Post subject: Drilling stones with diamond tipped bits
Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2015 7:36 pm
Established Member
Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2015 10:17 am Posts: 20
Hi, I'm thinking of drilling polished stones to hang them on chains. I know I need diamond tipped bits, but I would like some advice on how much I should spend on them and how many stones I should be able to drill with each bit. Thanks
Post subject: Re: Drilling stones with diamond tipped bits
Posted: Fri Jan 23, 2015 3:35 am
Gold Member
Joined: Tue Jul 02, 2013 9:00 am Posts: 1322 Location: Wylie Texas but in Alaska for a while
A lot of variables. - how hard is the sone - do you have a good setup for keeping it cool and flushed - do you have a rigid tooling setup
depending on the material, and size hole needed: you can drill some with carbide tipped masonry drills.... but not sure you =need a hole that big. they do make them in 1/8 inch size.
Post subject: Re: Drilling stones with diamond tipped bits
Posted: Fri Jan 23, 2015 10:00 am
Established Member
Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2015 10:17 am Posts: 20
Hard stones such as Quartz.
Set ups... Will be trying 2 options. 1- Standard drill press with a water drip directed onto the bit. 2- Using a bowl of water with stone placed in the water and drilling through the water to the stone. The bit will keep cool as its in the water.
Post subject: Re: Drilling stones with diamond tipped bits
Posted: Fri Jan 23, 2015 1:43 pm
Gemology Online Veteran
Joined: Wed Aug 24, 2011 11:48 am Posts: 584 Location: Odenton, Maryland
I don't drill that often, but tend to go with option #2--immerse the stone (or enamel, same process) in water. If you get a shallow bowl, you can actually clamp the stone down with some wood in the bowl with a clamp.
Post subject: Re: Drilling stones with diamond tipped bits
Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2015 5:18 am
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Joined: Sun Jul 20, 2014 2:33 pm Posts: 36
I bought a package of twenty assorted diamond rotary point tips for $7.99 from Harbor Freight and, after a little driving around, found that packages containing twenty and thirty tips each are readily available and comparably priced. You can buy packages containing Dremel® rotary diamond tips from many different stores but they cost up to $6.25 plus tax for two diamond tips and are no better or worse than any of the 10-, 20-, and 30-tip packages readily available. You can pay $6.25 for a package of two diamond rotary points chosen by them or $10.00 for a box of twenty diamond rotary points with about eight that meet your needs.
While wandering through a Swap Meet I came across a stall selling, amongst about a thousand other small tools and pieces of equipment, one package containing a set of five small diamond cutting wheels and another package containing one larger cutting wheel. Each package cost $3.00. Not only are they great for cutting, but the flat area on the side of each wheel can double as a flat grinder.
By using different size collets, the diamond tool points, diamond cutting wheel, and buffing brush will fit any rotary tool. Although any rotary tool will do the job, I do highly recommend you get one that has more than one speed setting so you’ll be able to select the speed that’s best for you.
Post subject: Re: Drilling stones with diamond tipped bits
Posted: Thu Apr 16, 2015 8:05 am
Gemology Online Veteran
Joined: Thu Mar 19, 2015 9:55 am Posts: 543
I bought a gem drilling set from a German company, a set of hollow drills with a pin running through. When the drill is applied to the stone the pin is lifted and allows water to flow through, sweeping away debris and keeping everything cool. Perfect if you have a lot of stones to drill. If I only have one or two I stick the stone to the drill table with bluetak, make a circle of bluetak to stick on top of the stone around where I want to drill and put a little water in it. Apply the drill slowly and lift it often to allow the water to reach the cutting face and the job is soon done. Diamond drills are so cheap these days that even if they only last 3 or 4 jobs the marginal cost is miniscule.
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