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 scrap 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 lack 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 use the right tools for processing 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 liquids. The main component of any glass is silicon oxide with various additives that facilitate melting of the material during its manufacture.
Glass breaks easily with rapid physical impact.
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 by molecular structure glass also 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 at 8, 9 and 10, 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 durable 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 down much faster. This should be taken into account when transporting, handling and installing 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 analogues, 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 sizeFor example, to install a socket, the diameter of a conventional drill is not enough. In such cases, they resort to using 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 with a carbide drill, but due to larger area contact with the glass of the crown requires the use of fairly powerful drills.
There are 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:
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 treated surface. 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 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 could be created from a dropper 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 peculiarities of working with a crown is the need to constantly maintain its parallelism with the glass. Even the slightest distortions should not be allowed, otherwise the difference in stresses in this place will destroy the material.
- A hole in the glass can be made with a conventional drill, having previously hardened 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 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 is removed together with the metal, and an even hole is formed at the point of contact of the solder with the glass. The explanation is very simple: 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.
In life, you often come across such moments that you need to drill a hole in the glass and do not know how to do it. It seems that there must be special skills here, because glass is expensive and very fragile. It turns out that there is nothing complicated, this procedure can be done at home, the main thing is to know how. This is what the story will be about.
Small hole in glass
If you need to make a small hole in the glass, you can use a regular wood drill. But this drill must first be hardened. You need to harden as follows: heat the tip of the drill until it turns white, then press the sealing wax to it and hold it until the sealing wax stops melting. And now you can safely start drilling. But do it very carefully to avoid any trouble (for example, so that the glass does not crack). To avoid these very troubles, you need to moisten the drill with turpentine, and if the glass is small, it is better to drill in water.But if you do not have a drill, and you need to drill a hole urgently, then you can use copper wire. To do this, you will need: large emery, camphor and turpentine. Mix one part camphor with two parts turpentine and four parts emery. You should end up with something that looks like a paste. Then apply this paste to the glass where the intended hole should be. Place a piece of plywood on the glass with drilled hole in the place where it should be near the glass. Squeeze copper wire in the grooves of the drill and start drilling. Remember to rest the glass on a hard, level and stationary surface so it doesn't break.
We drill thick glass
If you need to drill a thick glass, then you need to take a copper tube with a slightly smaller diameter than the intended hole and fix it on the drilling machine. Then, around the place where the hole should be, make a pool, with approximate dimensions: 40-50 millimeters in diameter and 8-10 millimeters in height. (Can be done with plasticine or putty). Next, we prepare corundum powder from an unnecessary emery wheel. Pour water into the powder to make a gruel. We put this mixture in the pool and start drilling.Another easy way to get a hole in your glass. To do this, wipe the glass with acetone, alcohol or gasoline to degrease. Then pour slightly moistened sand onto the glass. With a sharp stick we make a hole in the form of a cone in the place where the intended hole should be and clean it of sand. Pour molten solder into the resulting form, with a temperature of 200-300 degrees. After the solder has cooled and hardened, remove the sand with the solder, and the glass hole stuck to it will come out with the solder.
Making a small hole in the center of the glass
And the last way that I would like to tell you. To do this, make a small hole in the center of your intended hole. Take a wire and put one end in this hole, and attach a diamond or glass cutter to the other. And like a compass, cut a circle of the diameter you need in it. Then, from the center to the line of the circle, draw several straight lines along the entire circle. When everything is done, we take a wooden object and quietly beat the hole, and it should fall out with success. But all this is best done in water to make it more accurate. At the end, take pliers and trim the edges (break off the protruding edges of the glass). Do not forget about accuracy, all this must be done with the edge of the pliers, pressing and crumbling the edges of the glass.Do not be upset if suddenly making a hole, the glass is cracked or broken. Even professionals do not always succeed. And just not nervous, take another piece of glass and try to do it all over again. I wish you success.
If you need to drill through glass, then the easiest way is to entrust this matter to a specialist. But firstly, such services are not cheap, and secondly, there are people who like to craft on their own. Let's try to figure out how to make a hole in the glass without damaging it. Consider what tools you can use at the same time, how quickly and accurately you can complete the work ahead.
Preparatory work
Before drilling glass at home, you must carefully prepare it:
- Using ethyl alcohol or turpentine, wipe the surface. This is necessary in order to degrease it.
- During work, it is unacceptable for the sheet to slip, therefore, this moment must also be foreseen.
- Choose a base so that the sheet rests completely on it.
- Before starting work, mark the location where you will be drilling. Use a construction tape or marker for this.
- If drilling glass with your own hands - new job for you, then practice on small pieces first to avoid spoiling the main sheet.
- The drilling process is quite slow. You don't need to press on the glass to get the job done faster.
- Position the drill at right angles to the plane. Don't try to make the hole right away. Let the glass cool down periodically.
- Once the perforation is almost complete, turn the sheet over and finish the job on the other side. This will allow you to get the perforation of the correct shape, and at the same time avoid chips and cracks.
- If small roughness or irregularities have formed on the surface, sanding the glass with fine sandpaper will help get rid of them.
How to drill glass at home with a conventional drill?
To successfully cope with this task, you will need:
- A set of drills used for metal or ceramics.
- Screwdriver or low speed drill.
- Plasticine.
- Turpentine.
- Alcohol.
Operating procedure:
- Place the glass sheet on a flat surface.
Important! Make sure that the edges do not hang over.
- Set the lowest rotational speed on the screwdriver or drill.
Important! The drilling speed ranges between 250 and 1000 rpm.
- Clamp the desired drill in the chuck.
- Using an alcohol solution, degrease the surface, and then make a plasticine depression in the place of the future hole.
- Pour some turpentine into it and start working with a drill.
- Do not press too hard on the tool, as cracks may form.
Using sand
This is enough old way... It was used when there were no screwdrivers or drills. To drill glass with your own hands using this unusual method, you will need:
- Petrol.
- Sand.
- Tin (can be replaced with lead).
- Gas-burner.
- Metal mug.
- Sealing wax.
The algorithm of actions is as follows:
- Degrease the surface with gasoline.
- Place some damp sand in the area where the hole is to be made.
- Using a sharp object, make a hole in the sand, the diameter of which is equal to the size of the future perforation in the glass sheet.
- Smelt tin or lead in a metal mug using a gas torch.
Important! If there is no burner, then you can heat the metal in a mug and on a gas stove.
- Pour molten lead into the prepared hole.
- When the metal hardens, remove the sand and take out frozen glass... The resulting hole will be perfect shape and it won't need to be processed.
How to drill a hole in glass at home using a homemade drill?
To make a homemade drill, you will need a glass cutter diamond roller and a metal rod:
- Saw a groove in the rod to insert the roller. You need to fix it so that it is stationary in relation to the metal rod.
- Fix the drill made in this way in a screwdriver or drill and start drilling. This is the same as punching with a diamond drill.
Important! If for some reason you cannot buy a factory-made drill, you can make it yourself.
There is another way self-preparation drills to work to drill glass at home:
- Pinch conventional drill in pliers and hold for several minutes over the flame of a gas burner.
- After the instrument is white-hot, cool it down with sealing wax.
- After the drill has cooled down, remove the remaining sealing wax.
- With this simple manipulation, you get a durable tool that can be used to punch holes in a tempered glass sheet.
- To avoid cracking of the material, apply some turpentine or honey to the surface where you drill.
- Do not push the screwdriver or drill while working, do not swing the tool from side to side.
- Take breaks for 5-10 seconds. During breaks, lower the drill into a container with cold water for cooling.
- If you choose between a drill and a screwdriver, give preference to the latter, since the drilling mode in this case will turn out to be more gentle.
- For surface treatment, you can use both ethyl alcohol solution and acetone.
- Do not forget about safety measures - you need to work with goggles and gloves.
- The minimum distance from the point of drilling to the edge of the sheet: 15 mm - for fragile glass, 25 mm - for ordinary glass.
- It is advisable to place the glass sheet on a wooden surface.
Glass cutter application
With this tool you can create holes large diameter or complex shape... The algorithm of actions is as follows:
- Contour with a marker or felt-tip pen for further processing.
- Press down on the tool smoothly and evenly, do not make sudden movements.
- Gently tap the surface with the handle of the tool to release the cut off.
- To remove glass residues, use special tongs.
Important! Check the condition of the tool before starting work on glass. It is necessary that the roller is in the center of the cutter, rotates freely and evenly.
Glass is a very fragile material that breaks very easily, therefore, when performing work with its participation, you need to be extremely careful and attentive. That is why many, faced with the need to drill this material, are lost, not knowing how to do it better. Today I will share with you three ways that will answer the question of how to drill glass.
The first way (the easiest one).
To drill a hole in the glass we need: a flat surface (board, table or other), a screwdriver or a low-speed drill, plasticine and turpentine.
So, to begin with, put the glass on a prepared flat surface so that it lies firmly (does not "play" on the surface), and its (glass) edges do not hang. Now we insert the drill into the drill (screwdriver) and set it to the minimum possible speed its drilling. Scroll in the air, determining the "beat", if it is large, then you should choose another drill. Having picked up a drill, we degrease the glass surface with alcohol and mold a limiting circle on it from plasticine, into which we pour turpentine (a small amount). Now you can drill, the main thing is not to make great efforts so that your glass does not crack under pressure.
Second way.
Allows you to make a hole in the glass without using a power tool. For him we need: a metal mug, alcohol, lead or tin, sand, gas-burner or stove.
So, we take the glass and degrease it with alcohol, and then sprinkle it with wet sand, in which we make a funnel of the required diameter with a sharp object. Then we pour pre-melted tin or lead into this funnel. We wait two minutes, remove the sand from the surface and remove the frozen solder, getting the desired smooth through hole.
Third way.
This method of drilling glass is not special, but rather a modification of the first method.
Take a glass cutter and extract a diamond roller from it, we will need it to make a homemade drill. We fasten this roller on a metal rod with a rivet (in which it is necessary to cut a slot beforehand) so that it cannot turn and sit firmly in the seat.
Glass shelves, tables, kitchen boards are not only beautiful, but also practical. However, to make this shelf or table, you need to attach the glass to the rest of the parts using self-tapping screws. Not every person is able to properly make holes in a transparent surface without damaging the glass itself.
Watch our video on how to drill glass at home and try to decorate your home with original glass shelves.
To make holes in the glass, we need:
- a special drill, we will use a diamond-coated bit with a diameter of 8 millimeters;
- drill or screwdriver;
- glass;
- glass blank;
- scotch tape;
- masking tape;
- a container with water to cool the surface that we wake up to freeze.
We insert the drill into the drill and clamp it well there so that the drill does not dangle during drilling, but is exactly in the center.
Before we start drilling our main element, we must first prepare our workpiece. To do this, we attach adhesive tape to one side of it, it is needed so that when we drill a hole in the glass, small fragments did not fly off or lay on the table, but were glued onto the tape.
The place that we will drill is moistened with water. This is necessary in order to cool the glass surface and the drill itself.
It is impossible to immediately take and drill a hole in the glass, the drill will crawl along the surface. For this, we need a template so that by inserting a drill into it, we can easily drill a hole in the material we need.
To avoid damaging the table, place a small piece of cardboard or a regular board.
All the workpiece is ready, remove the tape and wipe it with a damp cloth.
Now you can start drilling through the main glass blank.
We glue the workpiece to the place where we will drill the hole and fix it with masking tapeso that she doesn't drive.
Water the workpiece.
The workpiece can be removed when the drill fits snugly into the main glass and does not jump off the side.
It is better to drill glass from both sides. For the second side, we also need a template to go a few mm inward.
Then we remove all unnecessary from the glass with a cloth so that there is no dirt and smudges.