Hi,


A few months back I offered to provide seaglass drilling instructions on my website. However I have decided to not market my jewelry on the web. Instead I would like it to be exclusively offered in shops - something to stumble upon by surprise ( just like finding it on the beach ). But I did promise to provide the drilling information so here it is:

Heat and friction will cause the glass to shatter. Therefore glass must be drilled with a SLOW speed drill in a cooling bath of water. This keeps the glass from heating up and the water acts as a lubricant to prevent friction.

I have used the following method for 18 years and have yet to "shatter" a piece of glass. I have drilled to close to the edge...

I use plastic ice cream lid ( pint size Hageen Dazs is perfect ). In that lid I use a 1" by 1" piece of dish sponge ( I also cut it to make it thinner ). Then I fill the dish with water to just above the sponge. I do not use a drill press ( maybe that is easier but I am adapted to holding it by hand ). The seaglass sits on the sponge. I hold the glass in place with a disposable plastic knife ( this will not scratch the glass ). Only the tip of the drill bit should be immersed in the water. Then I drill.

The drill: I use the CC series Foredam Flex Shaft with the #30 handpiece and micromite diamond drill bits. I got the set up from Rio Grande. I have never used a Dremel so can't give any advice in that ( I think they are too fast ).

Tips: Do not press - the drill bit provides the right pressure. When halfway through flip over the glass and drill from the other side so as not to chip the exit hole. If the water is spraying around adjust the amount so it does not do that. You do not want to spray glass dust around not safe!

With a fresh drill bit it only takes a few minutes to drill through. Glass colors are created with different chemicals. I have found that amber is the easiest to drill through with green being the hardest! Red can be brittle.

ALWAYS WEAR SAFETY GLASSES and maybe a dust mask. I urge you to do your own safety research. Consult with Rio Grande or Foredam first.

If you drill seashells only do them in water so there is no dust. Seashell dust is very dangerous if inhaled. Use theappropriate mask ( respirater? ).

If you have any questions just post them!


Lisl Armstrong
Out Of The Blue Seaglass Jewelry

Thankyou very much. As a fellow lover of sea glass and a million shattered pieces I am very grateful to know how to do it properly and also to know where I went wrong. (No water and DIY style drill... I guess I never stood a chance!!)[:I]

Great post, Lisl!

Thank you very much!

I used a very similar method for years. I started with a Dremel in a drill press but with a speed control to allow a slower speed. (Many current Dremel models have a speed control built in. My old one did not.) Flex shaft tool (Foredom) with a foot controller gives more control.

I've used both a sponge in a small tray or a firmer (but porous) piece of hard craft foam. (Like the foam used to make Christmas balls but in sheet form.) The Häagen-Dazs lid is a great idea. It's easy (and fun!) to replace whe you accidetally drill through it. It's much more fun to make sure you have a good supply of lids for your next drilling project. YUMmm! [dinner]

Hi Beadsbydesign & Russ,


I am glad you enjoyed the information. The ice cream is a nice perk. The Hageen Daz lids use to be white and now they are gold so my only complaint is that it is harder to see...but the depth and size of the lids are perfect for me. I do drill holes through them from time to time - I keep a washcloth underneath in case this happens. So it is a good idea to have some extra lids on deck! They make nice bead trays but it is important to clean them well as you do not want glass dust around.
Russ - people always insist I should use a drill press but I am so accustomed to not using one. But for sheet metal a drill press is a must for me.


Lisl Armstrong
Out Of The Blue Seaglass Jewelry

I'd like to add a few things that I have learned:

* For the Dremel, I use "Tripple Ripple" Diamond Drill bits from www.crystalite.com. These are good for small holes, 1.4mm

* For larger holes, about 1/8" , I use hubby's drill press and use "Twofers" diamond core drill bits from http://www.abasg.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=182

* Besides immersing in water, I add a coolant to the water to help with the friction heat built up by the bit on the glass. I've used specialty coolants, but a few drops of "3-in-ONE" oil found at any hardware store works as well.

* Technique, technique, technique ---- In my experience, I have found that I must lift the drill bit (I use a drill press with my Dremel, set at lower speed) SEVERAL times up a second and down a few seconds to get a single hole. The drill bit is not cutting the glass per se, it is actually grinding away bits of the glass. Lifting the bit up and down allows the water to flush out and refill the hole as it is being created.

Hope this info helps.

Hi,


First of all I just checked out your website link ( in your profile ) and your jewelry is beautiful and so is your stainglass - absolutely gorgeous. I see you have a lot of green do you get many other colors? The blues,reds etc. As I mentioned before I find that the "uncola" greens are harder to drill and wear out the bit pretty fast. Also I do not find as many tiny tiny pieces of this green. Iam curious about the triple ripple bits. I have had little luck with the hollow core bits - they do work but take a long time. It is good to know that a Dremel does work as many people have them already. Tell us how long have you been making seaglass jewelry?


Lisl Armstrong

Thank you Lisl for your compliments on my seaglass jewelry - much appreciated!

I've been collecting beach glass (that's what we call it here in Hawaii) all my life. Have been making jewelry out of it for the past 3 years.

The colors available here are the common basic types: brown, white, green, and lastly aqua. My favorites are the pieces from Japanese Glass Floats - great aqua's. I think the selection here has to do with Hawaii not being in contact with the Western world (Capt. Cook in 1778) and glass until fairly late, so we don't have the antique bottles and glassware that was dumped in the ocean way back when.

Yes, I even pick up the very itty-bitty pieces and even drill those that are about as small as a grain of rice - talk about crazy, also hard on the fingers while drilling.

I'm really happy with the Tripple Ripple bits, but the only other bits I've tried were the one's made by Dremel and they didn't work well at all.

Did you see the article in the magazine "Coastal LIving" that gave the best places to get sea glass? If not, here's the sites they listed:

*Glass Beach, Fort Bragg, Northern California
*Alexandra Beach, St. George, Bermuda
*Diamond Cove, Casco Bay, Maine
*Glass Beach, Kauai, Hawaii
*Isabel Segunda, Vieques Island, Puerto Rico (bet you know about this one)

Also, a great book for understanding the historical, technical, and with some totally awesome pictures is "Pure Sea Glass: Discovering Nature's Vanishing Gems" by Richard LaMotte.

I'd be happy to send some pieces to ya - just let me know.

Aloha,
Margy

Thanks Lisl, I just met you on the ebay beach glass group and in trying to find your jewelry website stumbled upon this great information. I have been wrapping my glass pieces, but I like the look of drilled glass in many designs. With these tips from you, Russ and Margy , maybe I'll be very brave and take a handful down to the shop. Wish me luck :) -T.

You know, I stumbled across another thread on this forum where someone suggested that it was becoming illegal in some places to pick up sea glass. Is that true, or is it some kind of urban myth? Why would it be illegal?

Stork, I can't imagine that's true --- I buy beach glass from "hunters" everywhere and I have never heard them mention that problem. If it is a public beach I don't think it would be any more to the government than picking up --shudder-- trash from the beach. Now, in some historic areas it might be a problem if the found items were considered artifacts, like we would have here at Yorktown or Jamestown, Va. -T.

Hey T,


So we meet again! I do not have a website. I market my jewelry mostly in Puerto Rico where I have maintained a gallery space. This year I am cutting back on that and am now focusing on marketing here in the Outer Banks. I run hot and cold about a website.

Let us know how the drilling goes...One more suggestion practice first with unfinished or broken seaglass pieces or go down to a craft store and buy a bag of the fake stuff. Experiment that way first. Also on your first few practice pieces drill in the middle, as your skill improves try at the edge where you would use a jump ring to make a dangle. When I first started I often miscalculated and drilled too close to the edge...good luck. I am here for you if you need more help.


Lisl

I bet you could get away with a hand drill....I mean manual drill!

[:)]

With a motorized drill I hold the piece to be drilled in one hand and operate the drill or flexshaft with the other. A manual drill usually takes 2 hands to operate. With my particular anatomical configuration that leaves me one hand short for this task..

Hi all,

I figured this topic would be discussed somewhere in this forum. I get asked this question a LOT, as I've been professionally drilling holes in stones and glass for the past 13 years. All the information posted above is good stuff and will work. My only critique would be that diamond drill bits are actually SUPPOSED to operate at HIGH speeds, like 5,000-15,000rpms. I use a rheostat on my flexshaft to keep a consistent medium high speed. But you can't argue with success. Africa John has been making his stone beads for years, drilling the holes with nothing more than a pie plate of water, sponge, and a hand held dremel. He rotates the dremel slightly in his hand to take advantage of the diamond on the edge of the bit and this helps extend the life of the drill bits. But it does leave a larger hole.

Here's my full, standard explanation of how "I" drill holes in stones and glass...

For the most part I use Crystalite Triple Ripple 2.1mm bits. I’ve checked every supplier around and I think they are the best bit. The best price I’ve found is through Indian Jewelers Supply in Gallup and Albuquerque, New Mexico. They are $2 each, but if you buy more than 36 at a time you can get them for $1.65 each. If you want new drill bits I highly recommend these bits from this supplier. They’re great and I’ve been dealing with them for years. The bits also come in sizes from .75mm up to 2.1, but they are all the same price and the larger ones last longer. So unless you NEED a small hole, go with the 2.1's.

I use them in a foredom flex shaft, which I mount in a foredom drill press that I have set up over a plastic shoebox like tub with a drain hose in it. I have a pump that recirculates water out of a 5-gallon drain bucket and spits it out onto a drilling platform made out of a large, solid chunk of plastic, that sits in the center of the plastic shoebox tub. I use a rheostat for my drill speed instead of the foot pedal. I prefer to have a constant speed of around 10-15,000 rpms. These little diamond bits are designed to work at high speeds and with water as a coolant and to wash away the grindings. The glass will crack if it gets hot or too stressed.

So good drill bits, light pressure, high speed, flowing water, patience, and for a beginner-safety equipment. I would use THICK rubber gloves with little grippys on them when drilling glass so that if it breaks while drilling one doesn't cut one's fingers. Those little rubber finger condoms with dots and ridges, the ones you get at the office supply store for counting paper, are great too! Get them in a thumb size and a index finger size. Yes, I hold everything I drill with my fingers of my left hand and use a light up and down pressure with a single FINGER on the drill press of the flex shaft. Eye protection is a good safety idea too! Important to remember that one isn't actually DRILLING, in the concept of the way one would drill wood, metal, or plastic. "drilling" in stone of glass is actually more a process of GRINDING with a little, teeeny, tiny grinding wheel. I actually watch the water flow around the drill hole to see the little clouds of grindings come up from the hole with each light touch down If you are touching drill bit to your material and no little clouds of dust come up with the water (and if you hear a slight change in sound) then the drill bit face is probably dead, burned off, GONE. That bit is now useless EXCEPT for the diamond that is still on the sides.

If you want to save burned out bits as they can be used as little freehand carving bits for small work. If you keep trying to drill with a burned out bit you will break your material. I also never drill ALL the way THROUGH my object. I drill half way, turn it over, line it up, and then drill the other half way through so that the holes meet. If you drill straight through, you get "break out" on the other side, which is like a big chip. I use a diamond cone burr to bevel edges of my holes. Certain tapered bits can be used to easily enlarge holes. If you want a 3, 4, 5mm or bigger hole, it is much easier (and cheaper) to drill a 2.1mm hole and then ENLARGE it with cone and tapered burs. Again, lots of water, light pressure.

Good luck and if you would like pictures or schematics to go along with this let me know and I will see what I can do about uploading some in some way.

OK here is the two cents no one wants to hear...especially Lisl

I also live on the Outer Banks and would never ever drill Seaglass not the real come from the ocean stuff even if where you originally got it there was lots of it.

the beauty of seaglass is the smooth rounded edges and wrapped correctly in wire is only accentuated....I have sold my wire wrapped pieces for over 20 plus years and would never take something that may have taken a 100 years to get to where it is and drill a dang hole in it....Most of my customers prefer the wire wrapped and it is only one in 200 or 300 that wants it drilled....I say sorry I am a seaglass purist and appreciate the glass for the spiritual journey it has taken to get to where it is truly enjoyed.

Yes sounds crazy .. but what artist isn't ??

And I can sell my work for a lot more because there is no artistry in drilling a hole ... but there is in wrapping wire around a smooth beautiful piece of glass