A hole in the mirror - how and how it can be made

Sometimes it becomes necessary to outweigh an old mirror or hang a new one. For this purpose, you need to make a hole. It is very important that the mirror does not crack during the work. How to do it at home? What tools will be required for such work?

Features of mirrors

A mirror is a very fragile material. So can you make a hole in it? You can, but you need caution, accuracy, and, at the same time, determination. And yet, the usual tools that you boldly used when working with wood or stone will definitely not work here. They can easily "bring" brittle material to scratches, or even cracks and chips. So you need a special set of tools and an individual approach.

The main recommendations when working with mirrors (glasses) are as follows:

1. Before you start working with a large mirror, test your competence in this matter on a small piece of mirror or thick glass.
2. A smooth surface without any roughness is the key to successful manipulations with mirrors.
3. When working with a drill, set it to the minimum speed, otherwise you will have a "surprise" in the form of cracks or chips along the edges of the hole.
4. Degrease the mirror surface well before drilling. Regular alcohol is perfect for this.
5. Never make a hole through and through in one sitting. After making a small indentation, stop, turn the mirror over, and continue working on the other side.
6. Pause every 10 seconds. Remember: the mirror should not heat up.
7. When drilling, be sure to water the reflective surface with water for additional cooling.
8. Turpentine can be used instead of water. This composition will be the best assistant when drilling at home, thanks to it, you can avoid the appearance of cracks.

Materials and tools

The more complete set of materials and tools you have at your fingertips, the more likely it is to successfully complete the case.

• Acetone or alcohol for surface degreasing.
• A level surface on which you can position the mirror to work. Check that the table (chair, bedside table) does not wobble.
• Special drills.
• Glass cutter (not always required, but it is desirable to be available).
• Drill (screwdriver).
• Water (turpentine).
• Safety glasses, gloves.

Hole drilling method

For some, it will be a discovery that you can drill a hole in the mirror in different ways. But this is really so. The mirror has become an integral part of the interior for a long time. And over all these long years, people tried to find the most suitable place for the reflective surface, which means that the mirrors were constantly outweighed or rearranged. Therefore, the answer to the question of how to drill a hole in the mirror has always been relevant. And it is not surprising that this was done in different ways.

Special drill

This drill differs from conventional spraying. Drills for glass and mirrors have diamond grit. The main advantage of such gimbals is their durability.Having purchased it once, do not doubt that the drill will serve faithfully not only for you, but also, possibly, for your descendants.

So, having a special drill, you need to act as follows:

1. Start work with a drill that has a speed control function. If you have only a conventional drill at your disposal, you should not start drilling - you will simply ruin the mirror.
2. The marking for the hole is made in the form of a square, the main thing is that it corresponds to the desired diameter.
3. Be sure to make stops between drilling "sessions". Give yourself and the mirror a break. It is also important to ensure that the drill does not overheat.

Glass cutter

You don't need the entire glass cutter to make a hole in the mirror. Disassemble it and take out the diamond roller. According to the majority, there is only one drawback of this drilling method - in the hassle of the process. After all, you will have to make a special rod yourself, where you will attach the diamond roller.

The work algorithm is as follows:

1. Remove the diamond roller.
2. Insert it into the prepared metal rod.
3. Rivets can be used to fix it.
4. Now you have a special drill. Insert it into the drill and start drilling.

Regular tool

Unfortunately, most DIYers cannot boast of having special tools for drilling holes in mirrors or glass. If you have the same situation, do not despair, try drilling a hole with ordinary tools.

Procedure:

1. Place the mirror on a hard surface. Check the stability of the table (chair or pedestal).
2. Degrease the mirror with alcohol or acetone.
3. Make a container from ordinary plasticine (a kind of bath), fill it with liquid. It can be plain water, but turpentine is more commonly used.
4. Start drilling. Do this slowly without using force.

Sand and molten metal

Perhaps this method can be called the most ancient. It originates from those ancient times, when drills were not even dreamed of. You will need any soft metal (tin is most often used), a small amount of fine clean sand (stones and shells are unacceptable), a burner to melt the metal (you can also use a gas stove), a melting container and alcohol.

You need to act like this:

1. Sprinkle slightly damp sand on a degreased mirror surface.
2. Use a suitable sharp object to make a funnel in the sand. The dimensions of the funnel must exactly match the future hole.
3. With the help of a burner, we melt the metal and pour it into the funnel.
4. We are waiting for the metal to cool completely, shake off the sand and take out the metal from the resulting hole.

This method allows you to get a very neat and even hole in the mirror.

Drill varieties

The success of a business largely depends on the quality and shape of the drill. They are different.

Feathers

Drills of this type have a distinctive feature: their drill bits do not have a diamond coating, but are made of a special alloy.

As a rule, they are inexpensive, which means that everyone can afford it. How to operate with feather drills?

1. On a mirror, located on a flat surface, we make markings.
2. Using a screwdriver, fix the feather drill in the center of the hole.
3. We drill intermittently, periodically wetting the mirror with water using a spray gun.
4. As soon as the drill appeared from the back side, we stop the process, turn the mirror over, and repeat all actions from the back side.

Crown (tubular)

These gimbals have a special diamond coating.The algorithm of actions is as follows:

1. Take a piece of plywood that will serve as a kind of template, drill a hole in it the size you need in the mirror surface.
2. Place the template against the mirror and fasten tightly.
3. Start drilling.
4. And again, drill until the thumb appears from the back, then turn the mirror over and repeat all the steps.

The conclusion is obvious: even without special equipment and professional skills, it is quite possible to make a hole in the mirror at home. The use of simple recommendations, as well as your accuracy will help in this.

Video: how to drill a hole in the mirror