drilling holes through glazed pot?

[gardener]

I'm looking for help in what kind of drill bit would work to drill through a glazed piece. I have 2 pieces I need help with. One is a little pot with a spout that closed with glaze (even though I thought I had cleaned out enough before firing), and another piece where again, the glaze filled the holes where I was going to put a thread through.

 

I need a drill bit that would be only 1/16" wide for the thread, and probably 1/8" or a little wider for the spout.

 

Any suggestions for types of drill bits?

 

Thanks!

[Denice]

I believe you need a abrasive diamond bit, I usually find these in my dremel tool bit collection. I usually buy dremel bit assortment packs this time of year, it's much cheaper to buy a large assortment on sale than individuals. I try to find packages with a lot of grinding stones they are mainly the ones I use to clean up mishaps with. Denice

[Marcia Selsor]

I have used a paste of silicon carbide powder and water by dipping a normal drill bit into the paste and going slow. This was done on porcelain high fired with a glazed over hole in the hanger. You can start with a small bit and work up to larger ones.

What type of clay is it you are working on?

Marcia

[gardener]

I have used a paste of silicon carbide powder and water by dipping a normal drill bit into the paste and going slow. This was done on porcelain high fired with a glazed over hole in the hanger. You can start with a small bit and work up to larger ones.

What type of clay is it you are working on?

Marcia

 

 

I am using Moon White stoneware from Highwater Clay - it's a high fire clay.

Thank you for your suggestion!

Patty

[gardener]

I got a diamond tip bit for my Dremel, and it did the trick! The guy at Lowes was very helpful, suggested that I spray it with water to keep it cool, and go slowly, don't put much pressure on it and let the diamond do the cutting, and it worked!

 

Thanks so much for your help!

 

Patty

[scoobydoozie]

I absolutely love TrueBite's solid carbide cutting bits. They used to attend ceramic shows back in the '80's and demo. That's where I was first introduced to them and they are still the best. I use them for drilling glazed over christmas tree light holes and for opening glazed over salt and pepper shaker holes. They leave a nice clean cut. When using the bit to drill a thick glaze, have a short cup of water and dip the bit in the water every once in a while to cool the bit. This will extend the life of the bit, especially when using the smaller bits for salt and pepper shaker holes. http://www.truebite.com/drill_degrout/

[scoobydoozie]

Also, when glazing a piece with fine holes, after glazing and before firing, insert pointed round wood toothpicks in the hole and then break off the toothpick in the hole, leaving just a bit still sticking out. Fire the piece with the inserted toothpick. The toothpick will burn out cleanly and prevent the hole from glazing over!

[MarkS]

I bought a set - cheaper that way - of drill bits for ceramic tile/glass. Slow going but it worked. Used with water for cooling.

Good hint with the toothpick idea.