Pearl Drill - Suggestions?

[ohsnapitssuz]

Hello everyone!

Newbie here, lurking for almost a year though.

Pearl Drill owners - can you recommend a drill for a beginner who wants to drill small pearls, 5mm - 9mm, and possibly other stones as well to use for beading projects and/or mounting into jewelry?

I have been researching the drill machines themselves and the only ones I have found are Chinese which makes me nervous, but also - I am not having any luck finding any reference to what size motor or how much voltage the machine would need to have for this type of project.

Any advice or information you can offer would be very much appreciated. Thank you in advance.

 

[Katbran]

I only drill a few pearls a day on average and use a Chinese drill that been absolutely fine. Others use the Japanese drill that I'm sure is totally superior as it's 10x as much ! I decided to start with this one and see how much I decide to use it . So far so good ...been about 18 mo.

However ...this is for pearl drilling and I know absolutely nothing about drilling stones. You might check on a different forum and see what they use to drill gems . You could try going to Pricescope and ask if anyone knows a forum for information on drilling gems . I assume you have already googled it ...

 

[ohsnapitssuz]

Thank you, Katbran! Yes, I've Googled it. I am totally willing to give the one I found on AliExpress a shot. It does have good reviews but the fact that these sellers in China tend to bully their customers into leaving positive feedback, or rig it to not allow for negative feedback leaves me thinking the reviews aren't reliable. I suppose I will give it a go and see if it works for what I need it to and report back. That is really the only way to learn is through experience first hand. Thank you for sharing your experience with the Chinese drill - I found it super helpful! I think the majority of my work will probably be with pearls and pearl-like materials. So it should *knock on wood* work just fine. Now, one more question for you. Did you get the 110V or the 220V?

 

[Katbran]

These all look like the one I bought. I got the 22V as I'm in Australia. I'd probably check around but buy from someone where you think you have some recourse... I know several people here have used one with no problems but several others bought the Japanese one. ( I was too cheap lol )

https://www.amazon.com/Pearl-Drilling-Holing-Machine-Driller/dp/B00JAHK9DC
http://www.yyytool.com/pearl-holing-machine.html

This one is from Wen Pearls on ETSY - lots of people here have bought inexpensive pearls from them.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/233493...p5w7Jic8plBuf8z8vCkaAuhWEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[JerseyPearl]

Pearl drilling is something you want to research a little before you begin. Since you initially wish to drill smaller pearls, you won't need to purchase larger cups, however the type of pearls to be drilled will require some different tools. Specifically, pearl drill bits. They are not usually sold with the drill, you purchase them separately. If you intend to drill non-nucleated (most freshwaters) pearls, you can get away with the relatively inexpensive drill bits. But if you wish to drill salt water, or Edisons, you'll want to have a better drill bit. You cannot drill gemstones or other "pearl like" materials with a pearl drill, or with pearl drill bits as you will likely ruin your drill and your bits may break. Just make sure that you buy the proper voltage, otherwise the drill won't run properly and you'll ruin your pearl and your drill.

Another option for you would be a multi function tool, like a dremel. You can use one to drill a pearl using a clamp. I know there are a few folks who find this method very effective. I will guess that it takes some effort to learn, but if you already have this (or a flex shaft) it could be a good option. You can use a dremel to "wet" drill stones. Whatever the item you are drilling, just remember you cannot drill straight through. You must drill from both sides and have the holes line up. If you drill straight through, you will end up blowing out the opposite side, and ruining your pearl (or whatever it is you are drilling).

But if you are just doing this beading projects and making jewelry, why not just purchase the pearls already drilled? I know that several of the Etsy pearl vendors (Wen was mentioned, as well as others) will drill your pearls for you, to your specifications.

So to drill pearls, you will need the pearl drill, pearl cups that go into the drill, drill bits (a range types and of sizes depending on the project), safety gear (goggles and a mask as pearl dust is quite irritating), and patience. I have yet to find a source that will sharpen pearl drill bits, so you'll have to keep a good supply if you plan on drilling more than a few. The carbon drill bits last longer, but they don't last forever, and they can run about $5-8 a piece.

 

[JerseyPearl]

To get an idea of how much dust is thrown when drilling a pearl, here's a short clip of my drilling a Tahitian.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BXc8yB1FXxl/?taken-by=oceanscove

 

[ohsnapitssuz]

OH! Already drilled pearls. AHH! So... I have now discovered Etsy thanks to this thread. *dances off cause I think I'm in bead heaven* THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH for all the info!!!