Sunday, October 19, 2014
The last bathroom fixture!
The last bathroom fixture! One of our shower's grab bars arrived after everything else did, and I didn't have a chance to install it until today. This is the very last bathroom fixture to go in, which you'd think would mean it's the last hole I have to drill in our nearly diamond-hard bathroom tile. Unfortunately (for me) there's still one more set, to install our bathroom window's window shade. It should arrive next week, and then I really am done with these *#&**%^$%&* holes!
Speaking of which, the photos below give you a flavor for what it's like to drill these holes. The first photo shows what it looks like just after you've successfully started a hole. Starting on slippery porcelain is a bit of an art combined with a healthy dose of brute force. The trick is to hold the drill at 45° to the surface, then cut a little crescent-moon shaped depression while holding the drill firmly in one place (not easy, that bit!). Once you've got your crescent, you push in firmly while rotating the drill slowly to the normal perpendicular orientation, over about 10 seconds. The result is what you see in that first photo, if you did it correctly. Once you've got that “island” in the center, you're golden: it holds the drill bit in the right spot. The second photo shows some drilling in progress. Note the liquid around the tip – that's water, which I squirt at the bit continuously to lubricate and cool it. This is vital to the longevity of the bit. Let it get hot, and you're going to plunk down $20 or more for another bit! The last photo shows three holes that are (thankfully) finished. To get from what you see in the second photo to a finished hole takes 10 to 15 minutes of constant drilling while pushing against the wall hard. If your drill bit is dull, it can take twice that long...
Speaking of which, the photos below give you a flavor for what it's like to drill these holes. The first photo shows what it looks like just after you've successfully started a hole. Starting on slippery porcelain is a bit of an art combined with a healthy dose of brute force. The trick is to hold the drill at 45° to the surface, then cut a little crescent-moon shaped depression while holding the drill firmly in one place (not easy, that bit!). Once you've got your crescent, you push in firmly while rotating the drill slowly to the normal perpendicular orientation, over about 10 seconds. The result is what you see in that first photo, if you did it correctly. Once you've got that “island” in the center, you're golden: it holds the drill bit in the right spot. The second photo shows some drilling in progress. Note the liquid around the tip – that's water, which I squirt at the bit continuously to lubricate and cool it. This is vital to the longevity of the bit. Let it get hot, and you're going to plunk down $20 or more for another bit! The last photo shows three holes that are (thankfully) finished. To get from what you see in the second photo to a finished hole takes 10 to 15 minutes of constant drilling while pushing against the wall hard. If your drill bit is dull, it can take twice that long...
Sign of the end times' approach?
Sign of the end times' approach? APOD is down :(
Update: APOD is back up! I was afraid it was the victim of Obama budget raids, but thankfully my fear was unfounded...
Update: APOD is back up! I was afraid it was the victim of Obama budget raids, but thankfully my fear was unfounded...
Little flower...
