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Drill Bit For Glazed Over Holes?


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Hey fine folks!

 

So some small holes I need to fit head pins through (20 gauge wire with a wider flat head at the end) got glazed over and filled in.

 

Is there a drill bit that I can use on glazed porcelain to open it back up? Will I risk breaking it? Don't want to remake it!

 

Thanks!!

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Dremel with a diamond burr (bit). To have the burr last longer dribble some water onto the clogged hole so the burr stays wet. The dremel will want to jump around on the glazed surface, I've had better luck with a fast speed. 

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Whenever you touch ceramics with a drill bit you risk breaking it.  Is it useful without a hole?  If yes, and you can't bear to live without the piece, then leave it be.  If the piece is only useful if it has a hole in it, then go for it with the smallest drill bit you can find.  Once you have a starter hole you can use a larger bit to increase the hole size.  If you are really scared to loose the piece and need to ensure its best chance of survival, take it to a jeweler and have them drill it out with a diamond bit.  good luck!

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I would use the dremel with a diamond bit. A little 3 in 1 oil will help some, keep the bit from getting so hot that it melts the adhesive holding on the diamond dust.

 

In the future you should probably bevel the inside and outside of the holes in the leather hard stage, and when glazing make certain to clean out the holes. The beveling seems to keep too much glaze from gathering in the hole.

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I too use a Drexel with a diamond bit. Make sure to use the oil or water in the hole to make your bit last as long as possible. It is also a good idea to put a piece of wood under the piece so when you drill through the glaze successfully so you don't drill into your table. I have rescued jewelry pieces this way. I use small stuff like pendants to initially test out glazes and sometimes the glaze runs a tad more than expected, if I like it on the little pendant do up a full test tile if I still like it do a small bowl and then use on a real piece.

 

Terry

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Hey,

 

I have been using the diamond tipped bits for years now, but did not know about the oil or the beveled hole.

Of course I used the tips for marking tools, making medallions in bone-dry clay tablets, but I also had good results

etching the exterior of black, navy blue, and other dark colored glazes.  I also etched some drinking glasses when I found out

how toxic it would be to etch glass with acid.... and they turned out pretty good.  I drew the pattern first with a Sharpie, went over

it with the dremel, and then washed off any markings with a soapy Scotch Brite pad.  Harbor Freight had something, much smaller

than a Dremel called an engraving tool that does the same thing.  They have discontinued the best tool...it was more like a dremel pencil

engraver..10 years ago they were about $6.50 each...cheap enough to be disposable.  The new model is larger and about $8.00 I think.

 

Alabama

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  • 3 years later...

I have done it with small drill bits, slowly using a paste of silicon carbide grit and water. Increase the drill bit some as you go. And go slowly. Diamond bits will work also but use waterer oil and go slowly. The directions for diamond pads and diamond hole cutters recommend water as a lubricant, but I like Pres's idea of 3-1 oil. I think it would be less slippery and more controllable.

There is a diamond tool vender at NCECA who sells pads, adhesive discs that fit on small bats, drill bits holes cutters, etc. Good prices there. Pittsburgh 2018 March 13-17

 

 

 

Marcia

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I am looking forward to NCECA this year as the Diamond core Tool company has sets of diamond in rubber dremel tools that are in different grits. I use these to polish out glaze flaws if there is a small one on a very nice piece.  They also have solid ginders and diamond drills that should do very well when drilling holes our etching surfaces. 

 

best,

Pres

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  • 1 month later...

Amazon has some cheap and expensive diamond drill bits; not like the kind you'll typically find at hardware stores for making holes in glass/ceramic. The ones Im referring to are actual spiral bits that are coated with diamonds. The cheap ones work fine and a set of standard sizes will run you $5-15 bucks. when they wear out, toss em. Expensive ones will "cut" better than cheap ones, and usually hold up longer, but for intermittent use, cheap is good.   Not that there is "material" which needs to be pulled away with the flutes, but I find that these style wobble less and I crack work less using these.  Take some wax based clay and build up a "well" around the area needing to be drilled, fill it with water and use low speeds on your drill. Dont push too aggressively. Key is steady and slow. If you have a drill press it would be better than hand drill but use what ya got. Might break it, so if it can live without having the hole drilled out then do so.

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