easiest way to punch holes in plastic

[phil jones]

hi can any one suggest a easy or Quick way to punch holes in plastic tanks ect as i am finding it to be a pain in the neck -- thanks if you can help in any way as i am crap at d.i.y. --- phil

 

[Sunar]

Heat up a nail and it'll melt right through plastic. You may want to hold onto the nail with pliers that have a rubber grip or with a oven mitt or something.

~Fred

 

[xgrafcorex]

i've used a drill, a screwdriver, and i guess thats it that i can recall. you can also melt holes into the plastic too.

 

[Dom]

Melting holes is the easiest and with the pvc5 ( recycling symbol on bottom) deli cups it will usually harden with a smooth finish. Some types of plastic harden with sharp edges though. You can buy a cheap soldering gun and it's alot easier than heating and holding a hot nail. If you're going to use a nail and propane torch I drive the nail through a piece of wood, makes handling alot easier. Also do in a well ventilated area or outside.
You can buy a hole punch but they get pretty tiring after awhile.

 

[phil jones]

thanks guys i give them a go ---phil

 

[Gesticulator]

Fumes can be nasty....a low end dremmel works great though.

 

[Stylopidae]

I prefer to use logical thought

 

[Sunar]

Yeah, soldering iron would work well also. I use a nail...have a gas stove. I still need to pick me up a soldering iron though...not just for holes.

Chesh lies...he uses pope eye beams.

~Fred

 

[dukegarda]

I prefer to use logical thought

So you stare at the plastic until it buckles under your intellect? ;

I suggest a drill.... melting would be smelly.

 

[phil jones]

I prefer to use logical thought

you lost me on that one :? :?

 

[Dom]

Fumes can be nasty....a low end dremmel works great though.

Yeah that's why I mentioned ventilation. I find drilling leaves sharp edges and can sometimes tear the deli cup esp. if it's cold. Sometimes the bits don't go through too easily either and you need some solid backing to hold the deli cup against. Dremels are light but most people don't have them and a drill gets heavy pretty quickly (again many don't have a drill and bits).A hot nail or soldering gun is like a knife through warm butter. If you're doing a few it doesn't really matter which method you use but when I'm doing dozens at a time I prefer the soldering gun method.

 

[Taceas]

Walmart sells cheap soldering irons for around $11, usually in the automotive section or the craft section that work really well as they have the perfect diameter tip for holes.

I just do it in the garage or in the bathroom with the fan on to suck the fumes out. It's not that bad.

I tried drilling once, but after 30 or more tubs with 100+ holes in each the drill gets heavier and heavier.

 

[Dilbrain]

Depending on the type of plastic, I find that drilling can often crack or haze the area around the potential ventilated area. So I take a soldering iron to it also!

 

[phil jones]

thanks :clap: :clap: :clap: :worship: :worship: :worship: i try that out --- phil

 

[ballpython2]

hi can any one suggest a easy or Quick way to punch holes in plastic tanks ect as i am finding it to be a pain in the neck -- thanks if you can help in any way as i am crap at d.i.y. --- phil

You can buy something called a soldering gun..

what you do after you buy it is plug it into the wall wait like 5 - 10 minutes and the tip of it gets REALLY hot and it slides right through a lot of rubber / plastic stuff and works really good..

one time i leave it outside on the back porch when it snowed..thawed it out and waited until it was completely dry to use it and it worked good as new.

you can buy it from wal - mart or maybe even home depot :razz: :razz:

 

[WyvernsLair]

or just go to a craft store and get a rotary leather hole punch. That way you have some hole sizes to pick from on one hand held unit.

 

[phil jones]

thanks to all and i think i have some fun trying it all out LOL --- phil

 

[monitormonster]

When I was poking holes in my Versi cage, I used a drill. It was quick and easy