

Often the task arises of drilling a small round hole in the aquarium for an aeration tube. To perform drilling at home, the standard option is to use a regular metal drill. To do the job you will need a drill with adjustable speed or a screwdriver.

It is also necessary to prepare a small piece of plasticine and turpentine. A funnel is formed from plasticine into which turpentine is poured as a cooling working element. The plasticine side is located around the center of the planned hole.


Careful work guarantees success

Having positioned the drill strictly vertically and setting its speed control to minimum, proceed to action. When the process is almost complete, but the hole has not yet been completely formed, the glass sheet should be turned over to the other side and work continued on the opposite side to prevent cracking of the material. The final processing of the edges of the resulting through channel is carried out with fine sandpaper rolled into a tube.

You can make a glass drill yourself

You can make devices for drilling glass yourself. To do this, you need to perform the hardening procedure of an ordinary drill. It is clamped with pliers and the cutting end is placed in the flame gas burner. When the metal gets hot white, it is cooled in a wax bath. Metal tempered in this way can handle almost any glass material.


This is what homemade glass drills look like

A regular glass cutter can also help. To do this, a cutting element in the form of a diamond roller is fixed to a metal rod in such a way that it is motionless in relation to it. The resulting device can be called a modification of factory tools with diamond coating.

Making a hole with sand

Before the advent of drills and screwdrivers, holes in the capricious material were made using sand. To do this, it was poured into the required place in a wet state and a funnel was formed in the sand, the lower diameter of which exactly corresponded to the cross-section of the required through channel.


An ancient way to make a hole in glass

Then molten lead or tin was poured into the funnel. After some time, the sand along with the frozen glass mass is removed. The hole turns out perfectly smooth. Its edges do not require further machining. Lead can be easily melted by placing it in a mug and pointing the flame of a gas burner at it, or simply by placing a metal container on a gas stove.

Cut a large hole with a glass cutter

A large diameter circle can be cut out of glass using a glass cutter. To do this, use the circular design of this tool. It consists of a suction cup located in the center of the diameter, an adjustable tripod and the glass cutter itself. The movement of the glass cutter should be smooth and uniform, and excessive pressure should not be applied to the handle.


Drilling a large diameter hole in glass

The cut is made once, after which the separation line is tapped from the inside with the handle of a glass cutter. If all manipulations are performed correctly, the cut fragment is easily separated and dumped into a substitute bucket.

All sorts of different ways to make a hole

You can make a through channel in a glass surface in other ways. For example, you can use ordinary copper wire. First you need to dilute one part of camphor powder in two parts of turpentine, add fine-grained emery and stir the resulting mixture thoroughly. Then apply the composition to the work site, insert the copper wire into the drill chuck and begin the drilling process.


A large hole can be made with a homemade drill

The work can also be done using duralumin, aluminum or copper tube. At the working end of the improvised tool, cutting teeth are cut out with a needle file. A wooden plug is driven into the other end, into which a screw with a cut head is screwed in to secure it in the drill chuck.

On in the right place Cardboard washers are glued to the material being processed on both sides. The working end of the tube with cutting teeth, moistened with turpentine, is inserted into the washer and glass is produced to one third of the thickness of the material. Then the sheet of glass is turned over and work continues on the other side until a through hole is obtained.


A soldering iron will help you make a hole in the glass.

Some craftsmen use a soldering iron to make through holes in a glass sheet. A marking mark in the form of a ring is first applied to the surface of the material. Then the soldering iron tip warms up thoroughly, and careful melting of glass along segments of the circle begins. To be honest, using this method rarely produces fairly straight edges on the hole.

Before starting any manipulations, it is necessary to thoroughly degrease the surface to be treated. This is done with a rag soaked in gasoline or turpentine. Then the glass is thoroughly dried.

It is better to feel the work of the cutter in advance by drilling several holes in unnecessary scraps of glass. It is important not to create excessive pressure on the working part, even if it feels like the drill is rotating idle, without producing a hole in the glass surface. This is not true: drilling is happening slowly but surely.

During operation, be sure to cool the surface of the glass and the cutting part. Products small size can be drilled in water by lowering them into a container of suitable volume. In this case, there is no need to worry about overheating.
Cooling the glass during drilling ensures good results

The working point must first be sealed with masking tape and markings must be applied on top of it. This simple step will prevent slipping at the very beginning of the work process. The drill must be positioned vertically, maintaining a strict right angle throughout the entire manipulation.

Turning the sheet over will help you get rid of even small cracks in the material. reverse side when choosing a thicker glass surface.

In addition, this procedure will help reduce the tapering of the resulting hole. Accidental cuts from its sharp edges are prevented by sanding the protrusions with fine-grained sandpaper.

Be sure to wear glasses to protect your eyes from tiny glass shards in the form of dust. It is necessary to drill into thin glass, stepping back from its edge by at least thirteen millimeters. You need to retreat approximately twenty-five millimeters from the edge of thick glass, otherwise the material will certainly crack.

– the material is extremely fragile and difficult to process at home. However, in some cases, knowledge of how to drill glass, may well be useful to you. For example, if there is a need to hang glass shelves on the wall, a mirror in the bathroom, or repair a damaged glass table. How to implement the right one glass repair, this article will tell.

How to drill a hole in glass

Few people know, but you can get a smooth and neat hole in glass using the most ordinary drill. However, you will need a fire-hardened drill bit. If you don’t have one at hand, you need to harden an ordinary steel drill. To do this, it must be placed in the flame of a gas burner and held until it turns red. After heating, the drill is placed in a container with sealing wax, where it cools. After this procedure, such a drill can be used to create holes in the glass. It is recommended to moisten the tip of the drill with turpentine before drilling. Also, do not forget that all work must be carried out only in strict compliance with safety rules. To protect yourself from small glass shards and crumbs, use clear glasses and gloves. It is also recommended to carry out all work in special work clothes, since small particles of glass can get stuck in clothes.

Hole with wire

This method is similar to the previous one, but in this case we replace the drill with a piece of ordinary copper wire. This piece is placed in the drill chuck. It is necessary to apply a special composition to the glass, which can be prepared in home conditions. It is a paste that is obtained by mixing two parts turpentine, one part camphor and four parts emery powder. The resulting paste must be applied in a thin layer to the glass exactly in the place where you plan to drill the hole.

Needle file instead of drill

A flat file is a small file that is used for grinding small parts. However, if you sharpen it well, you can use it to drill a hole in glass. The file should be sharpened according to the shape of the chisel, after which it is firmly fixed in the drill chuck and used as a regular drill. The disadvantage of this method is that the needle file must be periodically removed from the cartridge and re-sharpened.

Drilling glass using tubes

To drill using this method you will need workspace. Perfectly clean sheet of glass should be placed on a convenient flat surface and secured securely. First, you should mark a place for the hole, and then lay out a circle of plasticine about 1 centimeter high around it. Corundum powder diluted with water is poured into the formed “container”. After this, you should carefully begin drilling by clamping a straight copper tube into the drill chuck.

This method may also involve the use of duralumin or aluminum tube. However, there are nuances here. A wooden plug should be driven into one end of the tube to a depth of approximately 25 millimeters. The other end of the tube is turned into sharp teeth using a small three-edged file. A screw is screwed into the wooden plug so that the head protrudes above the surface of the pipe. The cap is sawed off, and pieces of cardboard with a ready-made hole of the size you need are glued to both sides of the glass.

Before starting drilling, it is recommended to place a sheet of glass on something rubber. This measure will avoid unnecessary vibration of the glass. Corundum powder is again poured onto the drilling site. The sharp teeth on the tube are dipped in turpentine, and the end of the screw is clamped into the drill chuck. If the drilling goes well and the tube goes deep into the glass, after some time it is necessary to turn the sheet over and continue the drilling process, but on the other side.

How to get a large diameter hole in glass

No matter how good the methods are glass drilling, described above, they do not allow you to create a hole of a sufficiently large diameter. This method is not drilling, but it can provide the result you need.


First, you should thoroughly clean and degrease the surface of the glass. After this, the location of the hole is marked, around which wet sand is laid. There should be a hole in the center of the sand.

Further actions require maximum care and compliance with safety rules. You need to heat the solder in a special container. Its temperature should be at least 250-280 degrees. There should be just enough solder to fill the prepared sand mold. Next, you just need to wait until the tin cools down, after which a piece of glass will fall off along with it, leaving you with a smooth and neat

When the need arises to drill glass, most will most likely turn to specialists who will do this work for you, but not for free. In fact, the whole process of drilling at home is not as complicated as it might seem. In this article we will understand how to drill glass, as well as how and with what it can be done.

Preparing for work

  • Before you drill glass at home, you need to prepare it for work: use turpentine or alcohol to degrease the entire surface, and then wipe it with a dry soft cloth;
  • Do not allow the glass sheet to slide during operation.
  • The sheet must be completely positioned on the base.
  • The place where you decide to drill a hole should be marked with a marker or construction tape.
  • If you do not have the skills to drill holes, we advise you to practice on small pieces so as not to spoil the main sheet.
  • Drilling glass at home is not fast. The process will take quite a long time. While working, do not press too hard to speed up the work.
  • The drill should be positioned at right angles to the plane. One hole should not be made at a time. From time to time you need to stop and let it cool a little.
  • When you are in the final stage, i.e. When the hole is almost ready, you need to turn the glass sheet over and drill a hole on the other side. This operation allows you to avoid cracks or chips, and you will also get a hole of the correct shape.
  • In order to get rid of small irregularities or roughness on the glass surface, take fine sandpaper and sand the sheet.


Drill glass with a regular drill

To drill holes in glass you will need the following:

  • Drills designed for drilling ceramic or metal materials;
  • Low-speed drill or screwdriver;
  • Turpentine;
  • Plasticine;
  • Alcohol.

The sheet must be placed on a completely flat surface. There are some nuances here: the edges should not hang down, and it should not wobble.

The drill or screwdriver must be set to the lowest rotation speed. Clamp the required drill bit into the chuck. After this you need to check the drilling. If there is increased runout, then it is advisable to change it. The lowest speed for drilling is 250 rpm, and the highest is 1000 rpm.

The surface should be degreased with an alcohol solution, and then make a recess made of plasticine in place of the upcoming hole. Pour a little turpentine into this recess and start working. To avoid cracks, do not press too hard on the tool. Without any effort, lightly hold the screwdriver or drill over the glass and drill holes in the glass.

How to drill glass using sand

At a time when there were no drills and screwdrivers, glass drilling was done using this method. In order to make a hole using sand you will need the following things:

  • Naturally sand.
  • Petrol.
  • Lead or tin.
  • Gas burner.
  • A metal mug or other similar vessel.

The surface must be degreased with gasoline, and after that you need to pour a pile of wet sand onto the future drilling site. Then, using some sharp object you need to make a funnel of exactly the same diameter as the future hole should be.

A pre-molten mixture of lead or tin must be poured into this resulting form. After a few minutes, you need to remove the sand and remove the frozen part of the glass. It should come off the surface easily. The resulting hole will be perfectly smooth and will not require any additional processing.

To heat tin or lead, use a metal mug or other container and a gas burner. If you don’t have a burner, then a regular household gas stove will do.

How to drill with a homemade drill

Drilling glass at home will require preparing a special drill, which consists of a diamond roller located in a regular glass cutter and a metal rod. It is necessary to make a cut in this rod into which this diamond roller will be placed so that it is stationary in relation to the rod.

Having prepared such a drill, fix it in a screwdriver or drill and start drilling a hole. It can be called a modification of conventional drills having diamond sputtering. Therefore, if you do not have the opportunity to purchase such a factory drill, then you can easily make it yourself.

There is another way to prepare a homemade drill. You need to take any ordinary drill, clamp it in pliers and hold it in the flame of a gas burner for several minutes. After the end of the drill turns white, you need to quickly cool it by dipping it into sealing wax. Once it has cooled, remove any remaining sealing wax if present. Through this simple operation you get a hardened tool that can be used to drill through hardened material.

  • In order to prevent the appearance of splits and cracks on the surface, it is necessary to apply a little turpentine or honey to the place that needs to be drilled.
  • The drill or screwdriver should not be pressed too hard from above.
  • It is necessary to take breaks during the drilling process. Intervals should be between 5 and 10 seconds. Also, during a break, it is advisable to lower the drill into a container of water to cool it down. This is necessary in order to avoid melting.
  • Do not rock the screwdriver or drill from side to side.
  • If possible, it is better to use a screwdriver, because... it will work in a more gentle mode with its low speed.
  • In order to treat the surface, you can use not only alcohol, but also acetone.
  • When working with a drill, you should take care of safety precautions: use gloves and goggles.
  • The drilling point for fragile glass should be no less than 1.5 mm from the edge of the sheet, and for ordinary glass no less than 2.5 cm.
  • It is best to work with the material on a wooden surface.

Working with a glass cutter

To fully cover the topic, it is worth learning how to drill glass at home using a glass cutter. It's perfect for creating unusual shapes or large sizes. In this case, the sequence of actions will be as follows.

1. Using a marker or felt-tip pen, create the necessary contours along which the processing will take place.

2. When working with a glass cutter, you should not make sudden movements. Pressure on the instrument should be uniform and smooth.

3. To make the cut part fall off, use the handle of a glass cutter to lightly tap the surface.

4. Use special tongs to remove excess.

5. Before starting work, you need to check the condition of the tool. The roller should be in the middle and rotate evenly and smoothly.

Unusual ways to drill a hole in glass

1. To drill tempered glass, it is necessary to prepare the cooling liquid. It will be prepared as follows: aluminum alum must be dissolved in acetic acid. If you don’t have them, you can mix turpentine with camphor in a 1:1 ratio. Treat the glass with the resulting solution and then begin work.

2. If you do not have a drill, you can use copper wire, which must be clamped into the drill. In such a case, the process will take place using a special solution: 2 parts turpentine and 1 part camphor, to which coarse sandpaper powder should be added. The mixture must be placed in the place where you need to drill a hole and get to work.

3. There is another method of using a similar solution. It is possible to work with a metal piece of pipe, which can also be inserted into the drill chuck. Make a plasticine ring 10 mm high and 50 mm in diameter on the glass surface. Pour a solution of camphor, turpentine and emery powder into the recess of the ring and drill.

You will need

  • - drill;
  • - diamond drill on glass;
  • - copper tube of the required diameter;
  • - sand;
  • - diesel fuel or gasoline.

Instructions

The first way to do it is glass bottle hole - use a drill. Take a diamond drill of the diameter it should be. Wear safety glasses and gloves - tiny fragments can injure your eyes and hands. Secure the bottle in a vice. If you don't have them at home, have an assistant hold the vessel tightly. Don't forget to supply him too protective equipment. Lubricate the drill bit with clean machine oil. Place the drill against the glass. Apply light pressure and press the power button. One to two seconds is enough for a hole to appear.

The second way to make a hole in came to us from those times when only a few lucky people owned drills and hammer drills. Everyone else made holes using a copper tube filled with sand. Take a metal gut of the required diameter. Fill it about halfway with sand. Wet the bottle and the tip of the tube with water. Have someone help you and hold the vessel firmly while you work with it. Press the copper gut very firmly onto the surface. Try to keep her from leaving the vessel throughout. Rotate the tube, holding it between your palms, until a hole appears. This usually takes from three to ten minutes.

The third way to make a hole is to carefully chip off the bottom. It is very important to be safe here and wear thick gloves made of non-flammable material, since you will have to deal with fire. The procedure cannot be carried out indoors, only outdoors! Prepare a bucket of water. She should be cold. Wrap the vessel with a cloth soaked in gasoline or diesel fuel. Place it on and set it on fire. Wait until the material burns out. With gloved hands, grab the bottle by the neck and dip into the liquid. The bottom will fall off on its own.

People often wonder how to drill a hole in a bottle. With the skills and appropriate tools, this is not that difficult to do. You won't need as much time as it might seem at first glance. Assess your capabilities when choosing one of the methods and get to work.

Instructions

Wrap the bottle you want to make a hole in with masking tape 2-3 times. Make sure that there is no seam at the drilling site. Mark the drilling location with a cross. Take a special glass drill bit (looks like a triangular arrowhead). Start drilling by dipping the drill bit in water. Drill at medium speed carefully, without pressure, keeping the drill level. Wet the tool with water and regularly drip it onto the drilling site. To supply water, you can use a tube with a clamp or a medical dropper. Instead of water, you can use a mixture of 1 part turpentine with 1 part camphor. Drill the hole after the drill bit goes all the way through using a gentle rotating motion to make the edges smoother. Sand the cut edge with coarse sandpaper or a file.

Mark the future hole with a felt-tip pen. Make a plasticine rim around the drilling site. Take a diamond annular drill (looks like a tube). Start drilling by pressing the trigger of the drill sharply so that the drill catches on the surface of the glass more easily. Pour water into the plasticine rim. Drill at low speed. Cool the cut, keeping it constantly submerged in water to prevent the glass from breaking. Rinse the resulting groove from glass dust and fragments during operation. The closer to completion of the work, the less pressure on the drill and the lower the rotation speed of the drill.

Take a steel drill. Heat it to white heat and harden it in mercury or wax. Sharpen it. Soak the drill in a mixture of camphor and turpentine. Insert the drill into the brace and quickly drill into the bottle.

Take a triangular file and insert it into the drill. Dip it in turpentine and carefully start drilling.

Video on the topic

For decorative or practical purposes, it is sometimes necessary to make a hole in a glass bottle. This is not as difficult as it might seem, but first practice on unnecessary dishes so as not to spoil a rare collectible bottle.

You will need

  • - pneumatic pistol;
  • - drill with a diamond or hardened steel drill;
  • - turpentine;
  • - sulfuric acid;
  • - water;
  • - sand or clay;
  • - a template made of wood, foam plastic, glass, metal or other material;
  • - emery powder.

Instructions

Most quick way: Take with a well-charged cylinder. Stand a few meters away, aim carefully and shoot at the bottle. The ejected ball will pierce right through the bottle without breaking it. Please note that there will be two holes, and of a rather small diameter.

To drill in bottle hole the desired diameter, first prepare a device for securely fixing the dishes, for example, a box in which they will sit tightly. Take a diamond drill bit for ceramics and drill very carefully, without pressing. Be sure to consider the cooling system. This can be constantly supplied water (an assistant will be needed here) or a specially prepared cooler. To make it, make a template out of wood, foam or other material by drilling into it hole the desired diameter, and attach it with wax to bottle. Fill the hole with sanding powder (this can be obtained from sandpaper or an abrasive wheel) mixed with turpentine.

To drill hole in glass bottle steel drill, before use, heat it until white and soak it in sulfuric acid.

To drill hole large diameter, take a tube made of non-ferrous metal (aluminum, brass, copper, bronze) 2.5-5 cm long and use it as a drill. Attach a circle made of foam plastic, glass, wood, metal or other material of the required diameter to the glass; the tube will rest against it when drilling. Pour sandpaper moistened with water into the open end of the tube and drill slowly, at low speeds. Make sure that the sanding paste is always between the edges of the tube and the glass.

If you want to avoid drilling, use clay or fine sand. Thoroughly wash the surface from grease and dirt using acetone, alcohol or gasoline. Pour wet sand or clay, mixed to a dough-like state, in the form of a slide about 10 mm high. Make a funnel with a stick or other tool, and the diameter of the translucent glass inside the hole should correspond to the diameter of the desired hole. Melt lead, tin or other solder in a metal jar and pour it into the resulting hole. The hole will have smooth edges, but remember that this method is suitable for glass no thicker than 3 mm.