"DIYGUY" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Wife wants to make a lamp out of a fancy wine bottle. Never had to
> drill glass before. Anyone care to enlighten me on how to? Thx ...
First thing you need to do is fixture the bottle so it is stable on the
drill press. If you want to do this on the cheap, use a piece of copper
tubing as your bit and in the putty dam use an abrasive compound like valve
grinding compound diluted with a thin oil. To drill you spin the tube and
lower it into the work and then jog it up and down. The oil will keep the
work cool and the copper will be charged with the abrasive and grind you a
nice smooth hole. You might be able to talk an automotive machine shop out
of a small bit of the compound so you don't have to buy a whole can.
After you have drilled the hole relieve the sharp edges using wet or dry
sand paper. What works here is a wood dowel a little larger than your hole
with a bevel on one end. Chuck that in your drill and then cut small
squares of the sand paper. Don't push too hard just let the grit work for
you.
--
Roger Shoaf
About the time I had mastered getting the toothpaste back in the tube, then
they come up with this striped stuff.
From http://users.ticnet.com/mikefirth/coldwork.htm
To drill glass, especially larger holes, it is vital to have a drill press,
even a small one, and a method of turning the bit fairly slowly, either a
speed control or belts on larger drill presses. Venders of bits will tell
you the recommended RPM. Around the site of the hole build a dam of
plastic clay, the kind used by kids that comes in colors - red, blue, green.
Water will be put in the dam and the hole drilled through the small lake.
The bit should be withdrawn every once in a while to cool the leading edge
and the bottom of the cut (and reintroduce grit when using metal core bits
without diamonds.) The goal is to keep the glass from getting so hot it
cracks from thermal stress. If the back of the glass is accessible, the
other side of the cut should be covered with clay to keep the lake from
draining through. If it is not, then when the water does drain through, the
bottle, hollow block or shape should be filled with water. If the piece is
small enough, it may be possible to put in a bowl of water that covers it to
the top. If the task is to be done often enough, it may be worth building a
tank to keep from fiddling with the clay.
The glass dust ground out by the drill is not good to breathe. While
wet, it does not cause problems. Swirl the water to pick up the sludge and
pour it through a scrap rag and throw the rag and glass out rather than
letting it dry and pouring the dust around.
From http://www.northcoastmarines.com/bulkhead_fittings.htm
Drilling a hole for a bulkhead fitting in acrylic is pretty straightforward,
but drilling glass is a little trickier. It can be done by anyone with
patience as long as you follow our easy steps. Drilling tanks is an easy
way to make some extra cash by drilling tanks for friends. To save $$$ a
club could purchase a hole saw for its members. You will need a diamond
tipped hole saw, drill, plumber's caulk or modeling clay, sandpaper and saw
lubricant.
1.. Make sure the glass you will be drilling is NOT tempered. Tempered
glass will shatter on contact.
2.. Figure out where you need the hole and mark with a magic marker.
3.. Using the plumber's putty or modeling clay, make a small dam about 1"
bigger than the hole to be cut, about 1/4" high.
4.. Drill. The easiest way to do this is using a variable speed
rechargeable drill. This way, you can start slow and then speed up. Start
slowly, allowing the hole saw to scribe the hole that you want without
walking all over the glass. Drill slowly like this until the scribe is
about 1/16" deep.
5.. Put in a few ounces of the lubricant into the well that you made with
the putty. You can now speed up on the drill. DO NOT apply a lot of
pressure. Let the saw do the cutting. Rock the drill slightly so the drill
does not bind while it cuts. Keep the saw wet. When the saw starts to
break through the opposite side, back off the pressure and let the saw cut
through. Place a piece of cardboard or a towel under the hole so the cut
glass does not drop onto the other side glass. When through drilling, use a
small piece of sandpaper to dress the hole to avoid stress cracks. Wash the
tank out to remove the lubricant. Remember the saw "dust" you see is
actually ground glass.
Follow these steps and you will have no problems. You can drill a hole in
a 180 gal tank (5/8" glass) in about 5 minutes.
Good luck!
Regards,
Joe Agro, Jr.
http://www.autodrill.com
http://www.multi-spindle-heads.com
V8013
My eBay: http://tinyurl.com/4hpnc
My eBay Stuff: http://tinyurl.com/4hpnc
"DIYGUY" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Wife wants to make a lamp out of a fancy wine bottle. Never had to drill
> glass before. Anyone care to enlighten me on how to? Thx ...
Yes. And it works very well.
"Upscale" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "Knothead" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> > About 35 years ago I watched some boy scouts making a similar project
and
> > they used a "sand ball" bit in a hand drill and got surprisingly good
> > results. The bottles were covered completely with masking tape in case
of
> > breakage but out of 15 kids every lamp bottle got perforated without
> > incident. Took about 15 minutes per bottle......
>
> I wonder if there's a similar type of bit for a Dremel. One of the
abrasive
> cut off wheels should cut glass without incident, but it wouldn't be
> appropriate for drilling, at least not for a small hole.
>
>
Go to any hobby store and ask.
"Badger" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
>
> DIYGUY wrote:
>
>> Wife wants to make a lamp out of a fancy wine bottle. Never had to drill
>> glass before. Anyone care to enlighten me on how to? Thx ...
>
> Take it to work and use my ultra-sonic mill/drill:
>
> http://www.sonicmill.com/
>
> Niel.
<[email protected]> wrote in message
> >>
> >>> Wife wants to make a lamp out of a fancy wine bottle. Never had to
> >>> drill glass before. Anyone care to enlighten me on how to? Thx ...
Wouldn't it be easier just to give the guy a few urls?
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=32277&cat=1,180,42316
And if those aren't desirable, then one can purchase glass drills. The blade
on them is heart shaped. Lee Valley Tools used to sell them, but not anymore
that I could find.
Ray wrote:
>> You guys are taking this too seriously. I've done it by filling the
>> bottle with water and drilling through with a masonry bit in a hand
>> held drill. If the bottle breaks, buy another one and drink up!
>>
>> I'v also heard using sand works if you don't have GFCI
>>
>> --
>> Too much is not enough!
>> Ray
>> rvojtash NOT THIS ATcomcast DOT net
>>
>> "DIYGUY" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> news:[email protected]...
You could take a peak at directions on a lamp kit in some craft store.
Josie
>>> Wife wants to make a lamp out of a fancy wine bottle. Never had to
>>> drill glass before. Anyone care to enlighten me on how to? Thx ...
"Knothead" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> About 35 years ago I watched some boy scouts making a similar project and
> they used a "sand ball" bit in a hand drill and got surprisingly good
> results. The bottles were covered completely with masking tape in case of
> breakage but out of 15 kids every lamp bottle got perforated without
> incident. Took about 15 minutes per bottle......
I wonder if there's a similar type of bit for a Dremel. One of the abrasive
cut off wheels should cut glass without incident, but it wouldn't be
appropriate for drilling, at least not for a small hole.
Badger wrote in news:[email protected]:
> DIYGUY wrote:
>
>> Wife wants to make a lamp out of a fancy wine bottle. Never had to
>> drill glass before. Anyone care to enlighten me on how to? Thx ...
>
> Take it to work and use my ultra-sonic mill/drill:
>
> http://www.sonicmill.com/
>
> Niel.
I had a old guy tell me about a method they used in the 30's or 40's.
They were building something having to do with printing blueprints. I have
been wanting to try it but never have gotten around to it.
They used copper tubing to drill with and kerosene for a
coolant/lubricant. Build a little dike to contain the kerosene out of clay
or something similar, and chuck the tubing in a drill (drill press would
almost be a requirement). Use the tubing to drill through the glass making
sure there is enough kerosene to cover the spot you are drilling. He said
it made the prettiest hole you ever saw. BUT, I have never tried it, so, he
may have been blowing smoke up my @#$, although I don't think he would
have done that. He was a pretty good guy.
--
Michael Burton
Thunderbird Hardwoods
Llano, TX
mhburton at tbird-hardwoods dot com
Upscale wrote in news:[email protected]:
>
> Wouldn't it be easier just to give the guy a few urls?
I would have had I known any, on the other hand, what is the fun in buying
ready made stuff when you can do it using stuff already at hand? <grin>
--
Michael Burton
Thunderbird Hardwoods
Llano, TX
mhburton at tbird-hardwoods dot com
On Thu, 20 Jan 2005 19:06:50 -0600, Rudolph Wilhelm
<[email protected]> wrote:
>On Thu, 20 Jan 2005 20:01:10 -0500, DIYGUY <[email protected]>
>wrote:
>
>>Wife wants to make a lamp out of a fancy wine bottle. Never had to
>>drill glass before. Anyone care to enlighten me on how to? Thx ...
>
>Make a ring of clay on the glass, fill it with water. Then use a glass
>cutting spear bit chucked in a drill press. You can use a hand held
>drill, but it might skitter some.
Oh, and keep your rpms down to about 100 if you can.
About 35 years ago I watched some boy scouts making a similar project and
they used a "sand ball" bit in a hand drill and got surprisingly good
results. The bottles were covered completely with masking tape in case of
breakage but out of 15 kids every lamp bottle got perforated without
incident. Took about 15 minutes per bottle......
On Thu, 20 Jan 2005 20:01:10 -0500, DIYGUY <[email protected]>
wrote:
>Wife wants to make a lamp out of a fancy wine bottle. Never had to
>drill glass before. Anyone care to enlighten me on how to? Thx ...
http://www.artglass1.com/diamond-tools-drills.htm
http://www.advantage-drillbits.com/glass.html
........etc.
You guys are taking this too seriously. I've done it by filling the bottle
with water and drilling through with a masonry bit in a hand held drill. If
the bottle breaks, buy another one and drink up!
I'v also heard using sand works if you don't have GFCI
--
Too much is not enough!
Ray
rvojtash NOT THIS ATcomcast DOT net
"DIYGUY" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Wife wants to make a lamp out of a fancy wine bottle. Never had to drill
> glass before. Anyone care to enlighten me on how to? Thx ...
On 23 Jan 2005 22:35:34 GMT, Michael Burton
<mhburtonattbird-hardwoodsdotcom> wrote:
>Badger wrote in news:[email protected]:
>
>> DIYGUY wrote:
>>
>>> Wife wants to make a lamp out of a fancy wine bottle. Never had to
>>> drill glass before. Anyone care to enlighten me on how to? Thx ...
>>
>> Take it to work and use my ultra-sonic mill/drill:
>>
>> http://www.sonicmill.com/
>>
>> Niel.
>
> I had a old guy tell me about a method they used in the 30's or 40's.
>They were building something having to do with printing blueprints. I have
>been wanting to try it but never have gotten around to it.
> They used copper tubing to drill with and kerosene for a
>coolant/lubricant. Build a little dike to contain the kerosene out of clay
>or something similar, and chuck the tubing in a drill (drill press would
>almost be a requirement). Use the tubing to drill through the glass making
>sure there is enough kerosene to cover the spot you are drilling. He said
>it made the prettiest hole you ever saw. BUT, I have never tried it, so, he
>may have been blowing smoke up my @#$, although I don't think he would
>have done that. He was a pretty good guy.
It works. Just file some teeth into the copper tubing and use and lift
the tube away from the cut every second or so. This is essentially the
way you still drill holes in gemstones -- except you add some diamond
powder to the kerosene or light oil.
BTW: If this bottle is especially valuable for sentimental or other
reasons, I'd practice on some other bottles first. Most of these
methods require developing a certain 'touch'
--RC
"Sometimes history doesn't repeat itself. It just yells
'can't you remember anything I've told you?' and lets
fly with a club.
-- John W. Cambell Jr.
On Thu, 20 Jan 2005 20:01:10 -0500, DIYGUY <[email protected]>
wrote:
>Wife wants to make a lamp out of a fancy wine bottle. Never had to
>drill glass before. Anyone care to enlighten me on how to? Thx ...
Make a ring of clay on the glass, fill it with water. Then use a glass
cutting spear bit chucked in a drill press. You can use a hand held
drill, but it might skitter some.
On Thu, 20 Jan 2005 20:22:51 -0500, DIYGUY <[email protected]>
wrote:
>Lowest speed setting on the DP is 300 rpm. Any ideas on how to cut it
>down further? DP only has one belt and two pulleys.
>
>Any practical way to drill it by hand with a manual drill? I have an
>eggbeater drill but I suppose the bit will want to wander as you
>suggest. Suppose I could rig something up out of scrap wood as a jig.
>Might actually be fun ...
>
Nah, just use the lowest speed you have and take your time. I've done
it with a hand held power drill many times, it's just easier in a
drill press. good luck.
>Rudolph Wilhelm wrote:
>> On Thu, 20 Jan 2005 19:06:50 -0600, Rudolph Wilhelm
>> <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>
>>>On Thu, 20 Jan 2005 20:01:10 -0500, DIYGUY <[email protected]>
>>>wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>>Wife wants to make a lamp out of a fancy wine bottle. Never had to
>>>>drill glass before. Anyone care to enlighten me on how to? Thx ...
>>>
>>>Make a ring of clay on the glass, fill it with water. Then use a glass
>>>cutting spear bit chucked in a drill press. You can use a hand held
>>>drill, but it might skitter some.
>>
>>
>> Oh, and keep your rpms down to about 100 if you can.
Bulldog drill bits
"DIYGUY" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Wife wants to make a lamp out of a fancy wine bottle. Never had to drill
> glass before. Anyone care to enlighten me on how to? Thx ...
On Mon, 24 Jan 2005 20:11:04 GMT, [email protected] (Lawrence
Wasserman) vaguely proposed a theory
......and in reply I say!:
remove ns from my header address to reply via email
>In article <[email protected]>,
>DIYGUY <[email protected]> wrote:
>>Wife wants to make a lamp out of a fancy wine bottle. Never had to
>>drill glass before. Anyone care to enlighten me on how to? Thx ...
>
>Get a few extra bottles just in case... Do not drill until at least 24
>hours have passed since you drank the wine...
That's right! I remember something about that part! It was
....err...it was because you had a problem ...ummm...
I have drilled through glass on several occasions with great success using a
carbide tipped spade drill. Use a slow speed and much patience as the drill
breaks through the opposite side to avoid cracks or shattering. Secure the
workpiece to be drilled with towels and a gloved hand for saftey. Drill
designed especialy for drilling glass can be found at Home Depot or Lowes.
Jay
"Ray" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> You guys are taking this too seriously. I've done it by filling the
> bottle with water and drilling through with a masonry bit in a hand held
> drill. If the bottle breaks, buy another one and drink up!
>
> I'v also heard using sand works if you don't have GFCI
>
> --
> Too much is not enough!
> Ray
> rvojtash NOT THIS ATcomcast DOT net
>
> "DIYGUY" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> Wife wants to make a lamp out of a fancy wine bottle. Never had to drill
>> glass before. Anyone care to enlighten me on how to? Thx ...
>
>
On Thu, 20 Jan 2005 20:22:51 -0500, DIYGUY <[email protected]>
wrote:
>Lowest speed setting on the DP is 300 rpm. Any ideas on how to cut it
>down further? DP only has one belt and two pulleys.
You're better off drilling it fast with a stable drill than drilling
it slowly by hand with something that wobbles.
Glass sheet is easy to drill - you should try a practice hole first.
Bottles are hard to drill because they're moulded with heat and the
unreleased stresses can cause them to shatter. Go carefully when you
break through to the far side and expect to lose some bottles.
For "clay" as a well, I suggest glazier's putty. This is made from
linseed oil and whiting, so it doesn't mind a little extra oil. Some
putties (particularly Blu-Tack) lose all their adhesion if they get
oil near them.
--
Smert' spamionam
In article <[email protected]>,
DIYGUY <[email protected]> wrote:
>Wife wants to make a lamp out of a fancy wine bottle. Never had to
>drill glass before. Anyone care to enlighten me on how to? Thx ...
Get a few extra bottles just in case... Do not drill until at least 24
hours have passed since you drank the wine...
Seriously, there is a bit made for this, it is roughly spear-point in
shape and I belive made of carbide. It works best in a drill press at
slow speed but can be used in a hand held drill. If you can keep the
glass wet (with water) while drilling it supposedly helps. I've often
seen the advice to make a "dam" around the hole using modeling clay or
something like that, and filling it with water, but I've done OK just
using a spray bottle and taking my time.
--
Larry Wasserman Baltimore, Maryland
[email protected]
Lowest speed setting on the DP is 300 rpm. Any ideas on how to cut it
down further? DP only has one belt and two pulleys.
Any practical way to drill it by hand with a manual drill? I have an
eggbeater drill but I suppose the bit will want to wander as you
suggest. Suppose I could rig something up out of scrap wood as a jig.
Might actually be fun ...
Rudolph Wilhelm wrote:
> On Thu, 20 Jan 2005 19:06:50 -0600, Rudolph Wilhelm
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>>On Thu, 20 Jan 2005 20:01:10 -0500, DIYGUY <[email protected]>
>>wrote:
>>
>>
>>>Wife wants to make a lamp out of a fancy wine bottle. Never had to
>>>drill glass before. Anyone care to enlighten me on how to? Thx ...
>>
>>Make a ring of clay on the glass, fill it with water. Then use a glass
>>cutting spear bit chucked in a drill press. You can use a hand held
>>drill, but it might skitter some.
>
>
> Oh, and keep your rpms down to about 100 if you can.
When I was maintainence (sp?) at a truck stop I was asked to drill through
the mirrors to hang dispencers... Ace has the bit you need and my only piece
of advice since I did one great and the other cracked is go slow and steady.
Log
"Rudolph Wilhelm" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Thu, 20 Jan 2005 20:22:51 -0500, DIYGUY <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
>>Lowest speed setting on the DP is 300 rpm. Any ideas on how to cut it
>>down further? DP only has one belt and two pulleys.
>>
>>Any practical way to drill it by hand with a manual drill? I have an
>>eggbeater drill but I suppose the bit will want to wander as you
>>suggest. Suppose I could rig something up out of scrap wood as a jig.
>>Might actually be fun ...
>>
> Nah, just use the lowest speed you have and take your time. I've done
> it with a hand held power drill many times, it's just easier in a
> drill press. good luck.
>>Rudolph Wilhelm wrote:
>>> On Thu, 20 Jan 2005 19:06:50 -0600, Rudolph Wilhelm
>>> <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>>On Thu, 20 Jan 2005 20:01:10 -0500, DIYGUY <[email protected]>
>>>>wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>Wife wants to make a lamp out of a fancy wine bottle. Never had to
>>>>>drill glass before. Anyone care to enlighten me on how to? Thx ...
>>>>
>>>>Make a ring of clay on the glass, fill it with water. Then use a glass
>>>>cutting spear bit chucked in a drill press. You can use a hand held
>>>>drill, but it might skitter some.
>>>
>>>
>>> Oh, and keep your rpms down to about 100 if you can.
>