Drill time!

[Schulks]

I am drilling my 60g 24" rimless cube today!
I have drilled only one hole, in a 20g aqueon, so I am nervous.

I heard thicker glass should make it easier but I have some large holes to drill. With only 24" my space is really tight.
My overflow has two - 2 3/8" - holes and I would like a dual return for my UV manifold to return separately. Return holes are 1 1/2".

With the overflow box centered on the back and as high as possible I have exactly 1 hole diameter from everything. There is 2 3/8" between the return hole and drain hole. There is also 1.5" between the edges and the return hole. It looks really scary to me.



The tank is quite tall so I could lower the overflow another 1/4"-1/2" and that should give more space above the drain holes.


If I have to use a single return that will make the plumbing much more complicated and less accessible. But I would imagine the hole drilling would be much easier.


Thanks for the input!

 

[Fish Styx]

Placement looks solid. You've got plenty of room there, don't fret. Measure for the placement of your overflow one more time before you start drilling. Use a sharpie to mark the outline of your holes, and remove the guide and clamps. Hold the actual overflow in place over the marks to ensure that it sits where it should. If you're happy, take a deep breath and go for it!

 

[Pistondog]

DO not push down on drill, let its weight do the work. Put a piece of tape on back to catch glass plug. Ease up when you are almost thru to prevent chipping on back side.

 

[bradreef]

DO not push down on drill, let its weight do the work. Put a piece of tape on back to catch glass plug. Ease up when you are almost thru to prevent chipping on back side.

Exactly this. I did a 10 gallon a couple weeks ago and a 75 previously. Light on pressure and very light as you punch through to minimize any possible chips.

 

[UncommonSense]

I’ve done this to three separate glass tanks; 60g, 75g, 180g… it’s not as scary as it might seem, but does take a lot of meticulous measurement…

Your hole placement looks great! Double check the internal compliment of the overflow box for weir height, and assume your water will be around 1/2” above that during system operation! — basically, pick your running water height!

How thick is the glass? 1/2” takes a good amount of time per-hole! (My 180g took a solid 45 mins to do two 65mm [2.375”] overflow holes…)

here’s my process:

— lay tank on its side so you are drilling straight down, in a area where you can pour water on the floor…

— clamp or firmly tape drill guide in place on tank… (did your overflow come with one? If so, what materials is it?)

— run a garden hose at a trickle, laid near your target hole so water runs over it constantly… (this evacuates glass dust from your cut, vs. making a putty dam around each hole that just holds water in place!)

— place a bucket or other larger container of water inside the tank to catch the circular “slug” of glass which will fall out after each hole’s cut is completed!

—IMPORTANT: set the clutch on your drill to 5-7lbs, you can bump it up to 10lbs once the groove in the glass gets started, then bump it back down again to finish the cut… — this can absolutely make or break the job (no pun intended!)

— you need to be very gentle at the beginning, and end of each hole, running drill at low speed(gear 1)… you can run higher drill RPM (gear 2,3) through the center 70-80% of the cut…

— if possible, you can start the cut for each hole on both sides of the glass to prevent the majority of glass spalling right as you finish each hole; but this isn’t strictly necessary…

— do everything you can to drill straight; perpendicular to the glass! Drilling in at an angle will make the hole angled, which effectively makes the hole smaller when the glass is thicker! (Consider a “drill press” style drill guide, which attaches to your hand drill as a guide to hold the drill perpendicular to the work surface)… — the glass holes are typically 1-3mm oversized, primarily to accommodate for this!

— Use only very light pressure at most on the drill; it’s own weight should suffice!

— drilling two 2.375” holes in the 1/2” (12mm) glass on my 180g took me 45 mins, with pausing to measure cut depth via calipers to gauge how straight I was drilling (unnecessarily)…



Best of luck to you! Keep us posted on how it goes? Also, save those glass slugs! They’re fun to make artsy-fartsy stuff with!

 

[Schulks]

I forgot to leak test so i have a few hours to wait now.

This is the first time I've seen it on the stand too. Wow!

 

[UncommonSense]

I forgot to leak test so i have a few hours to wait now.

This is the first time I've seen it on the stand too. Wow!

Just a quick FYI; suction cups aren’t very strong when holding in shear! — they are intended to work by lifting the glass straight up as a sheet laid flat!

I recommend moving the suction cups to the bottom pane, on the interior of the tank, before you move the tank further!

 

[Schulks]

Just a quick FYI; suction cups aren’t very strong when holding in shear! — they are intended to work by lifting the glass straight up as a sheet laid flat!

I recommend moving the suction cups to the bottom pane, on the interior of the tank, before you move the tank further!

Thanks that would make me feel better. I'll give it a try.

Also, the glass is 3/8" thick.

The overflow is a modular marine and it came with a very nice template and instructions.
It is made of acrylic.

So I do have the drillmate drill guide and it seems to wobble a lot and create pressure. I think it caused this 20g to break. Am I just going too fast?



I was thinking about doing most of the hole with the guide and then free handing the exit.

Could I drill starting inside the tank? It does not seem too difficult and the would be clean inside the tank.

I also have some wood and rubber sheet i could clamp to the bottom of the hole to help prevent breakout. Is that a good idea?



Thanks fellow reefers!

 

[UncommonSense]

Also the glass is 3/8" thick.

This is thin enough that you don’t need the drill guide, just a bit of patience and a decent eye for holding the drill square to the glass as you drill!

So I have the drillmate drill guide and it seems to wobble a lot and create pressure. I think it caused this 20g to break. Am I just going too fast?

A significant wobble is likely the culprit here; this really shouldn’t happen, especially if drilling by hand/eye (with your drill’s clutch engaged, of course!)

I was thinking about doing most of the hole with the guide and then freehanding the exit.

This will work! Possibly start, and finish freehand!

Is there any reason I shouldn't drill starting inside the tank? It does not seem difficult to do and I'd have a clean hole inside the tank.

There is no reason not to, short of the glass dust (can be literally sub-micron size) from the cutting process inevitably getting buried in the top rim of the tank, and never being able to get it completely out!

Also, maybe space constraints…

Or, I have this cut of 3/4 ply and a rubber sheet i could clamp to the bottom of the hole to help prevent breakout. Is that a good idea?

This is a good idea regardless of which direction you drill from! I didn’t think you had the ideal materials on hand already! — just use clamps with rubberized jaws; ideally clamping plywood/acrylic/etc between jaw and glass where applicable!

Thanks fellow reefers!

Good luck! — Just be patient, take your time, and always use that drill clutch!

Jack

 

[Schulks]

Holes are marked. It's about to start x]

 

[Schulks]

Came out almost perfect.

Edit: I realized it was my drill that was wobbly. I am using a different drill and it is much better. The new drills clutch is also way more sensitive and i felt it save it once! The old drill would never stop and could have been bad

 

[UncommonSense]

Came out almost perfect.

Awesome work! The wide bulkhead gaskets will compensate for any small spall chips which occur; you’re set!

Just don’t get too relaxed on the rest; now that you’re more comfortable with the process… it makes you rush!

 

[Schulks]

Drill guide working better with new drill!

 

[Schulks]

We did it! I'm gonna change my underwear!

 

[UncommonSense]

We did it! I'm gonna change my underwear!

Great work!! It looks amazing!