Learn how to drill holes in shells to hang shells and make garlands.
Do you want to string shells together, into a Seashell Garland, for example? Or do you want to hang Shells as Ornaments, or even create a Fabulous Shell Wall Hanging? Then you need to know how to drill holes in shells. If you are serious about drilling holes in shells, then the Dremel tool is your friend. It's a small speedy and very handy plug-in drill that's easy to work with.
At the end of this post you will also find a way to make holes into shells with a small scissor, but this technique probably only works for very thin shells, such as scallop shells or mussel shells.
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For the thick sturdy quahog shell I used a regular drill bit to make the two holes. For the more delicate thin shell, I chose a tiny drill bit. Push slightly down on the shell, but be careful not to crack it. Start with a test shell to get the feel for it.
And just to be safe, wear a safety mask and glasses.
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"Place sponge in container. Fill with enough water to just cover sponge. (The water will keep the drill from overheating and the shell from cracking.)"
This was my test shell. You see a close up of the drill bit I used on the right. If you want to make the hole larger, the grinding bit (on the left) works great.
Ancient No Drill Technique to Make Holes in Shells:
Another way to make a hole in a shell is using the ancient no drill technique of grinding down an area on the shell with a rock until thin enough to puncture a hole. This takes a lot of patience!
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Tip How to Drill Shells with Dremel Tool by Martha Stewart:
I dressed up a bottle with the small shell and hung the large shell on the curtain rod. The shells I used to Make a Simple Shell Garland, already had holes when I found them on the beach.
How to Make Holes in Shells with a Scissor:
Below is a video that shows how to make holes in shells with a point-ey scissor. Keep in mind that in this example very thin scallop shells were used. This technique probably only works with thin shells.
