Drilling glass ?

[aka rotten]

Hope this is right area for this question, if not feel free to move. Wife asked me to drill hole in glass bottles for some kinda craft thing. I,m old, but never ran into that before. How is it done. Can it be done without some special drill bits? Thanks for helpin old guy out.

 

[Bobhdus]

Lowes has special drill bits for glass. They don't cost that much....

 

[Bobhdus]

The diamond hole saw is the best one...

 

[aka rotten]

Lowes has special drill bits for glass. They don't cost that much....

Well that was quick enough,and I learned something else.Thank you much for the info.Paul

 

[Bobhdus]

No problem. Do a google search for them. There's videos to show how to make it easy...

 

[jmarkwolf]

When I was in high school, my dad showed me how to drill holes in the bottom of mason jars with some copper tube and valve lapping compound on the drill press.

Made a perfect hole, although it took awhile. Maybe 20-30 minutes each hole.

I sold them to a lady in town that assembled them into decorative little table lamps in her antique shop.

 

[BryanB]

I used to work in a glass shop and did this all the time. U need a special drill bit which you can get where ever. I even has been able to use a masonry bit. Heat and excessive pressure are your enemy. I used to build a little reservoir using putty around where I needed my hole and fill it with water. Go slow lifting your bit from time to time to keep lubricated and cool.....

 

[-Brent-]

Diamond hole saws are the best. I have drilled a lot of holes in glass and that's all I'll use now. The only problem I have ever had is that you cannot get them in 1/8". Use water and take it slow and you'll get longer life from the saw bits.

 

[77thor]

Would a ceramic/porcelain tile bit work for this?

 

[Camper]

For smaller bottles I used to put an old dish pan on the drill press filled with enough water to cover the whole thing.

 

[iadubber]

I've drilled alot of aquariums in my day. I have always used running water with a diamond holesaw with my drill on the lightest clutch.

I get my holesaws from glass-holes.com

 

[DoyleDee]

I have used the porcelain tile bits to drill glass. They look like a spade and are smaller than hole saws.

 

[Bobf]

Way back when I made flower pots out of fairly large bottles for my Mom by using masking tape around the top leaving a 1/4" open gap, and a rubber washer taped to the bottom center and used my small sand blast pot from Sears to blast thru the glass. Never thought about getting a store bought drill for that purpose

 

[racingtadpole]

Little hole, you need an arrowhead drill bit that has diamond encrusted sides, big holes the holesaws like above. Use blu tack to make a crater around the hole and fill with water, keep it full. Use a drill press in preference to a hand drill. Hope that helps.

 

[dw1]

If you have a Dremel tool, they make a bit for it that will drill glass. I actually did what you are talking about (sort of) I drilled a liquor bottle and made a lamp for my daughters friend. It actually turned out pretty neat. Then they were going to mass produce these (Me) but I had more $$ in the project than what they wanted to charge for the lamp.