How to Drill Seaglass

Jewelry Discussion
1

Hi:

Does anyone have any on how to drill seaglass?

Thanks in advance.
Rhona

2

Hi Rhona,

Try the diamond drills offered by Rio (in the burs section). These
work beautifully for drilling glass or stone.

I used the 6mm drill - the one that cuts out a cylinder of material
from whatever you’re drilling - to drill a hole through a glass knob
on top of a bell jar (research project, long story…). I chucked the
bit into my drill press and put the bell jar in a foil pie pan. While
I drilled, my husband directed a constant light stream of water on
the drill bit with a Nalgene squirt bottle. The bit stayed cool, no
dust, and it worked like a charm. The hole was nice and tidy, with no
chips and a light frosted finish on the walls.

HTH,
Jessee Smith
www.silverspotstudio.com
Cincinnati, Ohio

3

Hi Rhona,

I do this all the time, and instead of drilling Seaglass, I make my
own. I take all my stained glass scraps, put them in a tumbler with a
handful of small pebbles, a cup or two of sand, a cup or two of
water, and if I’m in a hurry, some 600 grit from Kinglsey North. I
tumble for a day or two and then have Seaglass, frosted and rounded
edges. I also save colored wine bottles, slice them into glass
circles ( or glass ovals if its Matuse Rose) with my diamond saw, and
tumble them also.

I drill holes in them, hang them with beads on a metal ring and make
glass wind chimes. So far, even in strong winds, they don’t break,
and sound like the phone ringing……

To drill the holes, use a piece of kids modeling clay, make a donut,
press it over where the hole will be, fill it with water and drill
slowly, occasionally raising the drill to remove the sludge. If you
press to hard, when you get to the back of the glass, it will break
and make a funnel shaped exit hole. To prevent this, use two pieces
of glass, and drill through the first into the second. It will
prevent the funnel shaped exit hole.

If you tumble after drilling, the edges of the drill hole will get
rounded and wont cut the string you use for hanging.

Love and God Bless
-randy
http://www.rocksmyth.com