How to put a screw through slate

[AquaticAustin]

Hey all jw how to put a screw through slate? Will it crack/split if I put a hole/screw through it normally. Im asking cause I need to anchor a pice of dw and I happen to have one pice of slate and dont wanna ruin it... Just give me any pointers! Thanks

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[THE V]

You'll need to drill a hole first with a good cement/stone drill bit. You'll need to go slowly and let the bit do all the work with minimal pressure else the slate will crack.

If you just try to put a screw through the slate it will most likely crack it.

 

[AquaticAustin]

Ok so I need to take a drill bit and slowly drill through it then put the screw through the hole into.l the wood? The slate is pretty thick

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[XanAvaloni]

I would not try to drill slate. Attach the driftwood with superglue or a few blobs of silicone--much safer for all materials and you as well.

 

[Fozzybear]

+1 for silicone i attach everything in my aquariums using it

 

[constevens]

Better to superglue it or to silicone it. But if you do drill it you need a special masonry bit. Go very slow. Use some water on the slate and the bit as you drill it.

 

[The Zigman]

No...
I was going to make a thread about doing this.
there is a bit made to drill glass and tile, It works great for drilling slate. I have done it many times.

Then use stainless steel screws to attach it to the driftwood.
the bit looks like this:
You should be able to get them at a decent hardware /home improvement store.
Do not use a masonry bit. Drill slowly with this bit and you will be fine.
You can drill your hole forst, and then use a larger bit to create a countersink so the screw head is recessed into the slate.

 

[SpruceGruve]

i dont know it this helps but this was my experience with slate and wood.
use this

orthis

 

[ROYWS3]

A masonary bit is designed to drill into concrete, block or brick - all of which are more porous that slate. Hence the tile bit Zig suggested. Make sure you use stainless steel hardware (Screws, Washers, etc.) so they don't start to rust and maybe cause a problem down the road. Silicone will work equally well BUT you need to make sure it's 100% silicone with no additives AND you need to make sure it's 100% cured (dry) before you put it in the tank.

Either is a good option, use what you are most comfortable doing

Roy

 

[Taari]

I would use a masonry drill bit and pre-drill a hole through it. To help with that, I would put it over a piece of scrap wood so you don't damage whatever is under it, and then take a little bit of plumbers putty and form a little wall in a circle around the place you want the hole, then fill the little wall with water, so you have a little pool of water, then drill through it. The water will help keep the slate and the bit from getting too hot. Also, use a bit that is the diameter of the screw you intend to use INCLUDING the threads. In woodworking, you generally pre-drill using a bit that is only the width of the solid core of the screw, that way the hole is snug and the threads on the screw can still dig into the wood, but for slate, that will just ruin your screw, and the screw can still grab onto the wood on the other side to hold everything together.

You can use silicone too, as has been suggested, but the silicone might not continue to hold as the wood deteriorates. This could take years, depending on the wood, but it can happen.