# How do I drill a hole into a 100 year old priceless ceramic tile? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 26, 2017, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-drill-a-hole-into-a-100-year-old-priceless-ceramic-tile/789871 "2017-06-26T00:15:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2020, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-drill-a-hole-into-a-100-year-old-priceless-ceramic-tile/789871/43 "2020-05-10T13:29:41Z")
> [@Cartooniverse](#): > > Fascinating stuff !!! Thank you, I’ve never heard of any of this. > > Imagine? > > General Contractor on the Giza Pyramids " Look, this drilling is taking way too much time. What’s the slow-down? You’re only 2,348 pieces into a 13,800 piece order. Explain yourself. " > > DrillMaster: " We’re having trouble sourcing enough sand, sir. " > > General Contractor: ( Glancing out shed door to endless expanses of sand. )" Hmmmm ". DrillMaster: _“That’s the wrong sort of sand. The best kind is the stuff my Brother-in-Law imports; we get far fewer breakages with that and it’s not that much more expensive.”_ ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2020, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-drill-a-hole-into-a-100-year-old-priceless-ceramic-tile/789871/44 "2020-05-10T13:38:57Z")
Build a frame around it–drill through _that._ ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2020, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-drill-a-hole-into-a-100-year-old-priceless-ceramic-tile/789871/45 "2020-05-10T18:44:16Z")
Verrrrry carefully. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2020, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-drill-a-hole-into-a-100-year-old-priceless-ceramic-tile/789871/46 "2020-05-10T19:24:34Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > Build a frame around it–drill through _that._ After this thread, I had a similar drilling challenge of my own - I had a piece of flint that I wanted to drill with a diamond holesaw, then drill with a larger holesaw concentrically, so as to cut out a hollow cylinder of stone, to make into a ring. I did this by embedding the rock in plaster, inside a wooden box, affixed to a board - I clamped the board to the drill press (allowing me to maintain concentricity) and flooded the box with water to keep the cutting edges cool and to help flush away the cutting waste - I drilled right through the plaster and through the rock inside it. Worked a treat. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2020, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-drill-a-hole-into-a-100-year-old-priceless-ceramic-tile/789871/47 "2020-05-12T00:30:38Z")
And STILL no pictures of anyone’s finished piece! That flint ring sounds cool … ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2020, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-drill-a-hole-into-a-100-year-old-priceless-ceramic-tile/789871/48 "2020-05-12T01:04:20Z")
Having a drapery and window covering business for many years I drilled a lot of ceramic tile with never an issue. I think besides a good drill bit you need to take extra care making sure it is sitting absolutely flat. maybe you could put some wax paper beneath it and use some pour stone as a base below it for absolute contact. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2020, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-drill-a-hole-into-a-100-year-old-priceless-ceramic-tile/789871/49 "2020-05-12T07:15:50Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > And STILL no pictures of anyone’s finished piece! > > That flint ring sounds cool … I made a video (actually two) about the stone ring: Slow TV version (37 minutes, no narration): [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2smr5kz3t8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2smr5kz3t8) Concise edit (2 minutes with voiceover): [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLbAIcdG0G8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLbAIcdG0G8) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-drill-a-hole-into-a-100-year-old-priceless-ceramic-tile/789871.md?page=2)