How To Drill Holes Through Glass – Without Breaking It

Drilling holes through glass can get really difficult if you have completely no idea about how to do it reason being its surface is very smooth and very hard so making a hole through it is not that simple. However after getting some knowledge about it from this post it will no longer be a burden for you. Any drill can be used to drill holes through glass, you however must have the right bit for this activity. A carbide bit has been found as the most appropriate bit for drilling holes through glass. I will not waste anymore of your time now, I will get into the details of how you can drill holes through glass without using too much effort.

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• Consider the type of glass to drill through: besides tampered glass any other type of glass can be drilled through whether it is glass tiles, mirrors, aquariums or bottles. Drilling holes through tampered glass is a waste of effort because the moment you put that drill on it, it will just break into pieces.
• Endeavor to dress appropriately: wearing jewelry is very dangerous if you are going to drill so you need to take any jewelry off before you do anything and also make sure the clothes you wear are not loose to get caught into the drill.
• Look for the right drill bit:like I said in the introduction, any drill even a standard one can be used to drill through glass however it is very essential that you find the perfect drill. A carbide or diamond bit is the most appropriate drill to drill through glass and they are overly available at different hard ware stores or bet yet you could buy one online to avoid the burden of having to move around store to store. The big advantage with diamond bits is that they can be used to make holes of different sizes whether you want small, medium or large holes.
• Prepare your glass and work area:to avoid drilling into the table you are working from it is best that you place a hard paper or newspapers on the area you will be working from. Make sure the glass is laid down completely flat on the floor or any other surface that provides maximum support. Some drill experts even recommend that you put the glass in a bowl or container but don’t make stand instead just lay it in the container.
• Tape the glass with cardboard: glass is very slippery and it is most likely that the drill will slip off several times before you actually get to drill a hole into it but there is a simple solution to that which is taping with cardboard. Place the cardboard on both sides of the glass and use a marker to label the particular spot where you would want to make the hole.
• Now get started on the real mission: there is no way you can drill through hard material like glass if you start with a high or fast speed, you need begin with a slow speed after all you only want to start with a pilot hole or dimple. After making a dimple it will not be much easier for you to create the hole so you can get rid of the cardboard or tape and drill in at a faster speed.
• Make it gradual when increasing the speed, after making the dimple don’t rush with the fastest speed but instead try a medium speed like 400rpm for added precision.
• After the first whole you can even use a larger bit to make the hole larger to whichever size you want to have.
• Reduce the pressure and speed again: what you should know is that all kinds of glass are delicate only that some are more delicate than others. Therefore when you have almost made the hole through you need to reduce pressure and speed to avoid any chances of breaking the glass. Don’t apply any pressure while drilling just let the drill do what it is meant to do, if you are not sure about what to do don’t drill through at once. Make the hole half way, turn the glass to other side and do just like you did with the first side, this method cuts down on the risk of you breaking or cracking the glass.
• Remember to cool the bit: after hours of use the bit gets extremely hot which heat is not good for the glass, we all know that extremely high temperatures cause glass to break or crack. The cheapest and most available way for cooling the bit is by using water, pour the water in a spray bottle and continuously spray some water on the bit as you work to keep it cool.

Drilling holes through other materials

Besides glass there are other materials that could probably want to drill holes through like metal or masonry, I will briefly show you how you can do that.

Drilling holes through metal

• For drilling holes through metal a metal or wood bit can work however drilling through metal is quite harder than drilling through wood. Metals are hard and have a smooth surface so you will to make a dimple with a hammer as the first step. The technique for drilling through metal is to use pressure that is firm enough, consistent and the speed should be just moderate. When you use a very fast speed then you will have to apply very steady pressure, as long as what you are working on is securely held in place then you will be good to go.

Drilling holes through masonry

• Since most masonry does not have a slippery surface, it is not too much of a task to drill holes through them though you will need to have the appropriate bit which is a carbide tipped masonry bit. This time round you have to use a lot of pressure, to push extra hard to get through and also use the fastest speed. You will find harder stones inside that one stone that you are drilling through but there is no need to stop you just have to keep going until you achieve the hole you want.