Good news for the world of DIY glass drilling!

jessecnc

jessecnc

Member
Last night I drilled two 1-3/4" holes in my 1/2" glass 90. I used those "cheap" diamond hole saws from Hong Kong, purchased from the famous auction site.
Let me tell you what, the hole saws worked great.
:cheer: :jumping:

It took about 30min. per hole, but I was very cautious. The pic below shows what came out. I highly recommend these to ANYONE thinking about drilling a tank.
After 1" worth of drilled glass, they still look and feel the same.
DIYer's go for it! I plan on getting a few more and expanding my closed-loop now that I have NO FEAR!
 
turningtim

turningtim

Active Member
Boy am I glad to hear that! Just got my bits from lau last night. I couldn't believe how fast they got here. I going to drill about 9 holes, I got 45mm for 1" BHs and a 60mm for 1.5" BH. If I may ask how much water did you use and what the process?
Can't wait to give this a shot. I will be the last hurdle before I can start putting the tank together.
Thanks
Tim
 
jessecnc

jessecnc

Member
Tim,
Get yourself some modeling clay. I used electrical gasket seal, but it was pretty sticky. I think the clay would work best.
First, I marked where I wanted the hole with a Sharpie. Then on the inside of the tank, I covered the hole location with packing tape. This helped keep the glass from splintering when the drill breaks through
Next, I made a 7-8" diameter dam with the clay, centered on the hole location. Kind of like what you do with mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving.
Then, I got a small piece of wood (i used a 2x4) and cut a "V" in it. The piece should be small enough to fit inside the dam with the "V" centered over where you want the hole. I used this to stablize the hole saw while the initial groove is made with the tool. Once the groove is there you can remove the wood block.
Next, I filled the dam with about 1/4-3/8" water. Then I started drilling.
I can't tell you what speed I drilled at because I don't know. I used a standard corded drill and feathered the trigger at a little under half speed. You can "feel" if you're going too fast, there will be alot of vibration.
As I drilled, I lifted up on the drill every 15-30 sec. to allow fresh water into the groove. Be prepared, it took a while. About 30min. per hole. My 90 is 1/2" glass though due to no center support. Yours is probably thinner.
That's it though! Happy drilling!
 
turningtim

turningtim

Active Member
Excellent, Pretty much what I thought and great jig with the wood! Wouldn't have thought to lift out and bring in new water thats the kind of stuff I was looking for. Also great to hear that the bits work. I think I'm ready!
I'm drilling 1/2" too, I'm building a tank from scratch. The holes are for CL and returns. Plus some for a built in overflow.
Thanks Jesse, I post some pics!
Tim
 
jessecnc

jessecnc

Member
3Fish,
Below are charts taken from this link, Plumbing 101
It's a great resource for basic plumbing.
Bulk Head Hole Size

[hr]
1/2" 1 5/8"
3/4" 1 5/8"
1" 2 1/4"
1 1/4" 2 1/4"
1 1/2" 3"
2" 3"
2" 3 1/4"
3" 4 1/2"
Bulk Head Flow

[hr]
3/4" 330 gph
1" 600 gph
1 1/4" 910 gph
1 1/2" 1300 gph
1 3/4" 1800 gph
2" 2350 gph
2 1/4" 2960 gph
2 1/2" 3650 gph
2 3/4" 4450 gph
3" 5280 gph
 
i<3fish

i<3fish

Member
So do you think it would be best to get 2" bulkheads? Just to be safe, and have some extra room between the return gph and downflow gph?
 
jessecnc

jessecnc

Member
If your goal is 1200gph, then either one 1.5" (1300gph) or two 1" (1200gph) bulkheads would be your best bet.
 
i<3fish

i<3fish

Member
I think 2 1" bulkheads is what I will do. I will have 1 outlet go to my fuge, and 1 go to my sump. Then return it back.
 
dingo0722

dingo0722

Member
If this is true...
Originally Posted by TurningTim
Hole size for a 1 1/2" BH is 2 3/8" or 60mm.
Tim
Then how can this be true?
Originally Posted by JesseCNC
3Fish,
Below are charts taken from this link, Plumbing 101
It's a great resource for basic plumbing.
Bulk Head Hole Size

[hr]
1/2" 1 5/8"
3/4" 1 5/8"
1" 2 1/4"
1 1/4" 2 1/4"
1 1/2" 3"
2" 3"
2" 3 1/4"
3" 4 1/2"
If there are 25.4mm in an inch, then according to the above chart, a 1.5inch bulkhead will need a 76mm drilled hole!(25.4*3=76)
Is this chart for schedule 80 bulkheads?
 
jessecnc

jessecnc

Member
Yes, I believe this chart is for Schedule 80 fittings. Check out some different suppliers of bulkheads to see what their hole size is. It's generally the same, but they can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. My 1" Schedule 40 bulkheads required a 1-3/4" hole. Where I got mine, a 1-1/2" Schedule 40 bulkhead requires a 2-3/8" hole.
 
dingo0722

dingo0722

Member
Thanks for the clarification there. Hate for someone to drill the wrong size hole of buy the wrong size hole saw.
 
michael1972

michael1972

Member
last time i did this i payed some one to do it for me and now i am going to do it my self.
so i am about to buy a 60mm Diamond coated hole saw core drill w/ pilot bit
what sizze Bulkhead do i need to get to fit that and when i look on the _-__y sight how do you know what schedule 80 bulkheads /Schedule 40 bulkheads are ??
 
michael1972

michael1972

Member
Originally Posted by MICHAEL1972
http:///forum/post/2749012
last time i did this i payed some one to do it for me and now i am going to do it my self.
so i am about to buy a 60mm Diamond coated hole saw core drill w/ pilot bit
what sizze Bulkhead do i need to get to fit that and when i look on the _-__y sight how do you know what schedule 80 bulkheads /Schedule 40 bulkheads are ??

schedule 40 is in inches, schedule 80 is in metric corect me if i am corect.
 
wattsupdoc

wattsupdoc

Active Member
No, the difference is the thickness of the walls of the pipe, fitting. Sch 80 is much heavier walled than sch. 40. you have to look at the specs of the fitting to know.
 
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