Monday, July 07, 2008

How to drill a hole in a fragment

I am absolutely in love with all the wonderful Plexiglases crafting products that are out there. And a good many of them don't come with holes drilled in them. So I thought I'd post a little how-to for drilling. It's not as scary as you might think.
Here's what you'll need: a drill with a small drill bit--I'm using 1/16th bit that is made to cut through metal. Safety goggles, a drilling block (this needs to be big enough to be sturdy and level so that it doesn't wobble. I use an old wood cigar box.) Wall putty/sticky tack (this is the stuff that you use to stick stuff to the walls without leaving a mark.) And whatever it is you're going to be drilling. (I'm using a prong frame from retro cafe art gallery, but the process is the same for fragments.)
Here is a photo of my stuff (drill not included.)

Take a small piece of the sticky tack and place it in the middle of the object and then stick it to the surface, this will hold the piece in place and keep it from moving around while you drill. Since I'm drilling through both a prong frame and Plexiglases, I put a second piece of putty between the the Plexiglases and the metal so that I can drill through both simultaneously. Here's a photo of it all ready to go:
I like to pre-mark my holes so that they are even, using a light colored sharpie. They need to be far enough in so that the drill bit won't break through the outer edge. Then, with a steady hand, drill through. Go slowly and try to put even pressure on the top of the drill.


Here is a picture of the charm with the holes drilled through:


Now you're ready to turn this into something! Here's what I made with mine:

2 comments:

Retro Cafe' Art Gallery said...

That necklace ROCKS!!!! So cool!!!!!! See ya tomorrow!!!

lorrwill said...

I just found this
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!