Pearl Drill

ckrickett

ckrickett

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 28, 2014
Messages
873
Quick background.
I am a painter/artist (best career!) and I have a large variety of equipment in my studio that I use. I have a large CnC router, 3 3d printers, laser cutter, a kiln, a wheel, a foundry set up for metal work, large die cutter, metal working lathe, a set up for sand blasting glassware, and a table top CnC router. ANYWAYS I am planning on adding a drill or drill press so that I can drill ceramics, stone and other things to use for current projects I have stacking up. I am looking for a table top one, and was wondering if there were ay good drills for drilling pearls.

I have dozens and dozens of undrilled pearls and I thought if I found a nice drill that could work for pearls it would also work for the others. I have seen some makeshift drills, and some very special drills and was wondering what your thoughts were and if you guys had any decent knowledge of a good drill that I could also use for pearls, and where would be a good place to look for one.
 
Oh, would I love to poke around in your studio! Very cool!! Did you have a chance to read any of the previous threads about drills shown below?

There are 2 brands of Japanese drills which are considered the best. They are advertised as being able to drill other relatively soft materials. There is a significant price difference. Some of the peeps here have been able to pick up a used drill, but they are not often offered. I'll look up the brands and add them here.
One is YOTSUBA and they have the "pearl matching" papers we have tried to source before. I think the other is YDK.

A few years back I looked around and what fit my budget was a Chinese drill with a YDK motor. It didn't line up quite right, and there are many small adjustments that can be made if one knows what one is doing. (I didn't. The directions are laughable.) I was burning through a lot of bits, even the good quality wedge style. Josh Humbert worked on it and says it is ok now, but I haven't tried it yet. Most of my pearls are drilled, and I just enlarge the holes, an easy process with a power reamer or dremel. BUT, with more and more undrilled pearls being offered, I will be practicing on my funky old freshwaters.

There are some gadgets you'll find that will hold pearls for drilling, but I've not ever heard anyone say they've been happy with them.

Be aware that pearl dust is a carcinogen and you don't want to breathe it.
 
Last edited:
I think I said in the other forum that Otto Frei as the Japanese drill on sale for around 800 . I've heard about lots of problems with the cheaper Chinese drill from people who drill quite a few pearls but since you are just using it for the odd project and not for a business then it might be a good bet..you can pick them up for around 200 .
 
Thanks Katbran!

You did!!! I am going to look into that one. 800 isn't to much. I was hoping to spend around $500-600 but if I have to spend a little more that is ok too. I'd rather spend more and get something that works then get something that needs to be fiddled around with, because I am HORRIBLE at ruining equipment that way.
 
I use the 200 dollar Chinese/Japanese model. It's alright for my limited needs. It drills tiny pearls reasonably well, easy to clean and somewhat portable.
 
I talked to our local jewellery supplies store, a national chain store, and they said that the pearl drill they sell and have sold for many years is the Chinese one. I asked if they'd had issues with it at all and they said no problems and that's why they still sell it. For what it's worth..

But if you are planning on large scale drilling go for the other one... 5% off coupon for Otto Frei ... every little bit helps :)
 
Ckrickett, I have using the one from Yotsuba and it is very precise and well built. Feels like something that will last a long, long time.
It's the 'portable pearl drill' on their website. They ship it to you quickly as well.
 
Jacques, does that Yotsuba model drill from both ends of the pearl to meet in the middle, or just straight through from one end? Thanks :)
 
Hi CathyK,

Yes of course, it turns, very consistently and precisely. The grip that holds the pearl flips exactly 180 degrees, and lines up perfectly, very time.

I have found it to be a very solid pearl drill, and capable of drilling small, and large sizes equally well.

I think it's a fair price too, at 68,000 yen, which comes to about $570.00. For full Japanese, not Chinese, quality.

I am talking about this exact drill - here:
 

Attachments

  • Yotsuba_pearl_Drilling.jpg
    Yotsuba_pearl_Drilling.jpg
    126.9 KB · Views: 62
Last edited:
Oh, I am so tempted. Does one bolt this down to a table, or is it heavy enough to be stable as is? I like the portability option :)
 
If you're bonkers, JerseyPearl ... you're not alone here :) But I'm afraid if you had a drill and people found out, you just might get asked to make a pearl necklace every morning LOL!
 
They sell a version that is not the "portable one", and sits on a wider base.

I like the fact that you can move this one, if need be.

I use mine just stand-alone, not bolted down, and it works fine.

It is quite heavy, it has what looks like a cast iron, or heavy steel frame - and has rubber grips on the base, so it doesn't move at all while using it.

Overall, a great pearl drilling machine, I find!
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

E
Ideas for how to use a pearl tassel
Replies
14
Views
1K
Elias
E
ifutzwithfire
Baby’s First Tahitian!
Replies
14
Views
1K
ifutzwithfire
ifutzwithfire
lary007
Lapis and pearl re-work project
Replies
10
Views
1K
MotherOfPearlTrumpet
MotherOfPearlTrumpet
A
Can't find matching pearls for these!
Replies
2
Views
676
MotherOfPearlTrumpet
MotherOfPearlTrumpet
A
14k clasp indication of quality or what is the worse mismatch of clasp and pearls you have seen and why is it bad?
Replies
11
Views
2K
ennui
ennui
Back
Top