How to Drill Metal Jewelry
Making your own jewelry is a wonderful way to express yourself. Drilling a hole in metal will give you a place to put the chain or string through for a necklace or bracelet. You can also drill a hole to insert a saw blade. This will provide you with a place to begin cutting out pieces of metal. Holes drilled in metal can also form a design. You can also fill those holes with a gem or crystal.
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Instructions
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Make a dent into the metal with an awl. Hit the top of the awl with a hammer hard enough to make an indentation in the metal.
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Secure the metal jewelry piece in a clamp. This will hold it still so you can drill through the metal.
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Insert a small drill bit into the drill. Use a graduated bit, cone or step drill bit if drilling on soft metals. If you do not have one of the graduated drill bits, use a small drill bit and gradually increase the size. Use a coated high-speed steel bit if drilling through medium-hard metals. Hard metals like stainless steel need a cobalt bit.
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Drill carefully and slowly. If you try to hurry you will have holes that are not round. This is a problem you cannot fix. If you drill too fast, you may ruin the drill bit.
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Tips & Warnings
Wear safety glasses when drilling metals. This will protect your eyes from pieces of metal flying through the air.
To avoid nasty cuts on you and on your metal, always secure your metal tightly with clamps.
