How to Cut Holes
Different type of glass cutters are used to cut the pane of a glass. If you are willing to cut a large circle in a pane of glass, you may need a beam compass cutter or a beam circle cutter. A beam compass cutters contains a pivot with a rubber suction pad, a cutter on the end of the beam and an adjustable beam.
1- Scoring is the first step to cut any glass piece. So, for cutting a hole in a pane of glass, you need to score the glass. Adjust the radius of the cutter and hold the pivot with its sucker in one hand and use the other hand to make smooth score with one continuous stroke. Now you have to score a second circle inside the first larger circle. Score some straight lines with this relatively smaller circle right to the edge. Then you need to score some radial lines to the outer circle. What you need to do now is to tap the glass gently at the center of the circle on the back. This will help you drop the pieces of glass from the hole. Take breaker rack and remove the left over pieces of the glass. Take a line glass paper wrapped around the handle of the screwdriver to smooth the edges.
2- If you are going to cut a hole near the edge of the pane of glass, it is better to cut the circle before cutting the size of a pane of glass.
3- It is also convenient to use circular glass cutters for cutting the discs. While using these circular glass cutters, you need to score tangential lines onto the second circle. These scored lines will help to break the pieces off from the glass. Don’t forget to smooth the edges of the disc. Properly smoothed edges will give a good finish to that disc.
How to Drill Holes
A spear like special glass bit is used to drill holes in a glass. Masonry drill should not be used in any case as it shatters the glass immediately.
1- First settle on the position of the hole on the glass. Place it on the flat surface with a good generous amount of old newspapers. Take putty or plasticine and put it around the space chosen for a hole. Fill this with white spirit, lubricant water or paraffin.
2- You will have to be very careful in starting drilling the hole at exact point. It is better to mount the drill in drill stand and start drilling slowly. Don’t exert too much pressure; proceed with slight pressure with slow speed to prevent the drill bit from overheating. When you reach at the end of the hole lessen the pressure.
3- If you are working on mirror, it is important to drill a pinhole from the back. This will protect the silvering on the front of the mirror. After drilling a hole, you can resume your drilling task from the front.
4- For bottles, fill it with sand and rest it on the sand bed for proper support. Keep lubricating the hole and the drill bit in between.
If you ever feel like, you will not be able to do this task, do not hesitate to contact glass merchant. He will do this task for you in quite a reasonable cost.