zamoranelson
off to a rocking start
Member since July 2021
Posts: 6
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Post by zamoranelson on Jul 14, 2021 11:50:04 GMT -5
I am total noob and bought a Dremel Stylo+ to drill holes in some Ironstone Concretions
-- shout out to RockPickerForever for identifying it--
without realizing the tool is not designed for drilling (according to instructions). Before buying something else, thought I should ask around and see what other people are using to make small holes? About the size for a pendant in Ironstone Concretions 6mm to 20mm thick.
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Post by Pat on Jul 14, 2021 12:08:00 GMT -5
I’d use a diamond core drill in a water drip or some other water arrangement. Water necessary to keep drill and stone cool.
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Post by rockjunquie on Jul 14, 2021 23:02:11 GMT -5
I use a small drill press and, like Pat says, I use water. I use a small tray to hold the stone and cover it with water. I hold the stone and drill the hole. You need too use diamond bits, too. I have used both twist bits and hollow core. I prefer twist bits. I use two sizes: the smallest for the first pass, then a larger one, followed by a ball bit to enlarge only the top of the hole to prevent wear on the cord or chain/wire. |
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Post by rockjunquie on Jul 17, 2021 17:14:20 GMT -5
I forgot to mention that when you are drilling, you need to make pecking motions. Go up and down a lot with the drill bit. This helps to clear the debris from the hole and cools the bit.
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Post by stephan on Jul 17, 2021 21:49:27 GMT -5
I use a small drill press and, like Pat says, I use water. I use a small tray to hold the stone and cover it with water. I hold the stone and drill the hole. You need too use diamond bits, too. I have used both twist bits and hollow core. I prefer twist bits. I use two sizes: the smallest for the first pass, then a larger one, followed by a ball bit to enlarge only the top of the hole to prevent wear on the cord or chain/wire. That turned out nice! I’ve never drilled any of my cabs, but I’ve considered it for some. I imagine that it’s better to do his at the preform stage, and get heartbreak over with, if it’s going to happen. And also get the edges of the hole smoothed. |
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Post by rockjunquie on Jul 17, 2021 22:48:21 GMT -5
I use a small drill press and, like Pat says, I use water. I use a small tray to hold the stone and cover it with water. I hold the stone and drill the hole. You need too use diamond bits, too. I have used both twist bits and hollow core. I prefer twist bits. I use two sizes: the smallest for the first pass, then a larger one, followed by a ball bit to enlarge only the top of the hole to prevent wear on the cord or chain/wire. That turned out nice! I’ve never drilled any of my cabs, but I’ve considered it for some. I imagine that it’s better to do his at the preform stage, and get heartbreak over with, if it’s going to happen. And also get the edges of the hole smoothed.
This is a tumbled flat. I shaped it and knocked down the edges on the genie, drilled the hole, then tossed it in the vibe. I have done a cab, though. No different. It's a little intimidating at first, but it's actually an easy process.
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Post by stephan on Jul 18, 2021 15:32:58 GMT -5
That turned out nice! I’ve never drilled any of my cabs, but I’ve considered it for some. I imagine that it’s better to do his at the preform stage, and get heartbreak over with, if it’s going to happen. And also get the edges of the hole smoothed.
This is a tumbled flat. I shaped it and knocked down the edges on the genie, drilled the hole, then tossed it in the vibe. I have done a cab, though. No different. It's a little intimidating at first, but it's actually an easy process.
Ah. Gotcha. I thought it was the back. When cabbing, I imagine it’s easier to do the flat preform than a domed cab. |
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Post by victor1941 on Jul 18, 2021 17:48:42 GMT -5
Zamoranelson, I don't often drill holes but one hint for curved surfaces is to mark the spot and make a shallow starter hole. I use a Dremel/flex shaft with the ball diamond drill bit at a low angle and cut the starter spot(use water). Remark the spot where the hole/indentation was drilled, change bits and proceed like the others have indicated. I used a small pyrex dish with a soft ceramic tile as the base, add water to cover stone 1/4 ", hand press the stone against the tile and finish the hole with the flex shaft without forcing the bit.
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Post by Rockoonz on Jul 18, 2021 23:51:44 GMT -5
I use a foredom flex shaft grinder, a lot like your dremel only with the motor separate from the grinder hand piece. I use the ball end diamond burrs to drill holes by hand. I carve, so a lot of the pendants are also carved to some degree. I have a double bowl dog dish that I dip the stone and burr in often enough to keep it wet. The ball burr doesn't bind up if I change the angle slightly since the shaft is smaller than the burr head. I hold the stone with my finger at the exit point, and when I feel the tickle I flip it over and finish from the back. finish up with a larger ball to smooth the edges and polish with nova burrs and it's good to go.
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