Just received my beautiful villeroy and boch double belfast sink with
drainer. Now need to install a tap in the 'part-drilled' tap hole. The
instructions say transfer the hole position to the top of the sink
which is fine. Then hit it with a centre punch to crack the glaze,
drill a hole with a masonry drill and then 'chip it out'.

I am (understandably I feel) a little nervous about taking a hammer to
more than £300 worth of sink. Has anybody done this operation? I'm
tempted to skip the centre punch bit and drill through it with a tile
drill to start the hole. I think this is one where I'm tempted to go to
the tip/someones skip and get an old sink to practice on.

Advice on how not to destroy the sink very much welcomed.

Fash

On 10 Oct 2006 02:34:32 -0700, "Fash"
wrote:

Just received my beautiful villeroy and boch double belfast sink with
drainer. Now need to install a tap in the 'part-drilled' tap hole.

Proper Belfast sinks don't have tap holes. The tap is a bib-cock
attached to the wall.

--
Frank Erskine

Frank Erskine wrote:
On 10 Oct 2006 02:34:32 -0700, "Fash"
wrote:

Just received my beautiful villeroy and boch double belfast sink with
drainer. Now need to install a tap in the 'part-drilled' tap hole.

Proper Belfast sinks don't have tap holes. The tap is a bib-cock
attached to the wall.

--
Frank Erskine

Fine, lets describe it as a double butler fireclay sink if you prefer.

Any advice on how to make the holes in it since the tap for a double
butler fireclay sink is not a bib-cock on the wall, and the sink is
unlikely to transform itself into what you would be happy to call a
Belfast sink.

I love a good pedant myself!

Thanks,

Fash

On 10 Oct 2006 02:34:32 -0700, "Fash"
wrote:

Just received my beautiful villeroy and boch double belfast sink with
drainer. Now need to install a tap in the 'part-drilled' tap hole. The
instructions say transfer the hole position to the top of the sink
which is fine. Then hit it with a centre punch to crack the glaze,
drill a hole with a masonry drill and then 'chip it out'.

I am (understandably I feel) a little nervous about taking a hammer to
more than £300 worth of sink. Has anybody done this operation? I'm
tempted to skip the centre punch bit and drill through it with a tile
drill to start the hole. I think this is one where I'm tempted to go to
the tip/someones skip and get an old sink to practice on.

Advice on how not to destroy the sink very much welcomed.

Fash

It sounds easy, but I would share your concern.

I have a dremel clone type drill and one of the bits is a small
ceramics cutter. This would make short and safe work of this
particular job, as it can *stroke* the material away.

"Fash" wrote in message
oups.com...
Just received my beautiful villeroy and boch double belfast sink with
drainer. Now need to install a tap in the 'part-drilled' tap hole. The
instructions say transfer the hole position to the top of the sink
which is fine. Then hit it with a centre punch to crack the glaze,
drill a hole with a masonry drill and then 'chip it out'.

I am (understandably I feel) a little nervous about taking a hammer to
more than £300 worth of sink. Has anybody done this operation? I'm
tempted to skip the centre punch bit and drill through it with a tile
drill to start the hole. I think this is one where I'm tempted to go to
the tip/someones skip and get an old sink to practice on.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Hi,

I'd recommend not to use the hammer! I'd do it like this:

1. Mark hole position (use fine-tipped felt pen)
2. Cover this with masking tape (you can still see the mark through
the tape)
3. with a sharp steel bradawl, press hard with twisting action on the
marked point to pierce the tape and make an small indent in the glaze
4. Use a tile or masonry drill bit on a slow speed setting to drill your
hole - the tape helps to stop the drill slipping and the indent should
also locate it.

Hope this helps.

David Kerr

"Fash" wrote in message
ups.com...

Frank Erskine wrote:
On 10 Oct 2006 02:34:32 -0700, "Fash"
wrote:

Just received my beautiful villeroy and boch double belfast sink
with
drainer. Now need to install a tap in the 'part-drilled' tap
hole.

Proper Belfast sinks don't have tap holes. The tap is a bib-cock
attached to the wall.

--
Frank Erskine

Fine, lets describe it as a double butler fireclay sink if you
prefer.

Any advice on how to make the holes in it since the tap for a double
butler fireclay sink is not a bib-cock on the wall, and the sink is
unlikely to transform itself into what you would be happy to call a
Belfast sink.

I love a good pedant myself!

Thanks,

Fash


You need a diamond drill like these:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1-x-Diamond-ho...QQcmdZViewItem

Run very slowly and use water as coolant and lubricant

AWEM

Still not keen on the hammer, but...

Look at www.carron.com/upload/movies/sink_1.mov

Of course if he makes a hash of it he can just get another off the
shelf!

He's not pussyfooting around with the centre-punch though.

Fash

Fash wrote:

I am (understandably I feel) a little nervous about taking a hammer to
more than £300 worth of sink.

Bludgeon a very small hole in the middle, then use a carbide half-round
"tile file" to take it out to size. Personally I'd put the initial hole
in place by a bit of chain drilling with a 6mm carbide leaf bit, same
as I use for drilling tile or glass.

Drilling hard brittle ceramics with a high frit content it's hard to
cause any damage more than the thickness sideways of where you're
walloping it, unless you hit it hard enough to cleave thhe whole thing
in two. If you can keep the brutal stuff at least a thickness away from
the edge you care about, then you're fairly safe.

"Fash" wrote in message
oups.com...
Just received my beautiful villeroy and boch double belfast sink with
drainer. Now need to install a tap in the 'part-drilled' tap hole. The
instructions say transfer the hole position to the top of the sink
which is fine. Then hit it with a centre punch to crack the glaze,
drill a hole with a masonry drill and then 'chip it out'.

I am (understandably I feel) a little nervous about taking a hammer to
more than £300 worth of sink. Has anybody done this operation? I'm
tempted to skip the centre punch bit and drill through it with a tile
drill to start the hole. I think this is one where I'm tempted to go to
the tip/someones skip and get an old sink to practice on.

Advice on how not to destroy the sink very much welcomed.

Doesn't help your sphincter much but I had the same concerns once on a
'standard' ceramic sink. On the underside of the sink the tap 'hole' was
cut into the ceramic. I just bit the bullet and did it with a centre punch
straight through and nibbled the rest away, it went well and I didn't cause
any damage to the sink. If it helps do like I did and close your eyes when
you do the first hit!!

Let us know how you get on.

HTH

John

John wrote:
"Fash" wrote in message
oups.com...
Just received my beautiful villeroy and boch double belfast sink with
drainer. Now need to install a tap in the 'part-drilled' tap hole. The
instructions say transfer the hole position to the top of the sink
which is fine. Then hit it with a centre punch to crack the glaze,
drill a hole with a masonry drill and then 'chip it out'.

I am (understandably I feel) a little nervous about taking a hammer to
more than £300 worth of sink. Has anybody done this operation? I'm
tempted to skip the centre punch bit and drill through it with a tile
drill to start the hole. I think this is one where I'm tempted to go to
the tip/someones skip and get an old sink to practice on.

Advice on how not to destroy the sink very much welcomed.


Follow the manufacturer's instructions EXACTLY, and preferably film the
process. That way, if it all goes horribly wrong, you can insist on the
nice people at villeroy and boch giving you another one to try!

Andrew

wrote in message
ups.com...

John wrote:
"Fash" wrote in message
oups.com...
Just received my beautiful villeroy and boch double belfast sink with
drainer. Now need to install a tap in the 'part-drilled' tap hole. The
instructions say transfer the hole position to the top of the sink
which is fine. Then hit it with a centre punch to crack the glaze,
drill a hole with a masonry drill and then 'chip it out'.

I am (understandably I feel) a little nervous about taking a hammer to
more than £300 worth of sink. Has anybody done this operation? I'm
tempted to skip the centre punch bit and drill through it with a tile
drill to start the hole. I think this is one where I'm tempted to go to
the tip/someones skip and get an old sink to practice on.

Advice on how not to destroy the sink very much welcomed.


Follow the manufacturer's instructions EXACTLY, and preferably film the
process. That way, if it all goes horribly wrong,


you can insist on the nice people at villeroy and boch giving you another
one to try!

You could ASK but THAT is not going to happen!!

As I said in my previous posting, bite the bullet and DO IT. How many sinks
of this ilk have been sold (regardless of manufacturer) and how many have
been returnrd dur to breaking because of a manufacturing fault? Let me
guess Sold = Lots, Returned = very few (if any). If the manufactures
thought it was going to be a problem would they tell you to hit your new
sink with a centre punch? I think not! Or alternatively they would sell
'handed' sinks and increase their manufacturing and stock holding by two
fold. JUST HIT IT!

HTH

John

wrote in message
ups.com...


Follow the manufacturer's instructions EXACTLY, and preferably film the
process. That way, if it all goes horribly wrong, you can insist on the
nice people at villeroy and boch giving you another one to try!

Andrew

You could ASK but THAT is not going to happen!!

As I said in my previous posting, bite the bullet and DO IT. How many sinks
of this ilk have been sold (regardless of manufacturer) and how many have
been returnrd dur to breaking because of a manufacturing fault? Let me
guess, Sold = Lots, Returned = very few (if any). If the manufactures
thought it was going to be a problem would they tell you to hit your new
sink with a centre punch? I think not! Or alternatively they would sell
'handed' sinks and increase their manufacturing and stock holding by two
fold. JUST HIT IT!

HTH

John