Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion Drilling a hole in a glass lens

l've got a spare repop 13.5" lens. Would like to turn it into a clock by drilling a hole in the center of the lens, then attach the clock mechanism to the back with the hands in the front, then hang on the wall. Has anybody done this and if so, what guidance might they give on drilling the hole? Thanks in advance!

Take it to a glass shop and see if they can do it.they have a better chance of success than you do.

All I can recommend is grit your teeth, hold your breath and pucker them cheeks and wait for the crack.

Yea... I'm assuming it's a long shot, but the glass shop is a great idea, thanks!

take it a place that has a waterjet , They might be able to do it


Sid

It's not impossible at all.i have gotten several flat pieces of glass drilled.but the guy always tells me, he's not responsible if it cracks.hasent cracked one yet.a curved lens may be a little different though.

A friend of mine makes holes in flat glass using a Dremel tool. Keep in mind that is flat glass. I like the glass shop idea. If they break it then I guess you would have as well.

If you decide to do it yourself, remember, glass bit, low pressure and lots of lubrication. I make a dam with plumbers putty and use soapy water. Save some, break some. I'm at aabout 70% good.

Dremel Drill sounds like your best bet, lubrication and RPMs mentioned... Practice first on something... I think it can be done. What size hole do you need done ?

There are diamond drill bits made just for drilling glass.
Get ya one and have at it! You might want to practice on a bottle or jar first to get the hang of it.

I bought a set of small glass bits at I think loews or Home depot. Drilled a couple holes in a regular pane no problem at all. They walked a bit at first. They sell them on ebay also.#360615532853 The water dam idea sounds good. Do it yourself,I say!

This would be different then drilling normal plate glass.

Something, to bear in mind is that when the logo's are baked on; it tempers/hardens the glass. This in turn makes it more prone to cracking.

I have done it with a dremel with a glass bit they have, wasn't in the center of lens but it worked good for me, I had to try for myself , I'd rather break it than somebody else.

Isnt glass melted sand.? seems to me it would be heated WAY more in the initial process than later in some oven at a few hundred degrees.

Support the back side w/ a sand bag.

Dave,
IF the baking of FRIT in the making of lenses had Tempered the glass, WE would never be finding Cracked lenses. Tempered Glass SHATTERS like side windows in cars/trucks & shower doors.

Maybe it's all in my mind. But, when I cut ad glass it seems to snap a lot different then normal plate glass. It usually breaks off in smaller pieces.

I'm not saying that it gets fully tempered like safety glass. But, enough to change it's properties slightly.

Dave, Lick the wheel before using the Glass Cutter, it'll cut cleaner.

A long time ago I use to make lamps from 1 liter/quart pop bottles. I would drill a hole in the bottom for the wire and a small piece of tubing to mount it to a wooden block.
I had moderate success with using a "glass bit" and often it would leave small chips around the hole.

An old timer that worked with glass told me to use a piece of copper tubing in the drill with a polishing compound. It worked slower, but made nice clean holes with no chipping. I don't recall the polishing compound I used, just that it was very fine powder.

Chuck

I put 39 years in & retired from a plant where we made nothing but glass cutting / drilling equipment. Of course our drilling machinery used diamond drills which were just like a hole saw for wood. One drill on the bottom & one on the top would drill through the glass & meet in the middle, thus producing a slug. The grinding solution was pumice. If you don't need a perfect hole in the glass, a simple way to do it, is to glue a rubber grommet to the glass & slowly sandblast the inside of the grommet. It will work!

I have a dremel with a glass cutting tool and lubricating oil. It works very slick. To help stop the walking that was described, I put down two to three layers of masking tape. Mark the spot where I want my hole then take a little bit of the tape off where the hole will be. Its usually just enough to get the hole started. Once it's started, it doesn't walk. I've only cracked glass after I've drill a hole, never while drilling.

Lots of great ideas, will let you know how it goes. Thanks to all in the Forum!

Might try some of the glass etching acid. I believe it is "flormetric acid" or close..
I put some in a glass bottle once, and in about 6 hours it ate the bottle in two at the top of the acid line. RD

Glass drill bits are the best way, and tape the area with masking tape, helps with vibrations.