Hole cutting

[egunman]

Has anyone ever tried to cut a hole in a tank with a regular glass cutter?

Eric

 

[wrightme43]

I havent but I assume that somehas and that is why they have glass drill bits. If it worked I would think that no one would take the hour to cut a hole in glass with a bit. It may work wonderfully I would test it on a ten gallon and get the hang of it first. Still as the glass gets thicker you run a bigger and bigger risk. JMHO. STEVE

 

[DonW]

If you mean those little cutters with the tiny diamond wheel. I wouldnt even consider trying it. They are used to score a straight line then break on that line.

Don

 

[plack]

if you do try it use a small flat pc of glass its less expensive than a whole tank.
Diamond hole saws is what i have heard works but that again needs pratice i'll bet.anyway good luck and let us know what worked out for you

 

[gobie]

I Had Cut Glass For Years Five To Be Exact And It Is Not Worth It. I Went And Got My Tank Drilled And Paid For It. It Will Either Run Ir The Hole Will Not Come Out Right.

 

[tamarindthai]

while ,they are drilling the tank,,,i'm asking,, do they have any garantee not to cracking or shattering!!!!,,,,answer is no,,,,said at yours own risk,,this is the experienced i had.,pretty scarly ahh.(is this the tank you bought a few months ago)

 

[dsdemer]

I drilled my 20 gallon with no problem. I picked up one of those carbide-hole bits at Home Depot ($8). There are two keys to sucess. The first is: use water. if you can, put 1/8 of an inch of water in whatever you are drilling. This lubricates and cools the glass. The second, and more important than the first, is: TAKE YOUR TIME. This bit grinds rather than cuts, so it take a while. Good luck

 

[wanareef]

You can get those diamond burrs from Harbor Freight for about $6 for 20pcs. It'll take you about 10 mins to cut a hole using 2 bits. This is on the back side I hope. The bottome are usually tempered and you can't cut that. Make sure you have the BH in hand and measure

 

[gobie]

If You Are Serious About Drilling Your Tank . You Can Always Replace Your Bach Sideglass With A Sheet Of Acrylic. Some Say You Cant Do This But Most Petco Tanks Have Acrylic On Threesides And The Bottems And Only Glass On The Front. I Guess It Depends How Handy You Are.

 

[big t]

I will say it, you can not make a good long term bond between glass and acrylic. Silicone forms some kind of molecular sp. bond w/ glass. It however does not w/ acrylic. It would be much easier to drill glass then it would be to replace your back panel w/ acrylic. The best answer for drilling a thick tank like a 120 is spend the big bux and have it drilled.

 

[egunman]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. The hole i am wanting to drill is on the end of a 29 gal glass tank. I am trying/wanting to plumb for an external skimmer.