Creating Holes in Clay Pots!

Drilling drainage holes in clay pots has been something that always alluded me.  I picked up these sweet little herb pots at Lowe's for a cool $2.99 that annoyingly did not have drainage holes last week.  I am afraid when I drill holes that my container will break.  I embarked upon learning the correct way to do it. 

First, you will need a drill.  I have a cordless Bosch Brute 18V "Tough Hammer".  It performed fantastically for this task although I imagine something cheaper could do the trick.  Drilling clay with a glossy finish requires Diamond ground carbide bits.  I did not think my pots were glossy but I was getting nothing but smoke and frustration with my regular bit so I purchased three diamond ground carbide ones.

To avoid cracking the clay, you'll need to buy a handful of bits and drill each through, slightly increasing the size each time.  For this task, I purchased Bosch diamond ground carbide bits in 3" long, 1/8 diameter, 6" long, 5/32 diameter and 6", 1/4 diameter.

You can avoid burning yourself or starting a kitchen fire by wetting the clay surface and putting oil or water on the drill bit as well.  (Obviously don't do this with it plugged in, if you aren't using a cordless drill.)  I used olive oil on my drill bit and a bit of water on the clay pot and both worked just fine.

Once the drill bit is tight in the drill, start slowly--verrrrry slowly---drilling with the smallest bit.  If you are having a problem keeping the bit in one spot, using a few layers of masking tape over the hole.  Once the hole is significantly started, you can drill faster.  Make sure you are not using the weight of your body or your arm to drill the pot.  Let the drill do its job.  I made this mistake when I started in with the 5/32" diameter drill and ended up chipping the bottom of one of the pots.

I quickly realized that you do not want to put tons of holes in the bottom--the more holes, the more likely it is that you will crack the bottom or cause it to crack during Winter months.  As you can see here, I started off with many and decreased them to 3 per pot.   

I was drilling on top of granite that I wasn't afraid of chipping but if you are not, you may consider stuffing the pot with styrofoam or something to stop yourself from jabbing through the pot when the drill makes it all the way through the hole.  There is a good chance you may break it at that point or damage the surface underneath. 

Note that I kept a wet paper towel next to the drill.  I made sure to wrap the bit and let the heat come off before I changed out to the new drill bit.  I also made sure to continue to wet the surface of each pot before drilling again.  No smoke! 

Presto!  Basil, Thyme and Parsley are ready to be transplanted into their new homes without any fear of root rot! 

Update:  Hypertufa form was built this week...however, I got sick and it's been raining.  Creating hypertufa is definitely an outdoor job so this may get delayed a bit!