Drilling hole in geocoin ?

WGA Member Joined: 2009-11-29 Posts: 63

Hi,
Could you share your experiences with drilling holes in geocoins?

We'd like to attach a coin to our geodog's collar. Shopping for a coin we like, we're wondering if the various coin materials can all survive drilling without chipping or cracking. Or should we get one without color applied to the surface? Or just stick to the tags made with a hole in the first place? Thanks for any help!

I was inspired by seeing dragonmar's cool coin collection yesterday at the Geodog Social.

WGA Member Joined: 2007-02-03 Posts: 2182

If you're trying to make your dog trackable there is a Cachekinz called puppy that comes on a chain and is trackable. $4.99through groundspeak and other sources.

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WGA Member Joined: 2006-12-23 Posts: 5956

If you are really nervous about issues with it, go with the "dog tag" style:

Example

Pre drilled and ready to go on the collar, and if they lose it, fairly cheap to replace.

WGA Member Joined: 2009-11-29 Posts: 63

Thanks for the input. The Cachekinz would work although we were hoping to use a cool micro coin if we could successfully add a hole. But my guess is it would be easy to ruin any applied design.

Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2010 3:49 pm

I don't think it would be too difficult. Probably easier with a drill press (more even pressure.) If you do decide to try it, I would probably clamp it to a board and use several size drill bits, starting with a nice small pilot hole and gradually enlarging it.

WGA Friend Joined: 2006-10-06 Posts: 162

glorkar wrote:

I don't think it would be too difficult. Probably easier with a drill press (more even pressure.) If you do decide to try it, I would probably clamp it to a board and use several size drill bits, starting with a nice small pilot hole and gradually enlarging it.

Make sure you use a punch to make a starter indent whether using a hand drill or a press. My experience is that using a small bit and working up chips the paint/enamal more then using one bit the size you want but i haven't done very large holes. My holes were big enough to get a split ring key chain thru it. Just make sure you go slow when drilling. Make sure you clamp it and have a piece of wood underneath it. That will help keep the bottom side from chipping but even then you may get some chips, specially if it is the enamal that you are drilling thru.

WGA Member Joined: 2009-11-29 Posts: 63

Thanks for the tips. We have a drill press so I think I'll search out a coin and give it a try.
I did have another idea too... There are some nice dog tags available pre-made with a hole which can be ordered with engraving. We could get a regular travel bug, just for the tracking code, and engrave it on the nicer tag. But no special icon that way.

Posted: Tue Nov 30, 2010 7:44 am

There are specially designed bits for drilling through glass, you may want to try one of these on the enamel, then switch to a regular metal bit... If the enamel is on both sides of the coin, I would try drilling the enamel on each side first, then drill the metal... But It's just a guess... I've purchased the glass bits at a local ACE hardware store...

You may also want to consider a high speed DREMEL type tool, there are numerous types of bits made for these... I use a high speed (30,000 RPM) ROTO-ZIP tool with a carbide or diamond bit for intricate cuts in ceramic tile... There are quite a few options available out there...

WGA Member Joined: 2009-11-29 Posts: 63

Thanks Pirate Monkeys.
I have ordered some coins and will let you all know how it goes. Of course once I started looking at coins, I got completely carried away. It's easy to see how geocoins could become an obsession!

WGA Member Joined: 2009-11-29 Posts: 63

The results...
Dick drilled a 0.10" dia hole in a "The World Is Our Playing Field" geocoin for me and it worked pretty well. He clamped it to wood, as suggested, and used 3 different drill sizes. The back side has one tiny chip (about 0.02") at the hole edge but otherwise the finish looks perfect. But, when you look at the front side at an angle, it's apparent that the finish is no longer adhered to the underlying metal for maybe 0.08" around the hole - it's slightly raised. So, I'm expecting with wear that we'll loose some finish around the hole. I'll still call it a success. Thanks for the input.
So geodog Mag will now be trackable. She would love nothing more than to be discovered by every human on earth so, if you see her, please give her a pat!

Posted: Sat Dec 11, 2010 9:25 pm

See... Now you're a pro... Cool

...

Posted: Mon Dec 19, 2011 2:25 am

redwingrr wrote:

Thanks Pirate Monkeys.
I have ordered some coins and will let you all know how it goes. Of course once I started looking at coins, I got completely carried away. It's easy to see how geocoins could become an obsession!

We will wait for it. I would also like to see how geocoins becomes and obsession for you.