Drilling glass

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--Michael--

Aquarium Advice Newbie
Joined
Mar 31, 2009
Messages
8
Anyone know anything about drilling glass? I have a 30g (glass) i am trying to drill. I would like 2 returns and 1 intake I know i need a diamond drill bit but i think i need some tips or tricks before i tackle this project. I thought about going with an over flow but i have had them before and found that their very loud, and was thinking drilling may help reduce that noise.


Also does anyone know the max flow rate through a 3/4 inch bulkhead?

Thanks

--Michael--:cool:
 
I will continue this post in different form, i have other fish related questions.
thanks for that movie.
--Michael--
 
I've drilled a number of tanks at this point. If I could offer any advice it would be to take your time, do not try to push the bit through the glass, and use more water than you think you need.

Before I drilled my first tank, I took the glass out of an old picture frame and drilled a hole in it for practice. Much better to waste a piece of glass than a whole tank.

Good luck!
 
Make sure the glass ins NOT tempered ... Tempered glass has a tendency to shatter when drilled.

You can also use a Dremel with a diamond bit. This is the instruction:
Tank Drilling with a Dremel - The Reef Tank

I did that with my old tank with glass between 1/4 to 3/8" thick, using lots of water as lubricant/coolant. I went high speed on the Dremel, but very little pressure & worked very slowly. No disaster on my tank. However, the technique is not recommended for thick glass. <I take that to mean over 1/4".>
 
go slow, lots of water.

I found on thinner tanks, taking a piece of plywood and clamping it behind the drilling site helps keep the glass from flexing.
 
There is a better video on http://www.reefbuilder.tv/ , Unfortunately the links on his site dont seem to be working right now. I have a link to the actual site on another computer I can post when I get to it.

He puts support behind under the glass for both support and to not get glass fragments all over, goes very slow, and he also builds a putty wall around the hole to have a pool of water instead of spraying a hose.

He has a much better technique, the technique in that video above is a bit sloppy.
 
That last one is a little neater, but it does not remove enough of the glass dust that is created by the drilling process. If you must drill inside it is a nice way to go. Using a steady stream of water will help keep the hole you are making clean and make your hole saw last longer too.
 
go slow, lots of water.

I found on thinner tanks, taking a piece of plywood and clamping it behind the drilling site helps keep the glass from flexing.

thats what I meant when I said support...holds the glass from flexing and helps with some of the glass fragments.

You can also use a wet vac to clean some of the fragments also.
 
There is a better video on http://www.reefbuilder.tv/ , Unfortunately the links on his site dont seem to be working right now. I have a link to the actual site on another computer I can post when I get to it.

He puts support behind under the glass for both support and to not get glass fragments all over, goes very slow, and he also builds a putty wall around the hole to have a pool of water instead of spraying a hose.

He has a much better technique, the technique in that video above is a bit sloppy.

Here is that link I mentioned....

Drilling a Glass Aquarium

There are alot of other good videos there, especially for beginners (like me :))
 
lol didnt go to good lol i drilled 2 holes with no problem and on my 3rd it split right up the side. **trash**

out to by a acrlic tank now.. should be alot easier to drill.
 
I made my first Glass Hole with no Problems but I did use a Practice piece first.... Pretty easy as long as you let the drill bit do the job for you, There should little to no pressure at all, with the weight of the cordless drill or corded drill should be enough weight to help it along....
 
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