They said it would be easy

[russell13]

Anyone have experience drilling tanks. This poor little guy was a 10 gallon. Not as easy as they make it look on YouTube

 

[russell13]

This happened two seconds into the drilling. And it happened after I stopped drilling. I don’t think it was tampered glass but I’m not sure. It was a tank I picked up at a garage sale. Looks like the Fuge project will be put on hold till I get another one

 

[Peace River]

If I can emphasize any one concept when drilling tanks, it is go sloooooow. But no worries, it is part of the learning curve. If you made it that far into the glass in two seconds then you were likely pushing to hard. Additionally, if you look at the ring - it is not even which is not a good thing. 10g have thinner glass so can sometimes be a bit more challenging, however they're less expensive if you have less than optimal results while you're learning. The good news is you now have several more places on that tank for practice!

 

[lbacha]

That is tempered glass, doesn’t really matter what you did it was going to break. You have to watch those tanks as they sometimes make them out of all tempered glass. There is a test you can do with a computer screen and polarized glasses, you should be able to find the steps on YouTube

Len

 

[eggplantparrot]

yea the way it broke it looks like tempered glass

 

[Goodair]

If you go to check for tempered, make sure to check all sides or make sure the side your drilling ISN'T tempered.

I made the mistake of checking one side and then drilling the other a few weeks later. Was bad to assume that all the sides werent tempered based off 1 side....and now I kick myself because of it.

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

Bummer, comrade

 

[Peace River]

Although it is possible, it is unusual for a 10g tank to have tempered sides (or even bottoms). From my experience drilling into tempered glass, the shattered pieces were a lot finer (not that I have tried it too many times :(). As Len suggested in an earlier post, you can find YouTube videos about using polarized glasses and a computer monitor or phone screen to tell if this or any future tanks are tempered. Either way, be safe and good luck when drilling tanks!

 

[russell13]

I’m going to check it tomorrow. I have read that these type of tanks are only tempered on the bottom of the tank but that is not always the case. Looking back I should have videoed myself doing it so I could use it for reference. I’m going to change some thing on my next attempt. Don’t think I had enough water on it. Gonna get some plumbers putty. I was using a piece of wood as a guide and I don’t think it held the water well. I’m also gonna go way slower, even if it takes me an hour.

 

[Sod Buster]

The wood or thick plastic for a guide. A dam around that or a buddy pouring water on the bit. Don't push, let the tool do the work.

 

[Erica-Renee]

Wow.. not really sure how you managed to break it like that. Were you not using enough water to keep it cool. Was the glass very hot when you started (thou i doubt that is it) That is nothing like any tempered glass i have Broken. Tempered breaks into Billions of tiny pieces and pops apart with force ,Well unless its Laminated for safety . Maybe there was a defect in that piece of glass causing it to splinter so much..

Good Luck next time... This is only a Failure if you let it stop you from doing it again and getting it right .Failing is part of Learning..


Wait a minute... Something looks off about that image . it looks like the cracks are going thru the drilled out hole .maybe its me

 

[BestMomEver]

I’m sorry, but I read the title of this thread and began to laugh! I even wondered for a split second if you were at the right forum. I don’t think anything in this hobby is easy. ;)

 

[Erica-Renee]

I’m sorry, but I read the title of this thread and began to laugh! I even wondered for a split second if you were at the right forum. I don’t think anything in this hobby is easy. ;)

Its Super easy to end up in Bankruptcy or Divorce court... Everything else is as Tough as it gets .

 

[Sod Buster]

. it looks like the cracks are going thru the drilled out hole .maybe its me

Looks like 2/3rds of a hole. Definitely not square w/ the bit. Tempered explodes and gravity takes it to substrate before you can get a pic.

 

[Goodair]

 

[Peace River]

Ouch! Unfortunate picture, but a good example of the tiny bits that I would expect from tempered glass.

 

[Sod Buster]

Just like this pic above this post. tempered.

 

[Sod Buster]

You didn't keep the bit square to the glass was the malfunction. 2/3rds of a circle. You tried to drill sideways and pushed on it.

 

[Erica-Renee]

Thinking about this more.It seems likely you had the drill into the the glass and put pressure in one direction Causing the glass panel to flex beyond its breaking point in all directions. Even if that were the case YOU WIN...... Most Fracture Non Temper glass panel AWARD of the Year....

 

[russell13]

So from doing some research online
The glass probably isn’t tempered. I will check it for sure when I get home. I think it was a combination of not having enough water, putting pressure on the drill and not having the bit square with the glass. So basically o did everything you’re not supposed to do. I’m gonna try it again tomorrow