Caroline of Caroline Channing Glass recently discovered Bottle Neck Diamond Core Drills. With her Dremel Drill in hand and some scrap bits of glass she used these core drills to test out some new ideas she had in mind for some glass pendants, the results are fantastic.
Below, Caroline shares with us how she did it, along with some helpful tips and of course some images of her contemporary fused glass pendants.
"Having already found many uses for smaller sized diamond drill bits from Eternal Tools I was delighted to find that they have developed a range of larger sizes that are suitable for use with a Dremel. This was excellent news as a Dremel is the only sort of drill I own! I tested them both out on some scrap glass and found them easy to use with a little practice and bearing in mind the recommendations of Eternal Tools on drilling techniques. If you are not already used to drilling holes in glass then I would suggest starting with the smaller size drill bits until proficient - the technique for the larger drill bits is the same but the potential to damage the glass is greater if the drill bit slips across the surface so some confidence and a steady hand is an asset"
Tip: If you're using a hand held drill, angle it to start your hole and then once the initial cut has been made return the drill to a vertical position and carry on drilling. This helps prevent any skittering across the surface of your glass.
"I was so pleased with the test holes I'd drilled in my scrap glass that I kept working on the glass until I had pieces that I thought would look nice as pendants - I added coloured glass frit to one and drilled a variety of smaller sized holes in the other - and fired them in my kiln to 750 deg C using kiln paper to prevent the holes from closing up. I was very happy with the results and I am very excited about developing these ideas further to make interesting jewellery and other fused glass items! When making small items I would suggest drilling a hole in a reasonable sized piece of glass first and then cutting the glass down around the hole so that you can hold the glass away from the drill bit! Because the drill bits are hollow a circle of glass is left inside the drill bit once the hole is drilled - for glass fusers this can be reused to add decorative 'dots' of glass to other work!"
Tip: If the action of the drill moving up and down in the water hasn't loosened the debris out of the inside of the core drill you can clean them out with a wire brush.
"I am sure the 8 and 10mm drill bits will become as essential to my glass work as the smaller sizes already are. I am a fan of Eternal Tools, their products are excellent, very reasonably priced and the information they supply is invaluable"
These Bottle Neck Core Drills fit into your Dremel so you no longer have to use a heavy household drill to drill your holes in glass, ceramic and stone. What a relief I hear you say!
A big thank you to Caroline for sharing her inspiring work and helpful tips with us. If you would like to feature in a tool review, share you work or feature in an artists interview, please get in touch.
