When carrying out repairs in the house, there is often a need to make holes for hanging shelves, fixing mirrors. Both glass and glass products are no exception, despite their fragility. We will tell you some of the nuances and subtleties of the process that will help you do the job with the help of available tools that are available in every home.
V industrial conditions a special tool is used to make holes in the glass. But for special cases, its purchase is not advisable, there are more simple methods which we will look at below. According to the first method, a conventional drill is used to drill glass, and we act according to the following instructions:- Choosing the right drill bit for metal. Better yet, take the one intended for ceramic tiles which has a victorious tip.
- You will also need a low-speed drill or screwdriver, alcohol, plasticine, and turpentine.
- The drill must be pre-hardened on fire, clamped with pliers and placed in a flame gas burner.
- Next, send the tool to the container where the sealing wax is located and leave to cool.
- Place the glass on a flat and hard surface, the material should not hang over it.
- The speed at which you will work with the drill is minimal.
- After inserting the drill into the drill, be sure to check its runout and change the tool if this parameter is large.
- Degrease the glass with rubbing alcohol.
- Make a circle to restrict when drilling, plasticine works great.
- Make the hole by soaking the tip of the drill in turpentine.
- For work, prepare tin or lead, a gas burner, alcohol, sand, a metal mug.
- To prepare the drilling site, treat the glass with alcohol, mark the drilling contour.
- Pour wet sand on the surface, in which you need to make a funnel of a certain size.
- Tin or lead should be poured into this mold, having previously melted it to a temperature of 250-300 degrees. The sand mold must be completely filled.
- Remove the sand after a couple of minutes.
- When the solder is removed, a piece of glass will fall off along with the ebb and a through hole will form.
In addition, if you can modify the drill, there is no need to use lubricating fluids. A diamond roller is used, extracted from the tile cutter, which is fixed in a metal rod, more precisely in a slot in it. And then it remains only to fix the homemade drill in the drill.
Any man should know how to drill a hole in glass if done with a special drill. You can also buy a conventional drill for metal, which is also convenient for making holes in a mirror or glass. If you take on this type of work with insufficient experience, then you can spoil the glass so that it cracks. Therefore, you should take on the work without overestimating your capabilities. If there is uncertainty about own forces, it is better to seek help from an experienced master.
Glass drilling rules
If you have to drill a hole in some glass, then it is better to practice first so that it does not burst on any unnecessary piece of glass. It will take a lot of diligence, precision, patience and attentiveness to do the job. In this case, it is imperative to follow the safety rules, otherwise you may get into trouble. Always wear gloves and goggles before starting to drill a hole.
When drilling glass close to its edge, be sure to take into account the thickness of the material. If the glass is thick, then the holes must be made 25 mm back from the edge, and if it is thin, then at least 15 mm back from the edge.
When working with a drill, it should be remembered that the work must be done carefully, otherwise damage to a fragile object can be caused. If you have to work with a mirror, then it has the same properties as glass.
Before starting work, the glass is cleaned of dust and dirt. After that, you should carefully wipe the place in which you need to drill a hole with a material soaked in gasoline or turpentine. To mark the places for drilling, you need to take a marker. In the process of performing the work, a hand or electric drill can be used.
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Glass Drilling Tools
The process of drilling a hole in glass is associated with the use of such types of tools as:
- Diamond-coated carbide drill.
- A special liquid that allows you to wet the drill or the glass itself.
- Marker.
- Electric or hand drill.
- Glass cutter.
- Sealing wax.
If you need to drill a hole small size then it is best to use diamond drill... For this purpose, a conventional drill with a small diameter is also suitable, if the right tool missing. The end of the drill is recommended to be hardened, which simply requires heating the drill. After sharply pressing into the prepared sealing wax the end of the drill, which has turned white, you should wait for the tool to cool. If the sealing wax no longer melts, then work begins on drilling holes in the canvas.
To drill glass or mirrors, you can use a special tubular drill with diamond coating and a drill with a speed controller.
It is very convenient to make holes with a screwdriver, not just a drill. The marking is not done using the usual method, that is, a cross placed in the center of the hole. Having decided on the diameter of the future hole, they put a mark in the form of a square.
If a beginner uses the drill, then it begins to slide strongly from the required mark. To avoid this, you can use a small piece of wood or plastic. It is fixed in the place of the glass where there is a mark, for which adhesive tape is used, and the drill is held in the process of performing the work.
It is important to prevent possible overheating of the drill, for which special stops are periodically made. Stopping, the tool together with the product is cooled by wetting them with water. Continue drilling at slower speeds. There is no need to make sudden or vigorous movements when making holes in the glass, as its structure is very fragile.
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Preparatory work before drilling
After laying the glass on a surface that is not only perfectly flat, but also strong, otherwise cracking of the material will occur, they begin to make markings. It should be ensured that the glass product is positioned evenly, being motionless. Before that, you need to take a piece of soft cloth and spread it under the canvas. Before starting drilling, a hole is marked, the contours of which should be applied using a glass cutter. The frequency of rotation of the drill is adjusted to a level of no more than 350 rpm.
A notch must be made to position the drill for work in the desired location. For this purpose, a roller type glass cutter is installed, which must be rotated along the axis to form a recess. After that, drill with a drill. Overheating of the drill can be avoided by working without increasing the number of revolutions, be sure to wet the drill and glass object with water.
To prepare the glass for drilling holes in it with the largest diameter size than the diameter of the drill, degrease it and mark with a marker the place where it is necessary to drill. First make a hole small size, and then a nail of the appropriate size is inserted into it or a bolt that will hold tightly.
Next, a string is tied to the nail, and on the other hand, its end is tied to a glass cutter. They make a special circle, its radius is equal to the length of the rope. When the circle near the nail is made with a glass cutter, it is removed by gently tapping the canvas so that the circle made comes out of the hole of a larger diameter, the edges of which are processed with sandpaper.
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How is a glass cutter applied correctly?
To drill through glass with a glass cutter, you will need to use a diamond roller. After that, a special metal rod is prepared, in which it is required to make a slot by sawing out. You can fix the roller using a rivet, which will allow it to be rigidly fixed so that there are no turns. When the drill is ready, it is attached to the drill, after which they proceed to making a hole in the canvas.
When the object is laid on a perfectly flat surface, it is degreased, then the contour along the mark is drawn up with a plasticine bath. Its sides should be neat. It should be on the top side of the object, after which liquid should be poured into it. It can be not only water, but also turpentine. The sides allow you to fill the bath with a small amount of liquid only once. The main thing is to drill without special efforts drill set at low speed.
When choosing a carbide drill, be sure to consider one important point, which is associated with the heating of the drill with glass during the drilling process. The end of the drill should be promptly cooled with turpentine or other cooling liquid to make the hole perfectly neat. The turpentine should be dripped into the groove that has been obtained.
To cool the drill, use a liquid containing aluminum alum, which is dissolved in acetic acid. Instead, it can be used special mixture, obtained using camphor with turpentine in equal parts. Therefore, to create protective sides, it is imperative to use plasticine.
If you rush, accelerate and press on the drill while doing work, you can ruin the glass object. It is drilled to the very half of the size of the thickness, then it turns over, then they continue to drill the hole again from the other side to the first towards. This way you can avoid chipping on the outer sides of the web. This method should be used when doing work at home.
When carrying out work at a very slow pace with the application of weak forces, it is imperative to control the pressure force. You need to carefully monitor the speed at which the drill of an electric drill rotates. If you need to perform this type of work using bottles or other glass objects that have seams, it is better to step back from the seams. This will increase the chances of maintaining the integrity of the bottle or other item.
From time to time, situations arise that require the creation of holes of various diameters in the glass. For example, this is required when installing mirrors or when installing various devices on glass. This is very rare view work, and therefore calling a specialist can be very expensive.
You can do it yourself necessary work and do without the services of a master. However, you need to understand that glass is a rather fragile and expensive material, so you should carefully prepare before you start drilling.
Composition and stages of production
Part ordinary glass are included quartz sand, lime and soda. Various additives strongly affect the final properties of the material, but quartz sand remains the main component, and its amount reaches 75% in the mixture. The lime component adds shine, strength, and protects against the effects of many chemical substances... Soda can significantly lower the melting point of the mixture. The most common additional components include:
- Lead gives extra shine and ringing.
- Manganese, nickel and chromium are used for various shades.
- Boric acid gives strength, shine and lowers the coefficient of thermal expansion.
Industrial glass production includes the following stages:
Currently, there are many types of this material, depending on the components used in production. The most common are:
Drilling attachments and working rules
Most often, the need for drilling arises when using industrial glass, quartz, crystal. These types are often fragile, therefore unskilled attempts to make holes most often end in damage to the workpiece, so the process must be approached very responsibly.
Drills for metal and concrete are not similar in shape to special glass drills. You need to work with them very carefully, and if there is an opportunity, then do not use them at all. But if only these types of drills are available, then it is best to use hard-alloy concrete or spear-shaped drills for tiles. Drills for metal must be red-hot.
There are also special attachments designed specifically for glass:
- Solid carbide drills with feather or spear shape in various diameters. It is highly desirable to use those that have diamond dusting on the cutting part.
- Drill, presented in the form of a tube. This kind glass drills can be used when you need to make a hole large diameter... When working with this attachment, it is advisable to use a drilling machine.
When carrying out drilling work, you must adhere to the following rules:
Surface cooling can be done in several ways:
- Cover the drilling site with plasticine and add water.
- Place a damp cloth or cotton ball around the hole to be machined so that the water gradually flows into the depression.
- The drill itself can be wetted and an interruption will allow the drilling tool to cool down.
Ways to make a hole in glass without a drill
In the absence of a drill and the possibility of purchasing it, you can make holes by other methods or make a homemade drill, but such methods do not have high accuracy and quality, as a result of which they can lead to damage to the glass surface. But still, some methods can theoretically be applied, so they should be listed.
With sand and solder
Quite an interesting way that does not require drilling skills and tools. To use it you will need:
- Sand.
- Low-melting solder, such as tin-lead.
- The container in which this solder will be melted.
The surface in which you want to make a hole should be degreased and dried, after which a pile of wet sand is poured over the area in which the hole should be located. Further, it is necessary to make a recess in it of such a diameter, which is required by the hole being created.
Solder melted with a torch or soldering iron is poured into the formed hole, after which you need to wait for it to completely solidify. With the subsequent removal of sand and hardened solder, a hole of the required diameter remains on the glass.
This method is different high quality and the accuracy of the resulting hole.
Making a homemade drill
In the absence of special attachments for working with glass, you can make them yourself.
To do this, you need a metal rod and a simple glass cutter with a diamond roller. To turn it into a drill, you need to cut a hole in the rod into which the roller is inserted and fixed so as to remain stationary relative to the rod.
The resulting workpiece is fixed in a drill chuck, and then drilling is performed according to the principle of a conventional drill.
You can also prepare a conventional drill, for example, for metal for working with glass. To do this, you need to clamp it in a vice or pliers and keep in the flame of a gas burner until the metal is white-hot. After that, the drill is dipped in warm water or oil. A tool hardened in this way is suitable for drilling glass.
With a metal tube
A piece of metal tube is also suitable for making a hole without a drill. To do this, cuts are made on the part of the pipe that will be cut to create a cutting part in the form of teeth. When applying such work, you should use auxiliary abrasive powders or pastes, but this way quite laborious and often leads to damage to the workpiece.
Using a glass cutter
A conventional glass cutter can also replace a drill, the main thing is not to make sharp ragged movements, not to press on the glass, and to tap the formed cut surface with the handle of the tool.
To cut holes of large diameters with a glass cutter, you can use a compass, fixing one part of it in the center of the intended hole, and with the second part (on which the glass cutter is fixed) cut the surface.
It is often necessary to drill glass at home. Videos of these works can be found on the Internet, they cover such topics well. simple language with illustrative examples.
If possible, work is best done with a screwdriver, and not with a drill. This will give a softer drilling method and reduce the chance of damage to the glass surface. In addition, it is recommended to use protective goggles and clothing, and to carry out drilling in a non-residential area.
It is important to observe the minimum indents from the edge of the workpiece: for brittle materials - at least 25 mm, for ordinary types of glass - at least 15 mm.
It should be remembered that glass is a rather fragile and expensive material, so you need to work with it very carefully. In the absence of experience in such work, it is important to practice on unnecessary pieces of glass in order to gain experience and understanding of the process.
When working with installing mirrors in a bathroom or assembling furniture, the question often arises of how to drill a hole in the glass so as not to damage it. There are many ways to accomplish this task. Some suggest the presence specialized tool, others require the use of available materials and knowledge of the basic properties of this fragile material.
Drilling glass must be extremely careful!
The main thing in the process of drilling glass at home is extreme caution and the absence of haste, since the material is very expensive, and its damage can lead to high financial costs for buying a new one.
Glass properties
In order to make an even and neat hole in the glass, you need to know how to properly use the tools to process it. For success, it is important to understand not only the process itself, but also the physical and mechanical properties of the material.
Glass has a disordered or, as it is also called, amorphous structure. Its molecules are arranged randomly, like in liquids. The main component of any glass is silicon oxide with various additives that facilitate the melting of the material during its manufacture.
With a quick physical impact, glass is easily destroyed.
After solidification, the molecules continue a slow, chaotic movement relative to each other, so that, as strange as it may sound, glass is a very thick liquid. Such a special state of aggregation material determines its basic properties:
- Fragility. Although according to molecular structure glass and resembles a liquid, but with a rapid physical impact, it collapses without the manifestation of plastic deformations.
- Hardness. Glass is the closest relative of quartz, a mineral that has a hardness rating of 7 out of 10. Natural substances with 8, 9 and 10 hardness, topaz, corundum and diamond, are used as strong abrasives and are well suited for cutting and drilling glass. There are many artificial materials with high hardness. First and foremost should be called the alloy will win. Its main component - tungsten carbide - has a hardness of 9. Pobedit is very often used in drills and crowns for glass processing.
- Strength. Glass is a fragile, but rather strong material, although this parameter is not the same and depends on the direction of deformation. Glass can withstand a fairly large compressive load, whereas when stretched, it breaks much faster. This should be taken into account when transporting, handling and installing the material.
Glass Drilling Tools
Glass processing at home is carried out using tools, the working surface of which is made of special alloys or inlaid with materials of high hardness. These include: win, corundum and its analogs, diamond. The most common are diamond and diamond drills.
Diamond plating surpasses glass in hardness.
Pobeditovye drills have a spear-shaped structure, and the working body can be represented as a single (Fig. 1), and two mutually perpendicular carbide plates (Fig. 2). Such tools are used not only to create holes in glass and mirrors, but also in ceramics, such as tiles.
To make a hole in the glass big size For example, to install a socket, the diameter of a conventional drill is not enough. In such cases, they resort to the use of crowns with abrasive - mainly diamond - spraying (Fig. 3). These tubular drills have different diameters - from 3-4 to 120 mm. Drilling a hole with such a tool is much faster and safer than using a carbide drill, but due to larger area contact with the glass of the crown requires the use of fairly powerful drills.
There are also folk methods the use of improvised tools and materials for drilling glass and ceramics, but we will consider them a little later.
Rules and sequence of drilling holes in glass
Because glass is very fragile material, it should be handled with extreme caution. Regardless of the drilling method and the tools used, the sheet of work material must be placed on a flat and non-slip surface. Carefully check for dirt, sawdust or grains of sand on the worktable, as any foreign object caught under the glass may shatter during drilling.
Several common ways to create straight holes in glass are:
The screwdriver provides low speed when drilling glass.
- When using a carbide drill, use a powerful screwdriver or an electric drill with a speed controller. The number of revolutions of the tool per minute should be minimal - no more than 350-500. Before starting treatment, the surface is degreased with alcohol or turpentine. A very important action, on which the outcome of the operation largely depends, is the cooling of the drill and the surface to be treated. It is carried out as follows: around the place of the future hole, an annular limiter made of plasticine or putty is installed (Fig. 4). It will act as a “pool” filled with heat dissipating fluid and prevent overheating of the drill and glass. In order to prevent the appearance of cracks during drilling, the hole is first made about 1/3, after which the glass is turned over and the work continues. After the hole has become through, its edges are processed with sandpaper rolled into a tube or a round diamond-coated file.
- The use of a diamond bit also requires cooling, but since the diameter of the restrictor would then be quite large, a simple system can be created from a drip chamber connected to a water source or bottle. This method makes it possible to work even on a vertical surface, which is especially important when processing ceramic tiles. One of the features of working with a crown is the need to constantly maintain its parallelism with the glass. Even the slightest distortions must not be allowed, otherwise the difference in stresses in this place will destroy the material.
- A hole in the glass can be made conventional drill by pre-hardening it. To do this, warm up to white the tip of the drill and then sharply immersed in oil. After the final cooling, the drill can be used in the same way as the carbide.
- If a situation arises in which it is not possible to get the above tools, folk methods are used. The first of them is based on creating a drill from scrap materials - a steel rod with a cut at the end, into which a roller from a glass cutter is inserted and fixed (Fig. 5). The method is quite artisanal, since there is a high probability that the roller will simply fly out of the clamp during operation, which can damage the material.
The second method is much more interesting, the history of its application is rooted in the past. It is based on the property of glass to crack when exposed to contrasting temperatures. In order to make a hole in this way, a small cone of wet sand is laid out on the surface of the glass. Through its top to the very bottom, a channel is made with a wooden stick or a metal rod, the diameter of which should correspond to the size of the future hole. Then molten lead, tin or solder is poured into the channel (Fig. 6). After cooling, a pile of sand together with the metal is removed, and an even hole is formed at the point of contact of the solder with the glass. Everything is explained very simply: at the point where the temperature is increased, the glass begins to crumble, and the wet sand around does not allow the heat to spread further.