Seeking advice on drilling curved borosilicate glass

Post #369,351 by crazy 1/8/13 9:38:10 AM Reply	Seeking advice on drilling curved borosilicate glass So I've got a few flasks that I'd like to drill a hole into. http://en.wikipedia..../Erlenmeyer_flask These things are not cheap, so I'd like not to destroy them. The hole will be about 2/3rds up the side, about 1/4 inch diameter. Based on a bit of googling it seems I need diamond drill bits of increasing size, to secure it very well on a hard rubber mat, and use a drill press if possible. I assume I need a spray of water if possible. Should this be a continuous stream, or is that not necessary? Any suggestions?
Post #369,355 by pwhysall 1/8/13 9:45:12 AM Reply	Re: Seeking advice on drilling curved borosilicate glass That's a fairly big hole in what is likely fairly thin (relative to the size of the hole) glass. I'd seek professional advice, if I didn't have some sacrificial bits of glass to practice on.
Post #369,356 by boxley 1/8/13 9:45:30 AM Reply	smoke wrench aka plasma cutter Any opinions expressed by me are mine alone, posted from my home computer, on my own time as a free American and do not reflect the opinions of any person or company that I have had professional relations with in the past 57 years. meep
Post #369,374 by drook 1/8/13 12:58:52 PM Reply	Sounds like fun I remember in high school chem class we played with glass rods and Bunsen burners. Point was to show us that chemists sometimes had to make their own equipment before they could even start their experiments. It would probably take some practice, but the hole would be nice and smooth. -- Drew
Post #369,367 by Bman 1/8/13 11:55:14 AM Reply	Do it under water "Pictures are better then words because some words are big and hard to understand" Peter Griffin (Family Guy)
Post #369,380 by Another Scott 1/8/13 2:28:40 PM Reply	BSG isn't like normal glass. Drilling on curved hard surfaces is tough, too. After you're done, you'd want to smooth the edges properly, to reduce cracking, etc. You probably want a glass-blower to do this. There seem to be several in your area according to Google. Or you could just visit a head shop... HTH. Cheers, Scott.
Post #369,407 by scoenye 1/8/13 6:38:56 PM Reply	Tempered glass - beware Stresses in that stuff can do strange things. (Didn't someone here post a link to a Prince Rupert's drops clip a short while ago?) My preference would be to do it in one pass. Even with a drill press, it may be hard to line up the hole exactly because the shape of the glass makes it so hard to secure. The size of the hole is small enough If you go diamond bit, you will need a continuous water stream or you'll burn up the bit. Some more info: http://www.diamond-d...Glass-Stone.shtml

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