Drilling through Boro?

[Megan_in_BK]

Can Boro be drilled through ?

[LTD]

Yes. Proper bit, proper speed and lubricant (water)

[standard28]

Yes...diamond core drill bit and water. Lot more to it then that but that's the basics...

[Waffles]

tungsten

[PyroChixRock]

what are you trying to drill through boro for?

[ACE]

yes, but you need something a bit more delicate than an actual drill, like a flex shaft or something.

[Greymatter Glass]

Can Boro be drilled through ?

Simple question, simple answer: yes.



I suspect there's more than just the simple question...

It depends on what you're drilling....

Hot or cold? sheet, rod, thin, thick, solid, hollow?

I would only use a drill press for anything over like 1/8" or so... no way a hand drill, dremel, or flex shaft will drill a much bigger hole without a lot of breaking.

or tungsten if you want to do it hot...

[ras_l-roy]

im also interested in this- i need holes for nails &/or screws to secure my work to the wall. Can i twist someones arm for some specifics plz?

grymater- would u recommend using tungsten when its hot for some nail/screw holes?

[gn0me]

http://www.diamond-drill-bit-and-tool.com/Diamond-Drill/Diamond-Drill-Bit.shtml#DiamondDrillBit

Basically, use lots of water, don't apply much pressure, and use a slower RPM. It's more like sanding away a hole than drilling through - you get a nice core sample of whatever work you do. Getting the hole started and finished are the hardest parts - the bit likes to wander during the start, and the end needs really light pressure or you'll create a chip out of the last part of the glass to be drilled through. Hope this helps!

[Brian Newman]

Poor man's way is a plasticine dam to hold a pool of silicon carbide powder, and a brass tube instead of a bit in a drillpress. Lift it regularly to let the powdered abrasive under the brass tube, and Robert is your mother's brother.

[gn0me]

^that's a good one! Haven't heard of that before but it sounds pretty fantastic.

[jacky geurts 67]

thanks Brian I´m going to give that try :-)

[Julian]

It's basically the same as drilling agate, or actually quartz which is much closer in hardness to boro glass. There's a lot of info on lapidary out there.

If you want to do larger than 3-4 mm, get a core drill bit - which actually works as Brian suggests. You can extend dull bits that way, too - whatever gets the material in contact with abrasive.

[sleepingpeople]

theres a video from a glass blowing event i want to guess it was from the 90's or early 2000's and theres some dudes in it working on their team and they take out this LARGE mask i think it was and drill a hoe straight through each side of it to hang it.. sorry no link, but i found it off here a long time ago

[Swampy]

I've drilled bottles using the same technique Brian describes, for making lamps to put the chord through.

Soften the end of the copper tube by heating to cherry red before use; then the abrasive seems to 'stick' in the cutting edge of the copper tube. I used 80 grit silicon carbide and water.

Practice on some old pieces first so you can get used to controlling it when the bit breaks through the other side.

Clean up the edges with a small coarse carborundum stone afterwards.

[re-vit]

extra points for using a catch basin with a filter and recirculating pump, if you'll be drilling a lot. with a setup like this, you can take advantage of diamond tool cutting lubricant added to your water. that cutting lubricant is money- you'll get a longer life out of your drill bits. as an added bonus, it makes the water look like blueish milk- much cooler than plain old water.

[Brian Newman]

Swampy -- Brass tube tends to be thinner than copper tube, so I assume it would be better...

[Julian]

Definitely remember that you must use some kind of lubricant with diamond tools, either water or light oil. That is, all action must take place submerged in or under a constant stream of fluid. Otherwise, the tool will overheat and the diamonds will come off. Also, the lubricant removes dust and debris.

[Greymatter Glass]

for the cleanest cuts it's generally best to not recirculate water, it's also hard on pumps and eventually the silica levels build up to the point where there's more friction that cutting dry.

If you're in an area with lots of cheap water, just run water/lube and don't recycle it. If you're in the desert, recycle the water, but it's best to use two buckets and let them settle a bit...and don't stir them up when you transfer the water... use a siphon or something, don't just tilt it and pour.

also, some drills require oil, some require just water... read the instructions. If in doubt a water soluble coolant/lube is a good medium between the two. It's really about rust prevention - nickle over stainless or brass can use water, if the tool has an iron or mild steel base you need to use oil or a water soluble rust inhibitor.

90% of the stuff out there is fine to use with water...the only thing you need oil for is some of the larger saw blades, AFAIK.

[Swampy]

Swampy -- Brass tube tends to be thinner than copper tube, so I assume it would be better...

Yes man thanks for the tip, I did consider that but considered that copper after softening would 'hold' abrasive particles more readily.

[Greymatter Glass]

since brass is mostly copper and is very soft when annealed, I think it would work about the same, but since it's overall a bit harder brass would wear less...

if you can only find the size you need in one and not the other, use what's handy.

[colonel4bin]

For small holes you can always Hydrogen drill it, an old scientific glassblowers trick. Use Hydrogen as your gas and a very small, sharp flame, like a smith torch or something very small. Dial in a sharp flame, and hold in on the spot until the glass pops open. I've done this thousands of times for small holes up to 5mm or so........for a larger hole just ream open your smaller hole. Makes a super clean opening, no messy grits or drilling and much cleaner than tungsten drilling.

[Julian]

How would you go about using tubing and looset grit for holes larger than your dremel/drill can hold? I've used core bits like this http://www.kingsleynorth.com/skshop/product.php?id=46702&catID=1031 which are tubes attached to smaller shafts. Which metals are relatively simple to solder/weld together for something like that?

[gmarv]

if you are drilling through flat glass such as plate and you can,t have any chipping we use to use a scrap piece of plate. using beeswax wax the two togather let harding then drill the hole. if the wax goes down smooth and even you drill right through the first piece with no chipping at all. i think the trick is to heat the wax just right so that the area that is to be drilled has no air pockets around it. don,t know if this applies here but may be helpful to somebody.....

[jacky geurts 67]

thanks i´m certain it will be for future use :-)

Jacky

[Trey Cornette]

To get a clean hole on both sides I drill 3/4 the way from one side then flip it over and do the last 1/4 from the back side. The break through happens on the interior of the hole and you have a clean entry and exit.
I also use window caulk to create a dam to hold water around the area where the hole will be.
Stationary drill press of some sort is absolutely necessary if you want good clean holes.

[Julian]

Good call gmarv, that same principle applies to wood... when you drill through wood stacking another piece behind it keeps the exit hole clean.

[Greymatter Glass]

How would you go about using tubing and looset grit for holes larger than your dremel/drill can hold? I've used core bits like this http://www.kingsleynorth.com/skshop/product.php?id=46702&catID=1031 which are tubes attached to smaller shafts. Which metals are relatively simple to solder/weld together for something like that?

Well, first I would try to find a rubber sanding drum that will fit tight inside your tube, and glue it in place after you tighten it as much as possible....

it'll be a little bit fragile, and you'll have to work to keep it well centered if the tube is very long, but it's a quick way to add a shaft to a tube. Drill a small hole in the tube just below the rubber to vent air as you drill...


But in answer to the second part of your question...copper and brass will solder easily... but a brass shaft will bend easily.

You can braze brass to steel, or hard solder it, but don't pickle steel... it'll pollute your pickle.


HTH.

-Doug

[Julian]

Doug polluted his pickle. He would know.

[gmarv]

hey trey
i would be in a hurry and not want to take the time to clean up after the wax and have tried what you say but i would always be off a little in the hole alignment. how do you account for that, it,s never to late for a old dog { glassblower} learn new tricks.