Glass is one of the toughest things to drill. When you are drilling a hole in the glass, it can be hard to drill straight and without leaving large holes behind. You need to use a bit that is very sharp and you need a drill that has a good power source so you can drill into the glass without damaging it.
One of the best ways to drill through glass is to use an electric drill that uses batteries. Here are some tips on how to drill a hole in glass with an electric drill.
Learn How to Drill a Hole in Glass – Try This Old School DIY Trick
To start, you will need to make sure you have a clean work area where you can lay down the glass so you can begin drilling. Your work area should be clean and dry. This will help reduce dust that can affect the quality of the drill bit. If you need to drill a hole in glass that has a paper towel or other cloth in front of it to prevent the glass from being scratched, then do it.
When drilling a hole in the glass, you need to start by using a drill bit that is thin, usually less than half an inch. You will use a drill press to rest the drill bit on the surface of the glass so it can drill smoothly. Using a drill press will also ensure that the drill bit does not scratch the surface of the glass when it is in there.
If you have a hand drill, you can push the bit into the glass with the palm of your hand but using a drill with your hands will give more leverage and make the drilling easier. Using an ice pick or pencil as a drill bit is also an option.
When you have drilled a hole in the glass, be careful not to leave any jagged edges behind. This will cut right through the glass and cause your glass to shatter. The jagged edges are often referred to as chipped edges.
Next, you will want to tap the glass. There are several ways to do this depending on how thick the glass is. Tapping makes sure the glass is smooth on the outside and will help you get the best results. If you are not sure how to drill a hole in glass for the drilling purpose, tap a dry board or dry tile.
Once the glass is fairly smooth, use a drill press to drill a hole into it. Be sure you wear glasses with clear lenses if you are using a hand drill, since the drill might hit the lens and break it.
Once you have drilled a hole in the glass, use a putty knife to repair the damage. Using the putty knife, smooth out the damaged area, and then re-stamp it with a new color.
You must be sure to use the same color of stain that you used on the original area of the glass, otherwise the stain will be obvious when you are finished. Use the same drill bit that you used in the original hole to re-stamp the hole in the glass.
When you have completed the repairs, wipe the glass dry with a cloth and then use a clean dry piece of paper to check for any more damage.
You can use the same glass pieces that were used for the original repairs to drill into other areas of glass, provided that you have some extra bits leftover from your original project.
This is useful if you need to drill a large hole and only have one small piece of glass left.
The last step in learning how to drill a hole in glass is to install glass caulk around the drilled area. It is important to cover the glass before you drill through it because it prevents anything from seeping into the drilled area and damaging the glass.
Put some putty or silicon between the caulk and the glass before you fill it into the drilled hole and then press it in place. You can use the same caulk that was used on the damaged area, but it might need to be slightly tighter.