How to Drill Glass Bottles

More and more of our customers are choosing to recycle their empty wine and brandy bottles into various things such as clocks, lamps, candle holders and wall vases so below are simple steps on how to go about this.

What you’ll need:

Diamond Core Drills (often referred to as Diamond Hole Saws) 3mm – 10mm might be a good size range to use

Towel or something to rest your bottle on whilst drilling

Vice to hold bottle in place

Sponge and water

Safety goggles

Diamond file to bevel away the finished edges (optional)

Step 1

Mark your glass bottle with a marker pen to indicate where you want your hole to be.  Set up the remainder of your apparatus and attach your chosen diamond drill bit.

Step 2

Soak your sponge in the water and place next to your intended drill hole.  The purpose of using a lubricant such as water is to ensure the material and your drill bit don’t overheat which can cause your bottle to crack and will shorten the life of your drill bit.

Step 3

Start your drilling.  Go slow to begin with and at a slight angle to prevent the drill bit skittering across the surface. As soon as you begin to cut into the bottle return your drill to it’s normal vertical position and continue to drill through, slow to begin with and with little pressure, too much and you may break the glass.

Step 4

Once the hole has been drilled you may need to tidy up the edges.  Try using one of our diamond files to bevel the edges and give your bottle a clean professional look