Date:         Wed, 22 Jun 2011 08:44:58 -0700
Reply-To:     Alistair Bell <albell@SHAW.CA>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Alistair Bell <albell@SHAW.CA>
Subject:      Re: toothpaste
Comments: To: John Rodgers <inua@charter.net>
In-Reply-To:  <4E020BAB.1000503@charter.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed; delsp=yes

A week! Jeez John! A week?

Easier/faster way is a carbide drill or a diamond drill.

or

a brass tube (diameter of hole), with little shallow slots cut on one
end with thin bladed saw. Chuck it up on the drill press, make a dam
with putty around the part of glass you want the hole in, add some
carborundum grit and oil to make a slurry, then (slow speed) bring the
slotted tube down and the combo of the slots and the soft brass will
embed the grit and grind the hole.

I've used a carbide drill, but I have not used the brass tube method.

alistair




On 22-Jun-11, at 8:35 AM, John Rodgers wrote:

> It works. I ground a round hole through the glass in my aquarium so
> I could run a plastic tube in through the side. I needed a close fit
> for the tube so I could get the sealer to work. I used the eraser
> from  an electric erasing tool from the drafting department where I
> worked as the grinding tool. Applied toothpaste as the grinding
> agent, much like lapping compound for lapping valves to the seats in
> the heads. It is a VERY slow process, however. Took me a week of
> working at it off and on. Didn't know of any other way to DRILL a
> hole in glass. Not my invention. I saw the method on some craft show
> on TV.
>
> John
> John Rodgers
> Clayartist and Moldmaker
> 88'GL VW Bus Driver
> Chelsea, AL
> Http://www.moldhaus.com
>
> On 6/22/2011 9:52 AM, Alistair Bell wrote:
>>
>> get away!
>>
>> really?
>>
>> the abrasive in toothpaste is something like calcium carbonate
>> (chalk) , right?
>>
>> or are they adding carborundum to Crest now?
>>
>> :)
>>
>> John, have you done this trick?
>>
>>
>> alistair
>>
>>
>> On 22-Jun-11, at 7:16 AM, John Rodgers wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> BTW - toothpaste applied on the  end of a rubber power eraser can be
>>> used to grind a hole in glass, should you ever have the need to do
>>> so.
>>>
>>> John
>>
>>