Who needs an expensive machine for drilling holes in sea glass!

by Toshi Kanno
(El Granada CA)

I wonder how many people bought those expensive drilling machines to make holes on the sea glasses. I was ready to get one, too. But the one I wanted wasn't available at the store right away.

I was telling the sales person why I needed the machine. Well, I didn't have to buy the machine after all!

He recommended the drill bit especially made for glass and tile. It wasn't really cheap but it's about tenth of the cost of the machine.

If you have an electric hand drill, just get the bit bit for glass and tile (don't buy the cheap one, they won't last). Now you are ready for the project !

It works fine and it's so easy, too. I didn't even bother to wet the glass to drill the hole (see important note below - David).

The key to drill the hole using this drill bit is that you drill almost to the other side and turn it over and drill from the other side. This way, you don't have to worry about chipping the edge of the hole. Works every time.

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Comment from David (editor)

Thanks so much for the cost-saving info, Toshi!

You're right about using a standard household electric drill for drilling sea glass. Many of our viewers already have one in the garage or tool drawer and don't realize that all they need is a diamond-tipped drill bit to get started drilling.

The standard drill used for seaglass drilling is usually a Dremel or similar hand-held drill. Many think that the high speed of a Dremel is necessary for drilling glass.

However, that isn't true. High speed is definitely not needed for drilling sea glass. (Lin adds that a Dremel-type drill is lighter in most cases, though, if you have problems with your wrists or hands.)

***IMPORTANT NOTE:*** The reason glass should always be drilled under water is for HEALTH REASONS.

Drilling glass releases fine particles into the air and these particles are extremely dangerous to breathe.

Drilling under water is ALWAYS recommended, as the minute particles of glass are trapped in the water, which can then be dumped out.