Glass, mirrors, stained-glass windows - these materials have firmly taken up positions in the modern interior. Those who prefer to do everything with their own hands sometimes lack the skills to properly handle glass. For example, not everyone can afford to drill a hole in glass. The material is expensive and fragile. The slightest violation of technology can cause cracks. Before you drill a hole in the glass, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the safest drilling methods.
How to drill glass
To drill glass, you can use special drills. At the end they have a pointed carbide plate and they are called lance-shaped drills. To get a large diameter hole, drill bits are used. They are available with abrasive spraying, most often with diamond. It should be noted that today on the market there are drill bits with diamond coating and a small diameter, for example - 8 - 10 mm. And it is safest to drill with just such crowns than with lance-shaped drills.
Lance-shaped drills on glass and ceramic tiles.
Crowns on glass and ceramic tiles.
If there is no special drill, you can use a carbide drill for concrete.
Now a little about how to drill glass with a conventional metal drill. In this case, two conditions must be met. First of all, the drill must be new and sharp. A dull drill cannot be taken into work. Secondly, before drilling glass, an ordinary drill must be tempered, which may not always be possible in the conditions of home workshops.
Drills for metal and concrete are not similar in shape to special drills for glass. Work with such drills should be very carefully and accurately, but it is best not to use at all and to purchase a special spear-shaped drill or crown, which was discussed above.
As for the device for drilling, then a conventional bat electric drill or screwdriver will do.
Video: How to drill glass
Drill glass
To prevent the glass from cracking, you must first lay it on a flat surface. It is necessary that the glass abuts along the entire plane to the surface. This is the same prerequisite as when cutting glass. Drilling red-hot glass will not succeed, because when you try to drill, it will crumble into small pieces.
To safely start drilling, make a stencil. To do this, take a small piece of fiberboard or plywood and make a hole in it of the diameter that is supposed to be drilled in the glass. Before you start drilling, apply this stencil in the required place - this will not allow the drill to slide on the surface.
The drilling site must be constantly wetted. You can use water for this.
You can do this in different ways:
- to mold a circular curb fence from plasticine and pour liquid into it;
- put a tourniquet from a wet rag around the intended hole so that water gradually drains into the hole;
- you can moisten the drill from time to time by simply dipping it in the water.
It is necessary to adjust the speed of rotation of the electric drill. It should be no more than 400/700 rpm, that is, simply put, it should be small. It is necessary to work with a drill very carefully, without pressing glass. The deeper the drill plunges into the glass surface, the less you need to press on the drill. The less drilling remains, the lower the speed should be. Particular care must be taken when the drill goes through. Even drilling and regular wetting with water guarantee a good result.
If you need a large diameter hole and you work with a crown, then the main thing is to hold the drill so that the crown is strictly parallel to the glass surface. Sudden movements from side to side are not permissible. Make sure that the cutting runs evenly around the entire circumference and do not allow the crown to eject more from one edge of the circle than from the other.
- Drilling glass is similar to drilling ceramic tiles, you can read more about this in the article:/instrumenty-i-oborudovanie/70-kak-sverlit-keramicheskuyu-plitku.html.
Great tips for drilling are given in the video below:
