Practice Drilling Holes in Glass Bottles

If you've never drilled holes in glass before, or are looking for a way to practice, the above video shows a way to build up some skill before you begin working on your project.

The person drilling appears to be an expert. For those who aren't, you may want to take some precautions before mimicking the actions in the video.

First, as a beginner, you should seriously consider wearing gloves. While gloves may seem inconvenient or unnecessary, they will come in handy if the glass accidentally breaks. You can ditch the gloves once you feel confident that you have a good handle on what you're doing, but until then, it's better to be safe, than sorry.

Second, you'll notice that the person is using a plugged-in electric drill under running water. This should be done with extreme care. Don't attempt this if your electric cord is too short or if you have any distractions going on in the background.

When taking the proper precautions, this method can be a good way to fine tune your drilling. Whether you wish to fine tune your drilling technique or determine which drill bit would produce the exact hole you desire, practice makes perfect! Please keep in mind that this can be dangerous, so proceed with caution. If you don't feel comfortable doing this, then the best thing is to not do it.

If you have any questions, feel free to leave us a comment, or check out our free guide, "How to Drill Glass, Tile and Stone."

Granite Drill Bits vs. Glass Drill Bits and Pilot Bits

We usually only address one issue or question with each post, but this week we were asked two very good questions in the same e-mail. So, we thought that we would take a shot at answering both questions.

1. What’s the difference between Granite Drill Bits and Glass Drill Bit?

Glass drill bits are electroplated, while drill bits for granite and concrete are sintered. With glass bits, the diamonds are electroplated to the surface of a stainless steel blank, using a nickel bonding material. The diamonds are just on the surface.

Granite drill bits are sintered. The diamonds are mixed in a softer metal. As this metal wears away, new diamonds are constantly being exposed.

Glass drill bits will drill granite and concrete, but will wear out very quickly, maybe before the first hole is drilled.

Granite drill bits will drill glass, but they leave a hole with very rough edges. With most applications, additional smoothing and polishing would probably be necessary and the "blowout" on the back side of the glass is more common and more extensive.

2.) Shouldn’t these ”diamond core bits” have a pilot bit?

We've seen a few diamond core bits with pilot bits, but it's simply a marketing issue, because most people think that the bits should have a pilot bit, so one manufacturer puts a pilot bit in. Most manufacturers do not.

The pilot bit would have to be centered in the same way that the core bit has to be centered: Using a notched piece of scrap wood, plastic etc.,  or used in a drill press or started at a 45 degree angle. If you have to do that with the pilot bit, you might as well just do it with the diamond core bit.

In addition, the pilot bits will also wear out much more quickly and will have to be replaced more often. In our blog post from April 4th, we tackled the question about using pointed (pilot) bits: "Do Pointed Drill Bits Work Better?"

For more answers to your questions, you can always download a free copy of “How to Drill Glass, Tile and Stone." Click here for your FREE copy.

Do Pointed Drill Bits Work Better?

A good question. Seems intuitive. Drill bits for wood come to a point. Knives work better when they’re sharp; Scissors too.

Why don’t we sell glass drill bits that are pointed and sharp? We do recommend pointed drill bits, but they’re for special uses, such as reaming out the clogged holes in beads.

Pointed bits are easy to use for one or two holes, or maybe only half of a hole. But as soon as the point wears out, they stop drilling.

The real problem with pointed drill bits is… the point. The point goes in first and the rest of the drill bit follows. The point is the smallest and narrowest part of the drill bit: that means fewer diamonds.  There’s just less room at the point. The point will wear out first.

Remember those yellow number 2 pencils in school? The point of those pencils always wore out first.  If the point of your pencil wore out or was broken it really didn’t matter how much lead was in the rest of the pencil. Like those pencils, when the point wears, the rest of the drill bit won’t matter either.

For drilling holes in glass, stone and tile, we suggest that you use a diamond drill bit with a round end or a diamond core bit — neither of which is pointed or sharp.

The point is: always use a diamond core bit or a round end bit. You’ll get a lot more holes drilled for your money.

For more on drilling, read our guide, “How to Drill Glass, Tile and Stone.” Click here for your FREE copy.