Drilling Glass

[THINKGREEN420]

Is it possible at all to drill a hole through something like a glass vase and if so how??

[slipknotpsycho]

http://boards.cannabis.com/showpost.php?p=762166&postcount=4

[willystylle]

Make sure your drill is sharp, maybe buy a new one just in case.

Drill at highest speed possible, putting NO pressure on the glass.

For Christ's sake make sure the drill is not on 'hammer' or masonry mode.

[graph]

Diamond drill bits are best, too. If that hasn't already been mentioned.

[THINKGREEN420]

how much are diamond tiped drill bits approx?

[slipknotpsycho]

10$ at the most? they're not like expensive just cuz they're diamond tipped...

[graph]

Yeah, they're not diamonds like the jewelry. Well, they are the diamonds in jewelry, but rougher. Remember in science class in elementary school when we all learned that diamonds were the hardest thing according to some hardness scale?

What was that thing called?

[knave666]

the Vickers hardness scale

[THINKGREEN420]

yea i know what diamond tipped bits are its actually artificial diamonds made in controlled envrioment but what abiout the drill does it need to be anything special

[birdgirl73]

Nothing special. Just a diamond drill bit and make sure, like Willy said, your drill is on regular mode rather than masonry mode. Might make sure your drill bit is fairly narrow. Not sure how big the hole is you want to drill. Hopefully the vase you're drilling into isn't made of real thin, fragile glass because if it is, you can kiss it goodbye.

I do stained glass, and even with the right equipment, about one time in three, the glass still breaks even when you do everything right in trying to drill it. You never know what kind of faults or tiny weaknesses it has. So be prepared to lose it. And wear eye protection.

[Goodman3eb]

I thought it was the Mohs hardness scale?
http://geology.about.com/library/bl/blmohsscale.htm

Anyway, I've given it quite a few tries, even with a good drillpress and a diamond-tipped bit, but always end up breaking the glass one way or another. If you want to use a standard 9mm slide and rubber gasket, you'll need a 1/2" hole-- thus a 1/2" drillbit, which cost me around $13.

Here's the problem I have-- the drillbit flares out such that it become really quite wide before it gets all the way through the glass, such that when it breaks through the glass all the way, it punches through with a bit of force--that is to say, I was putting force on it so it makes SOME progress while grinding away all that glass-- and breaks the glass. Even when I do manage to get through the glass, the bit tends to rattle so much against the hole-- it's hard to hold the vase/bottle still while drilling-- that I end up cracking it anyway.

Here's something I've always wanted to try, that I think might help out somewhat: melt some wax-- you can get canning wax, or paraffin, at any craft store-- and pour it into your bottle, just to the level where you want to drill. Once it dries, you have a relatively hard, stiff surface to drill into, supporting the glass from underneath and facilitating easy drilling with no breakage. Once you're done drilling, submerge the vase in boiling water; the wax will melt, and hopefully flow out of the newly drilled hole, leaving you with a brand new bong!

Again, I don't know if that'd work, but it sounds feasible.

On my one success, I ended up with a fantastic little mini-bong that I love and all my friends love too. I think the reason that one succeeded was that once I got through the glass, I was able to hold the vase steady enough to keep going all the way with it.

Anyone else have a real-life success with this?

[willystylle]

Just be wary of the drill you use. Specifically ask for a steel/wood drill and you'll be fine. I often drilled porcelain, glass and other fragile materials and the trick is to drill fast without applying pressure.

You'll have to google this one to be sure but I think that if the glass if filled with water or sand then the chances of breakage are reduced.

[graph]

Oh yeeeeeah. Mohs was a crazy bastard.

[slipknotpsycho]

I thought it was the Mohs hardness scale?
http://geology.about.com/library/bl/blmohsscale.htm

Anyway, I've given it quite a few tries, even with a good drillpress and a diamond-tipped bit, but always end up breaking the glass one way or another. If you want to use a standard 9mm slide and rubber gasket, you'll need a 1/2" hole-- thus a 1/2" drillbit, which cost me around $13.

Here's the problem I have-- the drillbit flares out such that it become really quite wide before it gets all the way through the glass, such that when it breaks through the glass all the way, it punches through with a bit of force--that is to say, I was putting force on it so it makes SOME progress while grinding away all that glass-- and breaks the glass. Even when I do manage to get through the glass, the bit tends to rattle so much against the hole-- it's hard to hold the vase/bottle still while drilling-- that I end up cracking it anyway.

Here's something I've always wanted to try, that I think might help out somewhat: melt some wax-- you can get canning wax, or paraffin, at any craft store-- and pour it into your bottle, just to the level where you want to drill. Once it dries, you have a relatively hard, stiff surface to drill into, supporting the glass from underneath and facilitating easy drilling with no breakage. Once you're done drilling, submerge the vase in boiling water; the wax will melt, and hopefully flow out of the newly drilled hole, leaving you with a brand new bong!

Again, I don't know if that'd work, but it sounds feasible.

On my one success, I ended up with a fantastic little mini-bong that I love and all my friends love too. I think the reason that one succeeded was that once I got through the glass, I was able to hold the vase steady enough to keep going all the way with it.

Anyone else have a real-life success with this?
do you have water at hand when your drilling? if you put a few drops for every minute or so of drilling you do, it makes it less likely to break...