How to drill a glass tank.

[TexasTodd]

Can anyone tell me exactly how to do it?

Bit type

Hole size vs. pipe size

Drill type? Cordless or only corded?

Do you need to run some type of tape on the glass surface (inside/outside)?

What percent of tanks crack?

Thanks much,

Todd

[dwdenny]

Well I used a 1 3/4" diamond tip hole saw to drill two hole in my 40g breeder tank 1/4" glass. That size hole saw will fit the standard 1" bulkhead. What I did was have to hose taped tot he glass of the tank with fresh running water over the area. I started at a slight angle to start so that I had a guide then slowly squared the saw to the glass. I used a corded drill as that is all I have. I ran it at low RPM's probably about 1/4" speed and let the wieght of the drill put presure on the cut. When you get close to the end hold up the drill a little so that it doesn't punch through the glass and makes a clean exit. if you need more info pm I will help as much as I can.

Edit put tape on the inside of the tank to catch the hole or use a towel to catch the glass. I think tape would be better and would keep glass from getting inside and having to clean the tank. HTH

Doug

[chrismikea]

take it to finaddict and they can drill it. make sure its not temp. glass

[dwdenny]

it is really easy and you can get a saw from here http://www.richontools.com/catalog/c67_p1.html cheap. That is where I got mine shipping is cheap as well. I got a 1 3/4" and 3 1/4" shipped for like $30. Just take your time and dont go fast. There is a thread on RC in the DIY forum that is helpfull as well if I find it I will post here for you.

[chrismikea]

$30 plus the price of the drill bit plus you have to wait for it to arrive in the mail, and then you have to find some time in your busy day to DIY. why not just take it some where like finaddict and get it done for $40 a hole

[TexasTodd]

Thanks guys.

Chris.....I can't move the tank. It's in use. Does FA do "house calls"? :)

Todd

[seamonkey2]

oh yeah, if you do it yourself, be very carefull!! LOL

[Bill S]

Yes, FA does house calls.

[falcondob]

Fin Addict uses a lubricant of some type while drilling the holes in glass. Ask Felipe what it is. It evidently helps with cooling or heat from friction or something...

[cpreefguy]

Fin Addict uses a lubricant of some type while drilling the holes in glass. Ask Felipe what it is. It evidently helps with cooling or heat from friction or something...
Water :)
When drilling glass, it is helpful to make a jig of some sort to get a clean hole. After you have cut a good groove you can remove the jig. Go slowly, let the bit do the work and apply minimal pressure. Pour a bit of room temp water every 1-2 minutes. The main thing is patience.

[TexasTodd]

SLOWLY.....how many minutes to drill through the end of a standard 75g? Drilling time.

TT

[TexasTodd]

Oh THANKS Jose! I was already nervous. LOL

TT

[seamonkey2]

hey the sweat will be the cooling lubricant, LOL

you may save a couple of bucks, but the stress is not worth it, imo

let FA do it, and you can watch from a distance with a cold drink

Jose

[chrismikea]

nope we dont use water at finaddict to cool the bit or the glass it a speciel liquid made to drill glass with. and yes finaddict does hous calls. your best bet is to call finaddict and set up a date to drill.

[sunvsat]

Here's a paragragh from the people I bought my hole saws from, it may help.....
Drilling Holes with a Diamond Bit
Use our Diamond Drill bits to drill most soft material like glass, ceramics, tile, granite, and
rock.
Use an electric drill. Diamonds like high speeds so most any type of drill will work including
the high speed Dremel type drills for the smaller bits.
The most important thing to know is these diamond drill bits will NOT perform like wood or
metal bits where you are used to ripping through the material. These Diamond bits are
slow. Think about the small chunk of diamond slowly scraping away a tiny bit of material
every revolution. Use MINIMUM pressure.
Let the bit work. Don’t lean on it
like a wood bit.
There are two basic types of diamond
drill bits, Solid rod and Hollow Tube or
“Core Bits”. Our hollow core bits have diamond on the
edge, up the outside edge and up the inside.
Diamond bits need to be cooled with water. Submerge the
material to be drilled in water or continually drip water on
to the material. One method for drilling large flat material
like glass is to make a “dam” around the hole with clay or
wax to make a reservoir. Fill this reservoir with water. We
just want to mention that there is a product that is added
to the water to help the cooling but is not necessary an not
worth the extra cleanup. Wear appropriate safety equipment
including eye protection.
Drill with an up and down motion. When the bit is up off the glass, the water
will fill the hole to cool the drill bit.
The drill will break through the bottom of the glass and may damage the
container. If this is a concern, put some material like wood underneath the
glass.
Sundance Art Glass

[chrismikea]

thats strange since we were told by a few diffrent people that if you use plain water that you can decrease the life span of you diamond bit.

[TexasTodd]

Thanks everyone!

Sunvsat, do you have a link to where you purchased the bits?

Todd

[sunvsat]

That is odd, the paragraph came from a company that sells diamond hole saws and bits (Sundance Art Glass which actually sells four different qualities of tools) but what is really wierd, if you do a google search not one or two but all the companies that sell diamond hole saws and bits advise using water as a lubricant. I'm sure they would do well to calll FA for the correct lubricant to use on the tools they manufacture and sell. Who would have known.

Todd.....artglass1.com

[brewercm]

For what it's worth, I did one with R.Allard a couple of years ago and we used some radiator coolant that was laying around and it worked great. Of course this was on a tank that could be cleaned up later.

[dwdenny]

Sense it is up I would call FA like chrismikea has suggested from the begining.

[Bill S]

Water works ok as a COOLANT, not as lubricant. The radiator coolant WON'T work well - water will work much better. "Coolant" does anthing but cool. It's designed to: raise the boiling point of your radiator, 2) lower the freezing point of your radiator 3) to fight corrosion adn 4) lubricate your moving parts (water pump). WATER in your radiator works MUCH better as a heat transfer agent than anti-freeze. It's just that you will ruin the cooling system with plain water.

[SGTDirk]

Actually, coolant does just about everything that you mentioned, but it also transfers heat better than water. The only problem I can see with it would be the fact that coolant is toxic. I am a Mechanic and while I'm not an expert with tanks and drilling holes, I do know coolant. Lol.

[SGTDirk]

Actually, coolant does just about everything that you mentioned, but it also transfers heat better than water. The only problem I can see with it would be the fact that coolant is toxic. I am a Mechanic and while I'm not an expert with tanks and drilling holes, I do know coolant. Lol.

[Ross]

Water will work, you can drill with it, but it goes slower and the bit will wear out about 3-4x faster. We found that out the hard way at Fin-Addict.

[TexasTodd]

Thanks all.

I'm probably going to buy a bit and try it out on a 10g or 20Lg first. :) If that goes porely, I'll call FA! :)

TT

[aquadoc]

I wouldn't try it on a 10 gallon. The glass is to thin. I have already done 2-10 gallons and they are FRAGILE! I use a coolant mixture when I drilled mine. 1/8 blassocut, & 7/8 of ro water. It works great and will not cake up the bit.

[chrismikea]

Water will work, you can drill with it, but it goes slower and the bit will wear out about 3-4x faster. We found that out the hard way at Fin-Addict.

it take 3 hours to drill a hole with water or 30mins with the special lub. trust mee i have done plenty with both and ross is right water wears out the bit faster