Drilling Glass and Gemstones
If you are drilling beach glass or any hard or soft stone. you will need diamond tipped drill bits or diamond reamers. For the drill bits, get a 40 grit 30 piece drill bit and tip set to begin with. 40 grit is very coarse and will cut faster so it is perfect for drilling holes. A 20 diamond twist drill set for drilling very small holes is also very good, (1mm and under), and 10 bit sets for larger size 3mm holes in pendants. Beginners should start with the bigger bits so you can experiment at what works best for your application. Wood carvers also love these bits for carving wood, bone, antler, metal, etc.
You can use these bits in a flex shaft drill or any variable speed hand drill. Most homes would have the latter, or you could use hand held reamers with handles. These will take a bit of effort and are recommended if you only have a small amount of hole enlarging or smoothing to accomplish. Otherwise an electric drill is the easiest to work with.
Just know the hole you drill using a 40 grit diamond bit is going to be rough. You can drill quickly but the hole will be rough inside so you might consider using a medium grit bit afterwards like a 150 grit diamond bit to smooth the holes roughness. If you are stringing on flex wire you probably will not need to smooth the inside of the hole. If you are stringing on silk thread or nylon thread you should follow up with the 150 grit bit.
Proper safety protection for yourself from the materials you will be coming in contact with is very important. Glass, stone, shell, and bone in powder form are dangerous. You should never breath the dust you will create working with these materials. Use eye protection with side covers. Get in the habit of using a respirator osha rated for jewelry applications. This respirator should not only cover your nose but your mouth as well, and use it whenever drilling or polishing any materials. Always follow up with a full face shield as additional protections agains flying debris in this type of profession.
Older eyes may require a bit of help. Jewelers visor which gives me up to 2.5x the magnification for small work. Or there is a great magnifier called a 3rd hand magnifier. Also the old time jewelers loupe is great for finding hallmarks on jewelry and inspecting prongs on jewelry and inspecting unset stones.
Next, you might ask yourself.. how do I hold onto the item I wish to drill? Bead holder jigs are great, which will hold round beads between 4mm and 12mm diameters. For flat items, use a pressure grip jig.
Buy a full size apron and wear it to protect your clothing from dust particles. Leave all your protective gear in your work space so as not to contaminate your family and regular living area.
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