drilling .5" glass
- Thread starter knockout
- Start date
well, 1/4" holes took me roughly 5 mins per hole. probably 10-15 minutes. Also, I recommend keep adding fresh water to the pool that you make with plumbers puddy.if someone will be there helping you have them just keep pouring fresh water as you drill. seems to work alot better for me that way.
coralnut99
New member
tat2shawn
New member
Just watch an online video on drilling glass. should take you anywhere from 5 to 10 min per hole. You can put a little more weight on the diamond hole saw in the 1st half of getting through the glass then just use the weight of the drill to get through the rest this prevents scalloping on the back of the hole.
Also very important to make the water dam with some plumbers putty or I have even used play-doh! You will also want to put a piece of tape across the back of the glass where your drilling to "catch" the circle of glass. so it doesent drop on to the other side of the tank.
I have drilled about eight hole in the last two months and have had great success with this method
Also very important to make the water dam with some plumbers putty or I have even used play-doh! You will also want to put a piece of tape across the back of the glass where your drilling to "catch" the circle of glass. so it doesent drop on to the other side of the tank.
I have drilled about eight hole in the last two months and have had great success with this method
knockout
Really Cool Stuff!
not at all, its all good!
rickyfins
New member
Here is what you need to do it correctly:
www.CRlaurence.com has Diamond Tool Coolant Cat. No. DTC8oz
You can also buy a rubber suction ring to keep the liquid pooled.
This is a concentrate. 1 part coolant to 50 parts water.
This is a severely Hydrotreated Petroleum Oil that is water soluble. Using water will work but still takes some life out of the bit long term. It also doesn't cool as effectively as the coolant mix and breaks, cracks, and chips do occur more often when using just water or veg. oil.
It shouldn't take long to drill, I drilled 3/8" holes yesteday and it only took maybe 10 minutes total for 2 holes with the proper bit and coolant.
I used a roll of paper towels and a small bucket with a paper towel on it pressed against the other side of the glass to catch the cutout and liquid after the hole is drilled.
Don't be afraid... It's Only glass. Just need to slow the drill down right before it punches through or it will chip severely.
I have drilled hundreds of holes in glass successfully. I have over a 99% success rate in this department.
www.CRlaurence.com has Diamond Tool Coolant Cat. No. DTC8oz
You can also buy a rubber suction ring to keep the liquid pooled.
This is a concentrate. 1 part coolant to 50 parts water.
This is a severely Hydrotreated Petroleum Oil that is water soluble. Using water will work but still takes some life out of the bit long term. It also doesn't cool as effectively as the coolant mix and breaks, cracks, and chips do occur more often when using just water or veg. oil.
It shouldn't take long to drill, I drilled 3/8" holes yesteday and it only took maybe 10 minutes total for 2 holes with the proper bit and coolant.
I used a roll of paper towels and a small bucket with a paper towel on it pressed against the other side of the glass to catch the cutout and liquid after the hole is drilled.
Don't be afraid... It's Only glass. Just need to slow the drill down right before it punches through or it will chip severely.
I have drilled hundreds of holes in glass successfully. I have over a 99% success rate in this department.
Last edited:
coralnut99
New member
Rickyfins' last recommendation shouldn't be taken too lightly. If you finish the hole with too much pressure on the drill and bit, the chips you carve out on the back side can be big enough that they go beyond the circumference of the bulkhead gasket, and makes the hole unusable.
rickyfins
New member
Turning the tank on the side makes life much easier...
Its easier to gauge pressure and the ability to control where the cutout goes. If you are buying the coolant, buy the ring that goes with it, it is a wise investment.
Depending on the quality of the bit you purchase depends on the life of the bit as well as coolant and drilling times/heat. A cheap bit may do a couple holes or few more. Also with that, a cheap bit is more likely to cause you problems with drilling holes and have more issues. The cheaper bits tend to wear out quick and if your not careful disaster can come from these bits.
I know we all like to save money where we can, but when you are drilling .5" holes on a big tank, I would think spending a few more dollars on the bit would be a good choice for safety and worry sakes. LOL I wouldn't want to have to replace a tank that big or one of its panes. .5" glass is mostly special order from glass places and tends to be very costly.
Its easier to gauge pressure and the ability to control where the cutout goes. If you are buying the coolant, buy the ring that goes with it, it is a wise investment.
Depending on the quality of the bit you purchase depends on the life of the bit as well as coolant and drilling times/heat. A cheap bit may do a couple holes or few more. Also with that, a cheap bit is more likely to cause you problems with drilling holes and have more issues. The cheaper bits tend to wear out quick and if your not careful disaster can come from these bits.
I know we all like to save money where we can, but when you are drilling .5" holes on a big tank, I would think spending a few more dollars on the bit would be a good choice for safety and worry sakes. LOL I wouldn't want to have to replace a tank that big or one of its panes. .5" glass is mostly special order from glass places and tends to be very costly.
rickyfins
New member
Just for example the sizes are inaccurate but this will show you what to look for. In general if they are shiny bits, thats a no no. The unpolished aluminum bits are of better quality. Here is what I found on ebay, search for diamond drill bits, if you look at the pictures closely you will see a difference in the quality of the diamond part on the end. If you can still see metal behind the diamond its of low quality. This is all IMO so, whatever thats worth... Just from looking for the bits, I have seen a dramatic drop in quality since I last purchased bits.
Bad Quality-
http://cgi.ebay.com/1-1-8-Diamond-D...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item35a6da550f
Better Quality These are shiny but look at the diamond on the end-
http://cgi.ebay.com/5-DIAMOND-TILE-...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item48395a0ecb
Bad Quality-
http://cgi.ebay.com/1-1-8-Diamond-D...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item35a6da550f
Better Quality These are shiny but look at the diamond on the end-
http://cgi.ebay.com/5-DIAMOND-TILE-...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item48395a0ecb
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