Power Tools: Not Just for Boys

Drilling Holes in Fused Glass

A girl can never have too many power tools. I know, I know. Most girls are into fashion and makeup and sparkle and glitter. Not me. I could spend hours perusing the power tool section at the hardware stores. I can't last 5 minutes in the mall. My husband is the luckiest man on earth.

One of my recent tool purchases (to the delight of my husband) is a drill press. He's been wanting a drill press for as long as I've known him. Apparently he was just waiting for me to suggest adding one to the workshop.

A drill press isn't required to bring my glass work to the next level, but it certainly helps. I tried drilling a hole with a hand drill once. Once was enough. The press makes it much more precise. And I'm less likely to drill through my finger.

Coldworking drilling holes in fused glass

I absolutely love the new finish the drilled holes give the pendants. With holes I can finish them off with wire instead of bails for a totally different look. 

Are you looking for a new way to finish off your fused glass work? 

All you need is a diamond coated drill bit. Just make sure whenever you drill into glass, you are doing so under water. Why?
  • Water will keep the glass dust from going airborne - which can cause serious health issues
  • Water will make your drill bits last much longer by reducing the wear and tear
  • Water will help keep your glass from shattering by keeping it cool - all that grinding produces a lot of friction and heat
Just remember to go slow and let the bit do the work. Don't apply too much pressure or go too fast; otherwise you risk breaking both your bits and your glass!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Color Palettes: Olive & Aqua

Image
Lampworking Soft Glass Color Reference I've been doing a half-baked job of taking notes when I make beads ... but I am on a mission to catalog all my bead sets and the glass colors I use to create them. There are three driving reasons for this:  First , I have a hard time remembering what some colors look like after they've been worked in the flame and I want color charts that I can quickly reference. So I do it for me . Second , I am working on my first e-book of color recipes. Since I cannot lampwork fulltime, e-book sales will help continue funding my glass habits. My hope is to build a library of resources so even when I am unable to make art, I can keep my business going.  Finally , I want to share my knowledge and experience. Early in my beadmaking I asked other lampworkers 'do you mind sharing what color that is?' Some were gracious with their knowledge, others were not. And while yes, I do plan to compile much of this information into for profit e-books, I st
Read more

Color Palettes: What to Pair with the Color Red

Image
Lampworking Soft Glass Color Reference Red is not a color I tend to gravitate towards. Whenever I pull it from my glass stash I usually just stare at it aimlessly trying to figure out what to pair with it. Then it goes back in its little cubby ... until I feel guilty that it never gets attention like the other colors do ... and I pull it out again,  only to repeat the cycle . But Fall is another story. When mother nature paints a gorgeous picture outside your window full of reds and yellows and greens and blues, then you know it is time. The red glass will have its day. Red, orange and yellow are a natural pairing as they are on the same side of the color wheel. Red and turquoise have been a popular combination for southwest designs. Red and green are together frequently at Christmas. But put them all together and it's like the most perfect woolly sweater ever made. It's as if Fall just opened up the gates and poured itself all over the studio. And really, who doesn't swoo
Read more

Color Palettes: How to Incorporate Brown

Image
Lampworking Glass Color Reference Brown has not been a trendy color in glass for quite some time ... except with those beadmakers who make adorable critter beads or decadent sweet treats. It has been difficult to find brown clothing as well. It seems when grey became the new ' it ' color for literally everything from fashion to home decor, brown ceased to exist. Trying to find a nice pair of dark brown slacks has been next to impossible. I've all but given up and banished my blouses that need brown slacks to the back of the closet. For those of us whose natural skin and hair coloring pairs better with warm palettes over cool palettes, the struggle is real. I actually prefer grey and cool tones myself, but my person looks better in warm colors. So for the other warm palette people out there like me, I'm single-handedly bringing brown back in style. And if the rest of the world chooses not to hop on board that is okay. At least folks looking for warm colors know they ca
Read more

Recent Etsy Listings

Loading...