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, in order to fix the product on the wall or any object, you need to drill a hole in the mirror at home.
The difficulty in doing such a job is the fragility of the material. Work must be carried out with extreme care so as not to damage the product. If this rule is not followed, the mirror will crack or even completely break.
In fact, the product is a glass, which on the one hand has a special coating. That is why it is necessary to work with a mirror surface in the same way. So how to drill a mirror at home? Let's consider further.
General recommendations
Any person can make a hole in the mirror if he first familiarizes himself with the drilling technology. There is nothing complicated about this, but there is always a risk that the product will crack, completely break. If it is impossible to do such work yourself, it is better to return the product to a workshop that is engaged in the repair of 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 should fit snugly to the surface.
- It is recommended to degrease the treated surface. This can be done with acetone.
- How to drill a hole in the mirror? If the work is done with a quality drill, you need to set the equipment to the slowest mode of operation. No need to rush, put pressure on the tool.
- Experts advise not to drill until the end. It is necessary to stop halfway, turn the mirror over and continue drilling from the back.
What tools might you need?
So that the glass surface during processing does not crack and does not fall apart, you need to know how to drill a mirror at home. Typically, work is carried out using the following devices:
- A solid pen-shaped drill. Helps to produce a hole with a diameter of not more than 12 mm. Despite the quality of the product, without certain skills it is difficult to make an even hole without defects.
- The diamond-coated drill is designed specifically for glass processing, equipment helps to work as safely and accurately as possible.
- A drill in the form of a tube is needed if you need to get a hole with a large diameter.
- If the master uses a brass drill for work, you need to remember that it quickly heats up. Water must always be added to the drilling site.
- A diamond-coated tubular crown helps to make a large hole with high precision. The drill must be constantly cooled.
Rules for working with a drilling tool
How to drill a mirror at home using a quality tool? If the work is carried out using a special gimlet, it is necessary to use a drill. In this case, the power of the equipment should be regulated. This tool is not always at hand, so you can use a simple screwdriver.
Marking must be done on glass. It is not enough just to draw a cross at the drilling site. It is necessary to draw the correct square, inside which there will be a circle. This is the diameter of the future hole.
Sometimes in the process of drilling 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 tape is attached to the mirror surface. Such a little trick helps to keep the drill in one position. To prevent the tool and the mirror surface itself from overheating during operation, it is necessary to make short pauses. At this point, it is recommended to slightly cool the mirror and drill.
"Grandfather" drilling method
People who were born in the USSR never ask themselves how to drill a mirror at home in the usual way, since they did similar work at a time when a complex electric tool did not 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;
- clean fine sand without impurities;
- burner or gas stove;
- alcohol;
- an old metal mug for melting lead.
How to drill a hole in the mirror at home in this way? You just need to follow this instruction:
- First, the mirror is degreased with alcohol, then a little water is added to the sand and this mixture is applied to the treated surface.
- Using a needle or an awl in the sand, you need to make a small makeshift hole in the form of a funnel.
- Lead or tin is melted in an old metal mug, and then poured into a funnel of sand.
- Then you need to wait a while until the metal hardens.
After that, it is enough to remove the sand and get the frozen piece of metal. Under the influence of high temperatures, not only lead melts, but also glass. Reviews say that as a result of such work, a perfectly flat hole is formed, while no cracks and chips will be observed.
Glass cutter application
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:
- From this device you need to get a diamond roller.
- 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 quality drill yourself. It is attached to a drill and begin work.
Conventional drill
It is not always possible to purchase a quality professional gimlet with expensive spraying. Sometimes a drill purchased in a supermarket can be of poor quality, and drilling with this tool will not work. In this case, you can use a perk. According to reviews, this is a very effective way.
Here is the instruction on how to properly drill a mirror with a conventional drill:
- The mirror must be placed on a flat horizontal surface and degreased with alcohol.
- On the upper side, you need to make a small funnel of clay and plasticine, pour water into it. If at home there is turpentine, then it is better to use this particular liquid.
- The tool (in particular, a drill) must be turned on at the slowest mode and, without applying physical effort, slowly making a hole.
Using an Effective Pen Drill
Feather gimlets are considered the highest quality gadgets. The main element of the drill (metal pen) has high strength. In addition, it is perfectly smooth. 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 small, it will be enough to produce 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 put on an even and solid base. To do this, you can use sweaty plastic, plywood, chipboard.
- Using a marker, a drawing of the location of the hole and its diameter is carried out.
- To work with the 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 gun, you need to constantly spray water on the mirror so that it does not overheat during drilling. Start work at the lowest speed, gradually increasing it to medium mode. During operation, you need to constantly raise the drill so that liquid can enter 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 on the other hand, the mirror will have a smooth, neat hole.
Conclusion
So, we examined how you can 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 time-consuming. Without special knowledge, it is better not to undertake 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 way for yourself.