To drill or not to drill

[desertstars]

Why not?

As a dinosaur in this business, I remember the pre-historic Novus times when drilling was not even an option because drilling was a non-existant option.

Now that it isn't, I use it almost without exception.

What I'm looking for is a valid reason as to WHY we shouldn't drill EVERY repair other than obvious large-chipped bullseyes?

Assuming that the depth meets the specifications Repair 1 outlined in a previous post, we drill them all.

In days ago, sometimes the available burr was larger than the impact point.

That is no longer the case if one chooses burrs selectively.

Perhaps I'm a frustrated dentist but I don't think so.

[GlassStarz]

Im an addict I go a long time without using and then seem to use it all day sometimes I use it for days before I can put it away again. When Im clean it just sits there in my tool box grinning at me with its little burrs I can hear it calling me. I hear the whirring of the devill drill in my sleep sometimes I wish I could stop using it

Seriosly sometimes when you finish and the break is still visable you gotta wonder if I had drilled would it be better? I dont use it much but now you have me wondering

[glassdoctor]

I am on desterstars side with this one... I also see no benefit to not drilling on almost all breaks. Sure, some bullseyes etc can be done fine without any drilling, OR PICKING at the impact. If you are going to touch the impact point with anything more than a clean rag, then just grab the drill.

There problem with trying to never drill anything is that on some repairs, you will have to stop and drill while in the middle of the repair, or struggle on with a repair that could have been much easier and faster if you had only drilled it a bit.

more thoughts later gotta go

[Delta Kits]

Whether to drill or not is largely dependent on the equipment that you use.

We advise our customers to drill as a last result. All things being equal, a repair that was NOT drilled looks much better than one that was.

Drilling makes breaks easier and faster to fill, at the expense of the visual appearance of the break.

[glassdoctor]

Delta is correct, that all things being equal the repair is better without a drill hole. I don't think anyone would argue that a drill hole makes a repair look better.

The catch is knowing just exactly which chips will NEED drilled and how deep. And, I think if you are using a scribe to pick at the impact point, this may fall into the same category as drilling. Once finished, there is little cosmetic difference between a typical pit that has been picked at and one that has been drilled slightly.

When I refer to always using a drill, it doesn't mean always "drilling for oil". Often, it's just to scuff the surface of a jagged pit or to drill a very shallow hole. I don't think this surface treatment hurts the cosmetic element at all, or that it looks any worse than just "picking" at the pit with a probe. All repairs need "pit filled" anyway whether drilled or not.

Delta makes a good recomendation to only drill when it's needed, as a last resort. Although I think the "need" to drill has more to do with resins than equipment, as a thin resin is much easier to flow into a break than thicker ones. Many systems can produce good pressure and vacuum, so the wild card is the resin, right?

It's obvious that there are a lot of holes being drilled that don't need to be, like all the bullseyes I have seen with a hole drilled clear to the PVB. So I have to hand it to Delta for preaching against being drill-happy.

But you have to agree that sometimes a hole must be drilled to get the best results.

And IF a repair is made MUCH easier by drilling the impact point, then the minimal cosmetic penalty I think is worth it. This is where drilling is a virtue... when the rest of the repair benefits from the sacrifice of the pit, allowing the most trouble-free and therefore the best possible fill. But again, this doesn't mean everything needs a hole in it either.

I drill to the extent that I feel is neccessary to allow easy, efficient repairs, so I can focus on getting a perfect fill of the whole break.

But I agree that it's best to drill as little as possible or not at all, as long as you don't make the repairs more difficult than they need to be.

[GRT]

I too am a consistent driller, unless its an obvious bullseye. Even then I scuff the impact point. Myself, I used to fight the " To drill or not to drill" demons, until I finally found peace with the fact I'm a driller. Now the demons I fight are which burr is better? For the past year I had this battle won because I was a dedicated 1157 man. (Except on a few occasions when I thought the FG169 was called for) Anyway, when I reordered a pack of 169's from Delta, they sent me FG170's. (First boo boo I've ever seen them make). Instead of calling and getting the order corrected I did what any good tech would do, I tried one. Bad mistake, I really like it. Now What?


Did I mention "The upside down or right side up pit resin thing" that I thought I had solved eons ago. Maybe on another post. One thing I know with WSR, you think you've gotten rid of all the past demons when actually they are just on temporary hiatus.

[Delta Kits]

GRT,

Sorry about the mixup! But they're the same price, so if you like them, what's wrong with that??

[Delta Kits]

Also, to clarify...When I talked about whether to drill or not, I am referring to drilling down into the break, more like you would do at the end of a crack, rather than just using the drill to remove broken surface glass. I haven't actually tried that personally, I'll try it and see how that works.

[desertstars]

Well, there ya go.

I deliberately kept my original post free of whys and wherefores.

Glassdoctor pretty much enunciated what I would have said had I expanded on my reasons for drilling almost every repair.

And, I did specify that I never drill bullseyes and I hardly ever drill deep.

As far as esthetics is concerned, there are few if any impact points smaller than the size of the burr. Consequently, I feel that argument to be specious in my case. (I use a beveled rather than a rounded burr).

This question has been going on for years and I have yet to see a valid reason NOT to drill in most cases as long as the drilling is accomplished with some amount of judicial restraint.

In the olden days when I used to ask myself "should I or shouldn't I?", I answered my own doubts everytime I found myself moving the equipment to the side in order to drill something that should have been drilled in the first place.

Whether to drill or not is largely dependent on the equipment that you use.

I'm not quite sure what that means. I've used three different bridges by three different manufacturers. I will say that I haven't used Delta although I think they have the right idea when it comes to the suction cup as well as the steel injector/stem assembly. I use both of those myself on my type of equipment.

[glassdoctor]

deserstars last sentence is exactly right. Been there done that.

Jeff, I think you will like using the drill to prep the pit. Lay the drill down sideways and use the side of the bur... I even "scuff sand" any smooth craters where glass flaked off. This should also avoid any pit filler adhesion problems due to raod crap or rainx.

I am sure this thread can help the new guys here. It's not always about right and wrong, but knowing why people do the things they do, agree or not. It's an education... and there is always room for more comments.