How to drill a hole in a glass with and without a drill

When working with glass, you may need to drill a hole in it. In this case, a piece of glass, known for its fragility, should remain intact. Tasks that exclude each other, since drilling holes in the glass implies a local destruction of the glass structure. But, working with glass for hundreds of years, people have learned to do this in a variety of ways. Here are just a few of them.

But first two remarks. First: the glass should be "raw", not hardened. The last of any attempt at mechanical processing will simply dissipate. Second: Before working with glass, protect your eyes.

First of all, learn how to drill a hole in a glass with familiar tools, similar to those made with holes in concrete or metal. However, there is a special drill with a spray on its end of the diamond crumb. Its diameter should be equal to the diameter of the required hole. Drilling is done with a drill only at low speed. In this case, the drill must be strictly perpendicular to the glass, any deviations from the vertical are inadmissible. The glass itself at this time should lie on a solid horizontal surface.

Marking the place of the future hole with the marker, remember: if the glass is thick, its edge and the edge of the hole must be separated by at least 25 mm, if the thin one is not less than 13 mm. The smaller this distance, the greater the risk that even after successfully applying knowledge about how to drill a hole in a glass, it will burst when used.

Drilling is done in two steps. First, a 2-3 mm deep depression is made at the marking site. Then the drill is stopped and the groove is filled with a drop of engine oil to reduce friction. Having resumed work, it is impossible at the same time to lower the drill with force - either it will break or the glass will burst.

There are other ways, like drill a hole in the glass, applying lubrication and regular cooling.

On the glass several times apply, wrapping it, a paint tape, on which a hole is planned. Drill with a diamond pen drill, previously dipped in water, at medium speed, remembering to periodically cool the tool and wet the hole with water.

You can not use scotch, but constantly add to the resulting deepening mixture of turpentine and rosin (1: 1).

Another way is as follows. The glass lies on a soft cloth. The marker marks the place of the hole, after which a kind of tub is molded around it from the child's plasticine. There liquid is poured (a solution of aluminum alum in acetic acid or camphor + turpentine 1: 1). Drilling is performed at low revs with a carbide drill.

You can limit yourself to cooling only with turpentine, constantly making sure that it was in the "bath", but then the technology changes. After the point of the drill is shown from the other side of the glass, it must be turned and continued on the other side.

In these cases, the drilling tool itself is not important, but what kind of liquid it lubricates and cools.

But the way to drill a hole in the glass without a special nozzle. Instead, a hollow copper tube 100 mm long is used. Pre-it is filled in with a mixture (mineral oil + dust from corundum emery). Drilling is carried out with interruptions, during which the tube is lifted, so that the mixture gradually flows out of it. Feed force is small.