drilling an acrylic tank

[Turbovr3six]

so i want to drill another drain in my overflow box of my 180... ive heard stories of people cracking it when there doing it, n i dont want that to happen!(drill slow i know) im drilling the overflow box tward the top... theres no water in the overflow so i plan on just using a shop vac to suck out all the scrap acrylic...

should i use backing? any special bit?(i have the ones for wood/plastic) the tank has about 150 gallons of water in it right now but none in the over flow...

drain the water rock and sand then drill?

grow a set and just do it already?

DONT DO IT?

suggestions?

 

[jmking33]

Ive always just used the normal hole saw you can buy at lowes and home depot. nothing special, and never had a problem.

 

[albano]

I just drilled 9 holes in my new 450g, this past weekend, with a home depot hole saw...no problem...med high speed, very little pressure. here is my tank thread on MR.
http://www.manhattanreefs.com/forum/tank-threads/63397-hundreds-corals-fish-free.html

 

[seashark]

^^^ +1

 

[shirley386]

grow a set and just do it already?

I like that comment! :lolspin:

 

[hebygb]

+1 on a regular hole saw... take your time.

 

[cnaegler]

I was told by "Acrylics" here on RC that you could use a little dish soap to help with lubrication. It's supposed to help with not melting. But, it sounds like the tank is pretty much set up so if you decide to do this, plan on cleaning it up well. HTH.

 

[stugray]

The only trick no-one mentioned:

If possible, clamp a piece of wood on the inside of the tank tight up against where you are drilling.

when the holesaw punches through the back, you will get less chip out with the backing plate.

OH! - and stop VERY often and clean out the teeth of the holesaw. They will gum up every few seconds as you drill.
A center punch is great for getting the crap out of the teeth.


Stu

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

OH! - and stop VERY often

To add to this suggestion, don't ever literally stop the holesaw while it's partially in the hole, in contact with the acrylic. Keep it moving as you pull it out.

 

[BeanAnimal]

Yes... if you stop the saw in the hole, the melted fillings will seize the saw in the cut... sometimes permanently

 

[Turbovr3six]

thanks for the input everyone..

albano- clean cuts! wanna do mine?

cnaegler- didnt think of that! gameplan

stugray- thanks man, i was thinking about it but didnt know...

 

[rswood1]

Regular hole saws from Home Depot are fine.

 

[Cuby2k]

To add to this suggestion, don't ever literally stop the holesaw while it's partially in the hole, in contact with the acrylic. Keep it moving as you pull it out.

+1 And plan on cleaning your hole saw often.


And lots of lubricant. I missed Acrylics post about dish soap but it sounds very logical and I am pretty sure he knows what he is talking about.

 

[BeanAnimal]

Palmolive or other mild dishwashing soap is fine. Never use a petrolium based product (oil) as a lubricant. It will cause crazing of the acrylic.