[ipso_facto]

Sorry ... not a thread about massive alloys or immense HP increase !

According to what I have read on other car forums ... when drilling number plates ...

(1) Use an HSS drill bit

(2) Ensure the drill is up to a high speed when making contact

(3) Drill from the back to front

(4) Use masking tape over the front and back drill point

(5) Drill into some soft wood on the other side

This should help to create a clean drill hole and decrease the likelihood of cracking or fracturing of the acrylic plate.

If any one has experience of this, or other pointers ... would be grateful !

Cheers ...

[Beancounter_74]

That's spot on.

I did some the other week and taped both sides, drilled into a piece of soft wood, drilled from the back to front (so as not to delaminates the sticky backing) and made sure the drill was up to speed. Took all of 30 seconds to drill both, as with most things, it's all in the prep ;-)

[xs2man]

My dealer drilled my plates for me. Even after I told him not to. I didn't want my plates drilled. I'm forever swapping plates, but like the clean look of stuck on plates...

[Beancounter_74]

Couldn't agree more xs2man

The plates I drilled were to go back on my 'to be sold' RRSport, so I wasn't worried about a 'clean' look, just needed to get some plates on it

I've got a cherished plate to go on my BMW, and they will be stuck on. I may even go the velcro route this time to make cleaning the car easier

[ipso_facto]

Originally Posted by xs2man

My dealer drilled my plates for me. Even after I told him not to. I didn't want my plates drilled. I'm forever swapping plates, but like the clean look of stuck on plates...

Originally Posted by Beancounter_74

I've got a cherished plate to go on my BMW, and they will be stuck on. I may even go the velcro route this time to make cleaning the car easier

Thanks to all.

Out of interest - with the stick on plates : how do you ensure these don't get stolen by nefarious types?

Cheers

[Beancounter_74]

Any decent sticky pad will put up a fair amount of resistance as long as they are applied to clean surfaces etc. That said, unless you have tamper screws, someone could have those away in under 20 seconds, so I don't really consider the security side of things.

As I mentioned, I'm thinking of going down the 'Super Velcro' route this time as the only problem I find with the sticky pads is that they degrade over time and I'm constantly pulling little black bit of sticky stuff from behind the plate after washing the car.

[SpeedTrip]

Double-sided tape on a roll - not small pads is the way to go ...

.... and having a new car in August, which the dealer 'drilled' for the issued 13 Plate, appalled by what I found underneath 3 weeks later when my cherished transfer finally came thru ..... mutilated front valance (M-Sport) & umpteen original sticky pads on the rear bumper, with the provided inserts discarded for some reason ....

[immx]

It wasn't this exact one, but in the past I have used this sort of thing to get the screwless look, without having to use sticky pads.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SECURITY-N...item1c34e46801

[Beancounter_74]

Not a fan of number plate surrounds if I'm honest, even if they added some security.
In all honesty, if some scrote wanted to borrow my plates, I'd rather they left no damage so it'll be strong Velcro or sticky pads for me

[Piers]

My BM is drilled, although they have done a nice job, but with my cherished plates on the other cars, it is stick on all the way for the clean look personally too.

[ipso_facto]

Followed the initial steps 1 through 5 ... worked perfectly, no cracks or other problems ... and everybody lived happily ever after. The End.

[Beancounter_74]

Good news

[jedpause]

I'd add 3 things to the list, since I did this to my plates last month when replacing:-

Drill a small pilot hold first, this stops the possibility of rip on the lacquer and plastic getting stuck on the larger bit blades....

And to stop the sudden rush as the large bit goes through use a guide rod (those things that display depth as you drill...)

I used the holes from old ones to make correct marker points, just so it was exact... the curvature at the front can add a deceivingly high extra gap between holes!

[davethefish]

1-5 are all good points to follow

also when drilling hard plastics especially perspex,
to prevent stress fractures from forming later around the drill hole.

you need to regrind the drill bit to give zero rake and flat the edge, as that is what causes the drill bit to 'bite' into the work piece.

[ipso_facto]

Thanks for the future pointer.

+1 if you can get the film :

This looks like the work of [davethefish].

This boy loves [drill bits].

[Beancounter_74]

Originally Posted by jedpause

And to stop the sudden rush as the large bit goes through use a guide rod (those things that display depth as you drill...)

By drilling into another piece of wood behind the plate, you should be able to avoid the sudden rush once you're through the plate