I need to Drill holes for bulkheads....HELP!!!!

[steve214989]

Ok.....so im very new to the whole saltwater thing. I have done fresh-water for some time now and have a beautiful 90g going. Now I have a 20G with basically some live rock and inverts that I want to move into a 75G im getting soon. My problem is I want to start off right and drill the tank for overflows and return lines. Does anyone on the South Shore have any experience to help out? Moneys kinda tight at the moment so trying to do it myself or at a reasonable price. Thanks in advance.

Steve

 

[JCheung]

The diamond drill bits on ebay are pretty cheap and according to some of the people on reef central they last for 6 holes, depending on thickness of the glass. I just bought a 60mm diamond drill from the ebay seller in HK, i'll tell you how they do. Hopefully i don't kill or injure myself in my first attempt to drill a tank.

 

[ChemDumb]

Steve, I'd wait till the August meeting. Are you a paid member yet? If not, come join us and pay your dues. August is going to be a demo meeting where, if I'm not mistaken, glass drilling will be demoed. There are a few people in the club who can help you or show you what to do.

Basically, it takes patience and care. And it makes it that much easier to understand what you need to do once you've seen it done once or twice.

Lou

 

[RichConley]

The diamond drill bits on ebay are pretty cheap and according to some of the people on reef central they last for 6 holes, depending on thickness of the glass. I just bought a 60mm diamond drill from the ebay seller in HK, i'll tell you how they do. Hopefully i don't kill or injure myself in my first attempt to drill a tank.

I've cut roughly 20 glass holes with my $6 bit, and my dad used it for a couple weeks to cut holes in tile, and it still looks brand new.

If you're using them correctly, you should get a LOT of holes out of them.


FWIW, drilling glass is much easier than people make it out to be.

 

[MikeG]

I just drilled my first tank last night and was amazed at how easy it was. I will go a little slower next time though. I got a few small chips on the inside as the bit finished the cut. I did have a 2x4 clamped to the inside of the tank where I was drilling the hole since I heard that this was suppose to eliminate any chipping as hole saw breaks through at the end of the cut. It probably took me 3-4 minutes to drill through a 20L which has fairly thin glass. I used a 2x4 and cut a template with a regular hole saw to keep the diamond bit in place when starting the hole. It worked great as I just continually poured water into the hole and it held quite a bit with out just spilling out. The water and glass were cold to the touch the entire process.

 

[JCheung]

I've cut roughly 20 glass holes with my $6 bit, and my dad used it for a couple weeks to cut holes in tile, and it still looks brand new.

If you're using them correctly, you should get a LOT of holes out of them.


FWIW, drilling glass is much easier than people make it out to be.

Ahh sweet. maybe i won't need to buy another drill bit when i'm done practicing then. Oh BTW i'll be doing this with a cordless hand drill.

 

[RichConley]

JCheung, I did all mine with a corded hand drill, so I wouldnt worry about that.


some people like to use presses, but I think its totally unneeded.


Mike, if you can drill a small tank like that, you can drill anything. Thin glass is much tougher than thick glass.

 

[mloebl]

Ditto from what everyone else said... Used both corded and drill presses with the cheap ebay bits. I even drilled my 75g while it was half full of water... Only tanks I ever cracked were because I got sloppy and careless. Take you time, keep the bit steady and no worries. If not using a drill press, making a template out of wood I found I had the greatest success on thin glass to keep the bit from moving.

-Mike

 

[delta]

IN the FWIW category, there will be a tank drilling Demo at this months meeting

 

[steve214989]

thanks for all the replies. Im still unsure how many holes, what sizes, and where to put them. Im sure its a lot of personal prefferance. Anyone with experience wants to drill some holes for me let me know! Again, very new to this and want to get the 75g full of water and either a 20g or 55g as a sump/filter setup. I have access to both. But thanks again.....