Drilling a Hole in Stained Glass

Please tell me the proper way to drill a hole in a piece of stained glass.

Thank you for your assistance.

Mary

Answer

The easiest way is to use a Dremel tool with a diamond drill bit. Place the glass on a piece of styrofoam in a pan. Pour in water until it just covers the top of the glass. The area you are drilling must be wet to prevent the glass from cracking due to the heat generated from drilling.

If you have a Dremel drill press, the job will be quite easy. Place the glass in the pan, position the drill bit over the spot you want to drill. Set the level so the bit will just go through the glass...you don't want to be drilling holes in your pan.

Turn on the drill to around 1/2 to 3/4 speed. You don't want it running full speed. Pull down on the handle and slowly drill through the glass.

Some people turn the glass over when they are about 3/4 of the way through and finish the hole from the back side. Doing that will prevent chipping around the exit hole, but not all glass chips. It's best to do a practice run first because it's easier to just go all the way through if the glass isn't going to chip.

If you don't have a drill press, start drilling at a slight angle, running the drill on a slow speed. You want to make a slight indentation in the glass. Turn the drill speed up to 1/2 to 3/4 speed, straighten up the drill, keeping the bit in the indentation. Slowly and steadily push the drill bit through the glass. This takes some practice because the bit wants to skip on the glass when you first start out.

If you don't have a dremel tool, a regular drill can be used, but it must not be run at full speed. Also it is more difficult to handle.

If your glass is too large to fit in a pan, you can build a dam around the area to be drilled using clay or a similar material. You want it waterproof because you will be filling the dam with water. Make sure the material is pressed firmly against the glass. Some people fill the dam with oil instead of water.

You can also drill holes using your grinder and a 1/8" head. This is the most difficult way to do it because you must keep the glass wet on the bottom side and hold it steady all the while you are pushing it on the grinder head. You need to start driling at an angle in an attempt at keeping the glass from skipping on the grinder head. Also, this method seems to cause the glass to chip around the hole. I gave up drilling with my grinder because it is so frustrating. However, if you are only going to drill one or two holes it would be better than buying other equipment. I have a Dremel and a drill press but I use them for more than just glass work.

You can get diamond drill bits at Harbor Freight. They usually have a nice assortment in a plastic box for under $10.00. Make sure you get bits that are the same diameter as the holes you want to drill.