Trying to drill petco tank, failing miserably

[CafeReef]

Another tip. when you start initially, start at an angle to groove the glass some, then while the bit is still spinning straighten it out. This will give the bit a place to catch, like they said before no pressure, the weight of the drill will do the work for you.

Seems from your initial pic that you slid all over the place before it finally caught and ground the hole through. Starting at an angle will help with this. Also duck tape the inside of the glass to catch the piece as it falls.

 

[RockOn681]

If you absolutely need the 10 gallon tank and couldn't move up to a thicker glass tank (where this becomes much easier), I would suggest using a dremel and a small diamond bit to grind out the required size for your bulk head. It takes a few more minutes to do, but IMO your risk of cracking a tank this size decreases dramatically. Also the bits are cheaper.

 

[Ruckus16]

Cafereef is right. Start at an angle and very slowly tilt the drill to full vertical

 

[Devolver]

i have had better luck cutting a piece of acrylic with the same bit you are drilling the glass with. and then taping that acrylic with the hole n it to the glass and using it as a guide. it will keep the bit from walking.

And when drilling glass, the slower the better...most holes take me about 30 mins to drill in 3/4' glass

 

[asdfghp]

i have had better luck cutting a piece of acrylic with the same bit you are drilling the glass with. and then taping that acrylic with the hole n it to the glass and using it as a guide. it will keep the bit from walking.

And when drilling glass, the slower the better...most holes take me about 30 mins to drill in 3/4' glass

+++++1 EXCELLENT HINT!!!! :bounce3: I'm gonna try this next time. Should be much more accurate than using a v-notched block of wood & my thumb!

 

[Djturna4thakidz]

Start drilling at a 45 degree angle so you get the bit into the glass. It won't jump around on you and scuff up the glass so much. Once the hole is started you can flatten the bit.


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[onetrickpony]

I use a wood templet 3/4" , use a hole saw on the wood the same size as the diamond bit,
used spring clamps to hold it in place run the hose up to the diamond bit and you will be good to go. On the thin glass very light pressure, the diamond bit sands the hole through the glass.

 

[Iamjimmer]

I'd keep using this one for practice until you get it down. Its easy to crack these and just takes lots of patience


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[rickztahone]

I know a few have mentioned it already, but always keep the water running, DON'T FORGET! I took a break while drilling my tank and when I forgot to turn the water back on for a couple of seconds till I realized what I had forgotten.

 

[Hawk72]

You can also use some of the glass from the first failed tank and silicone it to the outside to double up the thickness. It will also make it stronger to prevent cracking when you put the bulkhead in and plumb it to your sump.

 

[shields]

Thank You all for the advice, so I had most of those problems the first time around as you can see. But then on the 2nd try I corrected them somewhat, I had full running water, did angle it to begin and did go very slow on very low speed. I even used a piece of PVC taped down as a good guide and taped inside of glass. I used a cordless set to low speed. Don't know what you mean by (or if I have) a clutch on the drill, but, nonetheless as you can see the second attempt cracked the glass way worse! (Despite being a MUCH cleaner cut) It felt like I was so close and then boom it snagged wrong and cracked, I honestly feel like the bit ran out of diamond surface on it due to how much it was running around on my first attempt.... Complete waste of a 30$ bit at Home Depot, eBay for now on for sure. In any regard I took a new approach now. I used two 56 quart sterilite (PP 5) from homedepot and placed one inside the other for stability. I drilled it no problem with a cheapo bit. It has been going 2 days. No problem so far works great. Maybe looks inferior but that's all... Bonus pic is the new fish room I set up recently

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[CafeReef]

The "clutch" on a drill is the low torque setting, when you have it on a lower speed and when say drilling a screw you can hear it screaming and no longer turning.

This feature is used so you dont overdo your work, drilling these tanks like they are a piece of wood on high speed can cause issues if you are not familiar with the material. Slowing the drill down will help. There are other variables, cheap bits can cause it to dig and skip, thin glass definitly makes it more challenging for certain.

 

[shields]

The "clutch" on a drill is the low torque setting, when you have it on a lower speed and when say drilling a screw you can hear it screaming and no longer turning.



This feature is used so you dont overdo your work, drilling these tanks like they are a piece of wood on high speed can cause issues if you are not familiar with the material. Slowing the drill down will help. There are other variables, cheap bits can cause it to dig and skip, thin glass definitly makes it more challenging for certain.

Ok great to know. I'm unsure if my drill has this, will have to test it out.... I'm gonna try again in a month or so. Going to order bits on eBay for a good price so I don't get ripped off from Home Depot

 

[falconut]

If you absolutely need the 10 gallon tank and couldn't move up to a thicker glass tank (where this becomes much easier), I would suggest using a dremel and a small diamond bit to grind out the required size for your bulk head. It takes a few more minutes to do, but IMO your risk of cracking a tank this size decreases dramatically. Also the bits are cheaper.

I've used this method to do 5 holes in 3 tanks over the years and had no issues. I think the bit was like $10. If you try this method, just search for the thread, which describes it perfectly.

 

[OllieNZ]

I recently drilled my 6gal nano which I think is about 4mm glass.

I drilled from the outside in and clamped a piece of mdf to the inside and that helped keep it tidy at the end.

 

[Vegas RN]

i form a dam of plumbers putty and fill with water and go slow. if you go to fast or too much preasure it will crack