Some models of mirrors have special hooks on which they can be fixed. In this case, you will need to make a hole directly in the wall, insert a nail into it, on which the mirror will hang. But sometimes, to fix the product on the wall or any object, you need to drill a hole in the mirror at home.
The difficulty of doing such work lies in the fragility of the material. Work must be carried out with extreme caution so as not to damage the product. If this rule is not followed, the mirror will crack or even break completely.
In fact, the product is glass, which has a special coating on one side. That is why it is necessary to work with a mirror surface in the same way. So how to drill a mirror at home? Consider further.
General recommendations
Make a hole in the mirror canany person, if he first familiarizes himself with the technology of drilling. There is nothing complicated about this, but there is always a risk that the product will crack, completely break. If it is impossible to perform such work on your own, it is better to give the product to a workshop that repairs mirrors and furniture. To understand how to drill a mirror at home, you need to familiarize yourself with the basic nuances of the process.
Principles of working with a mirror
When processing fragile mirror surfaces, you must follow some important rules:
- First you need to place the mirror on a perfectly flat horizontal surface. For these purposes, you can use plastic, chipboard or plywood. The product must fit snugly against the surface.
- It is recommended to additionally degrease the treated surface. This can be done with acetone.
- How to drill a hole in a mirror? If the work is done with a quality drill, you need to set the equipment to the slowest mode. No need to rush, put pressure on the tool.
- Experts advise not to drill to the end. It is necessary to stop halfway, turn the mirror over and continue drilling from the other side.
What tools might be needed?
To prevent the glass surface from cracking and falling apart during processing, you need to know how to drill a mirror at home. Usually work is carried out using the following tools:
- Hard drill inpen shape. Helps to produce a hole, the diameter of which is not more than 12 mm. Despite the quality of the product, without certain skills it is difficult to make an even hole without defects.
- Diamond-coated drill is designed specifically for glass processing, the equipment helps to work as safely and accurately as possible.
- A tube-shaped drill will be needed if you need to get a large diameter hole.
- If the master uses a brass drill to work, you need to remember that it heats up quickly. Water must be constantly added to the drilling site.
- Diamond-coated tubular bit helps to make a large hole with high precision. The drill must be constantly cooled.
Rules for working with drilling tools
How to drill a mirror at home using a quality tool? If the work is carried out with the help of a special gimlet, it is necessary to use a drill. In this case, the power of the equipment must be regulated. This tool is not always at hand, so you can use a simple screwdriver.
The glass must be marked. It is not enough just to draw a cross at the drilling site. It is necessary to draw a regular square, inside of which there will be a circle. This is the diameter of the future hole.
Sometimes during the drilling process, the tool slides over the surface, and this can lead to damage to the product. To avoid this situation, you first need to make a small wooden blank. A hole is made inside it and attachedin a mirror surface with adhesive tape. This little trick helps keep the drill in one position. So that the tool and the mirror surface itself do not overheat during operation, it is necessary to take short pauses. At this point, it is recommended to slightly cool the mirror and drill bit.
The "grandfather" drilling method
People who were born in the USSR never wonder how to drill a mirror at home in the usual way, since they did such work at a time when sophisticated electric tools did not yet exist. To make a hole simply and quickly, you need to prepare the following materials and tools:
- lead or any other material that melts easily;
- pure fine sand without impurities;
- burner or gas stove;
- alcohol;
- an old metal mug for melting lead.
How to drill a hole in a mirror at home in this way? You just need to follow this instruction:
- The mirror is preliminarily degreased with alcohol, then a little water is added to the sand and this mixture is applied to the surface to be treated.
- Using a needle or an awl, you need to make a small impromptu hole in the form of a funnel in the sand.
- Lead or tin is melted in an old metal mug and then poured into a sand funnel.
- Then you need to wait a while until the metal hardens.
After that, it is enough to remove the sandand get a frozen piece of metal. Under the action of high temperatures, not only lead melts, but also glass. Reviews say that as a result of such work, a perfectly even hole is formed, while no cracks or chips will be observed.
Using glass cutter
To be able to make a hole in the product in this way, you will have to disassemble the glass cutter. The fact is that you need to work with a diamond roller. To understand how to drill a mirror at home, you need to carefully study the sequence of actions with a glass cutter:
- You need to get a diamond roller from this device.
- The steel rod should be carefully prepared for work. To do this, you need to make a small slot in it.
- Insert the roller into the hole, while checking the reliability of the fasteners.
Thus, you can make a high-quality drill yourself. It is attached to a drill and work begins.
Using a conventional drill
It is not always possible to purchase a high-quality professional gimlet with an expensive coating. Sometimes a drill purchased at a supermarket may turn out to be of poor quality, and it will not work to drill using such a device. In this case, you can use perk. According to reviews, this is a very effective way.
Here is an instruction on how to properly drill a mirror with a regular drill:
- Mirror neededput on a flat horizontal surface and degrease with alcohol.
- From the top side, you need to make a small funnel of clay and plasticine, pour water into it. If there is turpentine at home, then it is better to use this liquid.
- The tool (in particular, a drill) must be turned on to the slowest mode and, without exerting physical effort, slowly make a hole.
Using an efficient pen drill
Feather gimlets are considered the highest quality devices. The main element of the drill (metal pen) has high strength. Plus, it's perfectly flat. The diameter of the product does not exceed 10 mm, the cost is not very high. But keep in mind that the life of the drill is short, it will be enough to make about 8-10 holes, with a mirror thickness of 3 to 5 mm.
Detailed instructions
How to drill a mirror? We drill glass with a feather nozzle according to this instruction:
- The mirror must be placed on a flat and solid base. To do this, you can use sweaty plastic, plywood, chipboard.
- Using a marker, draw a drawing of the location of the hole and its diameter.
- To work with a perk, it is better to use a screwdriver. It is connected to the network and installed on the glass, according to the markup.
After that, using a spray bottle, you need to constantly spray water on the mirror so that it does not overheat during the drilling process. Start at the lowest speed and gradually increase it to medium.mode. During operation, you need to constantly raise the drill so that liquid can get inside the hole.
The process must be continued until the drill appears on the other side of the mirror surface. Then you need to turn the product over and repeat the steps above. When the pen drill appears from the other side, the mirror will have a clean, even hole.
Conclusion
So, we have looked at how to make a hole in the mirror. As you can see, there are several ways to do this job. But you need to understand that the process of drilling a mirror surface is complex, lengthy and laborious. Without special knowledge, it is better not to take on such work. If the work is carried out for the first time, it is recommended to make a test hole on a small piece of mirror or glass. If it is possible to use several drilling methods, you need to try each of them and choose the most convenient and safe method for yourself.
