I am trying drill some holes in glass tile to allow the screws from a GFI receptical cover to seat properly. Purchased a 1/4" ceramic and glass bit and drilled a test hole in an extra tile. All went well.
Left it on the workbench and returned 1/2 hour later to find the corner had cracked off.
What went wrong ? Why would it do that ?
Thanks

On 4/15/20 7:55 AM, wrote:
I am trying drill some holes in glass tile to allow the screws from a GFI receptical cover to seat properly. Purchased a 1/4" ceramic and glass bit and drilled a test hole in an extra tile. All went well.
Left it on the workbench and returned 1/2 hour later to find the corner had cracked off.
What went wrong ? Why would it do that ?
Thanks




When you drilled the hole, did the tile vibrate?

On 4/15/2020 8:55 AM, wrote:
I am trying drill some holes in glass tile to allow the screws from a GFI receptical cover to seat properly. Purchased a 1/4" ceramic and glass bit and drilled a test hole in an extra tile. All went well.
Left it on the workbench and returned 1/2 hour later to find the corner had cracked off.
What went wrong ? Why would it do that ?
Thanks


I'm gonna take a stab and assume heat with cold. When you drilled the
tile, you created too much heat then placed on a cool bench. The tile
needed to cool slowly to allow contraction. Placing it on the bench
excelled the cooling process to the point of breaking.

No vibration, and the bench was where I drilled it. No lube or any cooling, do I need one for a 1/4" hole ? Didnt appear to b fragile or hot immediately after drilling. All material was a fine dust.

On Wed, 15 Apr 2020 05:55:16 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

I am trying drill some holes in glass tile to allow the screws from a GFI receptical cover to seat properly. Purchased a 1/4" ceramic and glass bit and drilled a test hole in an extra tile. All went well.
Left it on the workbench and returned 1/2 hour later to find the corner had cracked off.
What went wrong ? Why would it do that ?
Thanks

Do you have kids? Sometimes they get curious and things just sort of
happen.

wrote:

I am trying drill some holes in glass tile to allow the screws from a GFI receptical cover to seat properly. Purchased a 1/4" ceramic and glass bit and drilled a test hole in an extra tile. All went well.
Left it on the workbench and returned 1/2 hour later to find the corner had cracked off.
What went wrong ? Why would it do that ?

Thermal stress as the tile cooled? Not sure if you are referring to an interior
cutout corner, or one of the exterior corners, but if it was an interior corner,
you should be drilling all four corners and not have any 90 degree transitions.

wrote:

No lube or any cooling, do I need one for a 1/4" hole ?

Wow - yes, absolutely. You need to have a squeeze bottle of water running near
continuously as you drill.

What about a stream of air to keep it cool ?
No kids.
Outside corner.

On 4/15/2020 12:46 PM, wrote:
What about a stream of air to keep it cool ?
No kids.
Outside corner.

Â* Not enough heat transfer . Build a little "dike" around where you're
drilling the hole with some modeling (children's) clay , keep it full of
water while you drill . Put a wad on the back side too to keep the water
in place as you go thru the tile .

--
Snag
Yes , I'm old
and crochety - and armed .
Get outta my woods !

wrote:

What about a stream of air to keep it cool ?

No. Air is a poor thermal conductor. That drill bit is hot. Try touching it
after a few seconds.

When I attempt to drill in the kitchen, the tile will b vertical. How will I keep it wet w/o creating a mess ?

On Wed, 15 Apr 2020 11:43:33 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

When I attempt to drill in the kitchen, the tile will be vertical.
How will I keep it wet w/o creating a mess ?


Tape a trough beneath - draining into a pail -
have your capable assistant think Teri Garr in Young Frankenstein
apply a small stream of water as you drill.
If Teri Garr isn't available, devise your own gravity feed
water stream device ...
http://tinyurl.com/u6aqx9d

ps: do not under any circumstances do a google
image search for vintage enema.
.... you can't un-see certain things.
John T.

In alt.home.repair, on Wed, 15 Apr 2020 05:55:16 -0700 (PDT),
wrote:

I am trying drill some holes in glass tile to allow the screws from a GFI receptical cover to seat properly. Purchased a 1/4" ceramic and glass bit and drilled a test hole in an extra tile. All went well.
Left it on the workbench and returned 1/2 hour later to find the corner had cracked off.
What went wrong ? Why would it do that ?
Thanks

Now that you know about water cooling, I'd drill a few more test holes
to learn what other possible mistakes there are.

It's sounds like you have a nice ?bathroom or kitchen?.

I'd seriously consider gluing the cover to the wall instead of using
screws. No risk of breaking a tile that's glued to the wall, especially
if you have only a few matching tiles to replace broken ones.

Ambroid cement would be good for this, sticks to just about everything,
smells good, dries fast, but is not so strong that you can't break it
off if you need to someeday. Sticks well but not so well that you can't
knock off whatever is stuck to tile if you need to that too. Only sold
at hobby stores. Not at Amazon

On 4/15/20 2:05 PM, wrote:

[snip]

ps: do not under any circumstances do a google
image search for vintage enema.
... you can't un-see certain things.
John T.

and think about anything you want to EXCEPT a blue horse.

--
"So far as religion of the day is concerned, it is a damned fake....
Religion is all bunk." -- Thomas Alva Edison

On Wed, 15 Apr 2020 13:00:23 -0500, Terry Coombs
wrote:

On 4/15/2020 12:46 PM, wrote:
What about a stream of air to keep it cool ?
No kids.
Outside corner.

* Not enough heat transfer . Build a little "dike" around where you're
drilling the hole with some modeling (children's) clay , keep it full of
water while you drill . Put a wad on the back side too to keep the water
in place as you go thru the tile .
It's a coolant AND a lubricant.

On Wed, 15 Apr 2020 11:43:33 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

When I attempt to drill in the kitchen, the tile will b vertical. How will I keep it wet w/o creating a mess ?
You WILL create a mess. Best to drill the hole in the tile - flat,
then install the drilled tile. If you break one, you just drill
another one untill you run out of spares - - - -

If I break a tile, how hard is it to get it out of the grouted tiles w/o breaking any more.
And if u do replace it, will it look the same ?
(Unnoticeable? )

On 4/15/2020 2:37 PM, Clare Snyder wrote:
On Wed, 15 Apr 2020 13:00:23 -0500, Terry Coombs
wrote:

On 4/15/2020 12:46 PM, wrote:
What about a stream of air to keep it cool ?
No kids.
Outside corner.
Â* Not enough heat transfer . Build a little "dike" around where you're
drilling the hole with some modeling (children's) clay , keep it full of
water while you drill . Put a wad on the back side too to keep the water
in place as you go thru the tile .
It's a coolant AND a lubricant.

Â* Good point , I was more concerned about differential expansion due to
slow heat transfer .

--
Snag
Yes , I'm old
and crochety - and armed .
Get outta my woods !

On 4/15/2020 5:37 PM, wrote:
If I break a tile, how hard is it to get it out of the grouted tiles w/o breaking any more.
And if u do replace it, will it look the same ?
(Unnoticeable? )

Google "grout saw" . Once you remove the confinement of the grout it's
relatively easy to break up the tile you want to remove . Yes , I do
have experience as a professional tile-setter .

--
Snag
Yes , I'm old
and crochety - and armed .
Get outta my woods !

On 4/15/20 12:22 PM, Arthur Conan Doyle wrote:
wrote:

I am trying drill some holes in glass tile to allow the screws from a GFI receptical cover to seat properly. Purchased a 1/4" ceramic and glass bit and drilled a test hole in an extra tile. All went well.
Left it on the workbench and returned 1/2 hour later to find the corner had cracked off.
What went wrong ? Why would it do that ?

Thermal stress as the tile cooled? Not sure if you are referring to an interior
cutout corner, or one of the exterior corners, but if it was an interior corner,
you should be drilling all four corners and not have any 90 degree transitions.




Maybe just attach the plate to the wall with a little RTV.

It will hold just fine and would be easy to remove.

On 4/15/20 2:12 PM, micky wrote:
In alt.home.repair, on Wed, 15 Apr 2020 05:55:16 -0700 (PDT),
wrote:

I am trying drill some holes in glass tile to allow the screws from a GFI receptical cover to seat properly. Purchased a 1/4" ceramic and glass bit and drilled a test hole in an extra tile. All went well.
Left it on the workbench and returned 1/2 hour later to find the corner had cracked off.
What went wrong ? Why would it do that ?
Thanks

Now that you know about water cooling, I'd drill a few more test holes
to learn what other possible mistakes there are.

It's sounds like you have a nice ?bathroom or kitchen?.

I'd seriously consider gluing the cover to the wall instead of using
screws. No risk of breaking a tile that's glued to the wall, especially
if you have only a few matching tiles to replace broken ones.

Ambroid cement would be good for this, sticks to just about everything,
smells good, dries fast, but is not so strong that you can't break it
off if you need to someeday. Sticks well but not so well that you can't
knock off whatever is stuck to tile if you need to that too. Only sold
at hobby stores. Not at Amazon





Did not see your suggestion until I posted similar advice

Kinda leaning forward the glue option,
I guess I would cut the screws off at the head and then glue them in place ? Then use dbl faced tape or the glue u mentioned and stick the plate to the wall ?

On Wed, 15 Apr 2020 16:26:09 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

Kinda leaning forward the glue option,
I guess I would cut the screws off at the head and then glue them in place ? Then use dbl faced tape or the glue u mentioned and stick the plate to the wall ?
I don't understand your problem. Is the GFCI behind the tile? can you
take it out without breaking the tile??? The outlet should NOT be
behind the tile or the outlet will ALSO be BEHIND the plate. It should
protrude THROUGH the plate.

On 4/15/20 6:26 PM, wrote:
Kinda leaning forward the glue option,
I guess I would cut the screws off at the head and then glue them in place ? Then use dbl faced tape or the glue u mentioned and stick the plate to the wall ?




Yes. I think that is what I'd do.


Pretty risk free.

The screws that hold the wall plate on a gfi or decora style switch are located outside of the normal box that the receptical fits in. I now have an interference.

On Wed, 15 Apr 2020 20:15:20 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

The screws that hold the wall plate on a gfi or decora style switch are located outside of the normal box that the receptical fits in. I now have an interference.
Then shorten the screws untill they are JUST long enough to catch and
hold.

On Wed, 15 Apr 2020 20:15:20 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

The screws that hold the wall plate on a gfi or decora style switch are located outside of the normal box that the receptical fits in. I now have an interference.

You might look at GFCI breakers.

In alt.home.repair, on Wed, 15 Apr 2020 11:43:33 -0700 (PDT),
wrote:

When I attempt to drill in the kitchen, the tile will b vertical. How will I keep it wet w/o creating a mess ?

Hold a wet sponge over/against the drill bit.

Clare Snyder wrote:

It's a coolant AND a lubricant.

And a floor wax and desset topping!

In article 4e9d672e-18b7-494d-a0a9-e25fe4d06734
@googlegroups.com, says...

I am trying drill some holes in glass tile to allow the screws from a GFI receptical cover to seat properly. Purchased a 1/4" ceramic and glass bit and drilled a test hole in an extra tile. All went well.
Left it on the workbench and returned 1/2 hour later to find the corner had cracked off.
What went wrong ? Why would it do that ?
Thanks

Screwless wall plates https://www.google.com/search?
client=firefox-b-1-d&q=screwless+wall+plates

The wall plates are stainless, should I glue or
try to solder the screw-heads in place on the wall plates ?

In article ,
says...

The wall plates are stainless, should I glue or
try to solder the screw-heads in place on the wall plates ?



You better glue. Regular tin/lead solder does not 'stick' to stainless
steel.

In alt.home.repair, on Sun, 19 Apr 2020 10:19:46 -0700 (PDT),
wrote:

The wall plates are stainless, should I glue or
try to solder the screw-heads in place on the wall plates ?

Glue for sure. Even if it would stick, a whole wall plate is one big
heat sink that would be hard to get hot enough. Glue is so easy. If
it's just the screw heads, 5-minute epoxy on the back of the plate,
grabbing the end of the screw, maybe a little bit going up 2 or 3
threads.

I was thinking about epoxy or glue for the screwheads and then some double faced tape to hold the plate in place.

In alt.home.repair, on Sun, 19 Apr 2020 14:50:10 -0700 (PDT),
wrote:

I was thinking about epoxy or glue for the screwheads and then some double faced tape to hold the plate in place.

I used to have a roll of carpet tape, but I can't find it.

In alt.home.repair, on Sun, 19 Apr 2020 14:50:10 -0700 (PDT),
wrote:

I was thinking about epoxy or glue for the screwheads and then some double faced tape to hold the plate in place.

I used to have a roll of carpet tape, but I can't find it.


It's sort of thick.

On Sunday, April 19, 2020 at 8:25:56 PM UTC-5, micky wrote:
In alt.home.repair, on Sun, 19 Apr 2020 14:50:10 -0700 (PDT),
sid wrote:

I was thinking about epoxy or glue for the screwheads and then some double faced tape to hold the plate in place.

I used to have a roll of carpet tape, but I can't find it.


It's sort of thick.

I took the screws that I have and cut them down to almost 1/8", then used spacers to set the height of the dog-ears on the receptacle just above the tile.
The process took a lot of work, but the first one turned out looking and working well.

Thanks to everyone who contributed.
Eli.