jac, I've drilled many aquariums with a diamond tipped hole saw. Plain glass bottoms. Nowadays most aquariums are made with tempered glass bottoms and the manufacturers warn that they will fracture if drilled. Think of what happens when the tail of a Prinz Eugen drop is broken or even just scratched.
If you must have holes in your rare filters, please try to find a common version that you can try drilling first.
Rare? I did not consider that. I will investigate, but I doubt anyone wants these monsters. I will find out. I do have some 144mm filters, too. Man, I should do an inventory.Originally Posted by Dan Fromm
Thank you, Dan. I will also look for some 1/2" glass to test.
If you want an accurate, clean hole, laser drilling beats all other methods. Available as small-scale contract work, but it's a bit like metal workshop stuff – things are easier if you know someone with the kit and some spare time.
I used to know some crazy Estonians who could put clean holes in any insulator. They would put M2 screw threads in single-crystal sapphire. All done with a suitable form, fine-grain carborundum or diamond slurry, and a *lot* of patience.
I'm imagining an impish creature sitting cross-legged on a dirt floor with a magic mortar grinding diamonds and spit.
That's pretty much how they marketed themselves. Like Swiss elves, but cheaper. Reality was cleanrooms and stainless steel.
Peter,
The larger the hole/drill bit the longer it would last because of heat dissipation and the bit will last longer; that being said, the more precise you need to be may require replacing the bit more often.
Regarding speeds, I was using a dremel mounted in a dremel drill press to make sure my holes were straight, set a depth adjustment, and prevent wobble. With the dremel I could carefully control speed, and so was not going too fast. In fact, I would drill for 2o sec.s and then back off for a few sec.s to avoid heat build up. The drill bits were 1.2-1.5 mm diameter.
If you are drilling tempered glass remember that it is extremely hard, so cooling and going slow will be important. I suggest getting some scraps from a glass shop to practice on.
Mike
Jac,
PM me and I'll send you my method for making unsharp masks. I think I also have a copy of Howard Bond's PT article.
Mike
Fair enough, Mike.
“You often feel tired, not because you've done too much, but because you've done too little of what sparks a light in you.”
― Alexander Den Heijer, Nothing You Don't Already Know
I've drilled probably thousands of holes in various types and thicknesses of glass. I always used a diamond core drill with water as a lubricant and to cool the material. It's probably a bit over what you are looking to spend Jac, but this look at core drills and adapters on this page to see what I'm referring to—
http://www.mcmaster.com/#diamond-drill-bits/=123zm3t
I don't see that anyone has mentioned the exit chipping problem.
This isn't too bad with diamond core drills, but is terrible with spade-type bits. The easy solution is to attach a thick piece of scrap glass to the exit side (using a thin adhesive which will stand up to the cutting fluid but be cleanly removable later) so that the exit edge is fully supported. If your setup isn't sufficiently rigid to prevent "walking" at the start, sticking on a piece of sacrificial glass on the entry side can help with that.
My preferred adhesive has always been beeswax, using soluble oil in water for cooling.
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