Drilling problems (my poor arm)

[Peter smith]

I thought I'd grab partners drill and have a go at putting my pan rack thingy up. OK its a normal drill, and I put in a masonary bit, drilled in and it went ok for about 1.5 inches then it was like mutant rock!!! It would not budge!! .. SO I put it on hammer action and it chipped away a little more but not no where near enough to put a raw plug in as per instructions saying. PArtner is too busy laughing at my attemtp to get a straight answer out of him, I think he passed oput from laughter for some reason lol... I did ask him for months ot put it up but hes has not.

Any ideas what I''m doing wrong ?

:) ... be gentle am a bit wet behind the ears with DIY I usually just do the painting lol.

[Peter smith]

(this is hubbys computer so my names Laura)

[Dave]

Phew, glad you explained the last bit. Dave.

[Dave]

Are you sure hubby didn't put a blunt drill in just to wind you up? Either that or you hit something really hard. What are you drilling? brick, stone ?? Clue = what colour dust came out of the hole? A little more info would be helpful. Dave.

[BigWallop]

Hey Laura, you need to push against the drill to make holes in stone or brickwork. You can't just hold the drill pistol and let it bang against the wall.

You might also have hit a steel pillar hidden inside the plaster lining. That wouldn't be easy to make a hole through with a masonry drill bit.

Not being there to see what or where you were drilling, I can't make judgement on what it actually was. But the pointers above might give you some idea.

[Rod]

Laura,

I was making no assumptions... :-)

1 Is the drill going clockwise? (I.e. not in reverse.)

2 Are you pushing the drill against the wall, firmly?

3 Are you sure you are not trying to drill into something like metal conduit, or a gas or water pipe?

4 Has Peter got an SDS drill somewhere?

[Peter smith]

Newish looking drill bit :) The colour is osme kind og dirty grey looking dust ?

[Peter smith]

lol .. I was but it wasn't getting me far maybe I'm too weak lol.

I'm drilling above the sink about 30 inches I think to put one of those rack for hanging pans off.

[Calvin]

An alarm bell is ringing in my head. Assuming you are in a "normal" house built of "normal" things like brick with plaster over it then your description of drilling 1.5 inches then hitting a different texture sounds strange. Plaster is normally softer than brick/block but it's usually not that thick so you might find it easy to get through then hit a harder substrate but not to 1.5 inches - less than an inch more like. Even then you should still be able to make progress through the brick/block. The thing which would really mess you up and my first reaction if it happened to me would be metal. If you have hit metal STOP. Now find out what the metal is before going any further. Do you (or rather does he) have a pipe/cable finder - a hand held thing which you hold on the wall and it beeps or screams when it detects something buried in the plaster? If so I'd use it. If not I'd get one. Then use it. Another trick is to have a good look around for electrical fittings. You shouldn't drill directly above or horizontally level with them as the cable has to get to them some how and there's a good chance you'll hit it or the metal capping covering it.

Have you thought about why Peter hasn't done the job himself? (Other than plain lazyness of course!) Generally when I put off a job like that it's because there's a snag of some sort which I haven't yet got my head round. Like maybe I suspect there are pipes or cables under there but I'm not sure...

Anyway, good luck.

[Phil L]

You've hit a burnt brick, so unless you are built like Geoff Capes, get a SDS drill, or failing that, site the shelf somewhere else.....just moving it up or down 3 inches might be enough

[Colin Wilson]

Are you using a masonry bit ?

The shape at the end of the drill bit itself is different - drills for steel are sort of spiralled and ground to have a sharp edge at the end, whereas a masonry bit has a spiral with a blob of metal at the end that takes the strain of the hammering.

Not the best of pictures, but...

and for steel (and often used for wood)...

(this is hubbys computer so my names Laura)

We believe you ;-)

[Dave]

Looking from behind the drill.

It isn't usual to have bricks that are so hard as to not be able to drill them on the inside of a house, but it is not unknown.

If that was the case, the drill bit would tend to wander unless you hit the pipe dead center. Even then, the drill bit would wander, unless you hit something flat, such as the old cable covers.

Are you drilling within a horizontal, or vertical direction of an existing socket, light switch, power switch, or anything else that might give you a clue as to the position of some cabling?

Try drilling another exploratory hole within an angle of 45 degrees and

2 inches (5 cm) from the first one.

Hole o o hole b

With a gas pipe in the way?

Dave

[Phil L]

Dry lining adhesive @ 18mm + plasterboard @ 12mm + plaster @ 2mm = 32mm

If she'd hit steel with a drill on hammer, the entire street would have known about it, copper wouldn't have put up any kind of fight and she'd be asking about plumbers.

The metal capping used for electrical cables wouldn't stop a drill bit, it's there to protect the cable from the plaster, not to protect the numpty from blowing himself up, you can push a drawing pin straight through it.

[Rod]

Indeed, a drill will wander if you are trying to bore into a pipe or other convex metal object. But, with only a little bit of 'push' available from Laura, it probably won't move much.

I sort of assumed that if Laura asked Peter for his SDS, he might just think of the gas pipe possibility one before passing the machine over to Laura. I'd guess most SDS owners have some experience.

[BigWallop]

I still don't know what is 30 inches above you sink, but I suspect you are hitting metal of some sort. It could be a protective covering over live cables to stop anyone drilling through them, or a lintel or sill around the window. It might even be a gas or water pipe.

Have you checked that the drill is turning in the correct direction? The bit should be turning clockwise when it's going into the wall.

[Peter smith]

Hiya Rod :)

Definitely going clockwise :) its a bit old and not fancy lol.

I was pushing it quite firmly with all my weight all 10 stone of it and my weakling arms, but wasn't gettig to far. I think it needs a mans power to do it as I am weak :)

I hope not! :) all the water pipes run under the sink and gas erm.. no idea :)

I have absolutely no idea and whever I mention drilling me laugh so I give up for now with talking to him lol.

[Peter smith]

There was a bit of a burning smell when I put some force into the hammer action drilling, did I burn something I guess ?

I'm guessing this sds drilling is a better more powerful drill ?

thanks for all this help you guys been helpful :)

[david.cawkwell]

1. The first section was most likely plaster. Pinkish dust.
2. You have either hit the brick and the drill is blunt.
3. You have run into steel like that covering cables. Check you have no power sockets above or below where you are drilling.
4. Try drilling the hole for the other mounting and see how that goes. If it is the same the drill is most likely blunt. For walls use hammer action all the time. Unless just starting it off. Much easier.

[Phil L]

Is your kitchen an extension or is it upstairs? What I'm asking is, is there a roof above your kitchen and not another floor?

30 inches up from the sink makes it about 5 feet from the floor, or about 2 feet down from the roof, if there is one, if there is, the chances are you've hit a roof tie - a thick metal strap which is fixed to the wall and to the roof timbers to prevent the roof disappearing in a storm

[Phil L]

That will be the drill burning if you've hit a roof strap

it still won't go through a roof strap

NP