Drilling resin lighthouse -

I have several lighthouses hanging in a large tree by my house. One is actually a birdhouse and others are made of wood. The one is made of resin and came with a hook in the top for hanging. I would like to do to another resin lighthouse. I was wondering if anyone knows how to drill a hole in resin without breaking it so that I could put a screw-eye in it to hang in the garden.

I have a large collection of indoor lighthoses. My policy is - if I haven't actually climbed it or seen it up close I do not collect it. I have about 45 lighthouses now - some are HL but not all of them.

If someone can help me with this question then I can enlarge my collection out into the yard and garden.

I know that you can drill a hole in the ventilator ball of a Harbour Lights Lighthouse using a Dremel Tool with a small drill bit. The Dremel Tool must be mounted in a Dremel Drill Press. If you try with just the Dremel Tool by its self the tool will move and crack the ball. I have also install a small drill bit in a hand held fixture and drilled by hand. This is slow tedious work and there is always a chance of cracking the ventilator ball if you move the drill bit around too much.

With this being said, I would drill a small pilot hole with the smallest bit you have, then gradually increase the size of the bits until you have a hole large enough to fit your hanger in WITHOUT screwing it in. With the hanger in the hole (not screwed in or you may shatter the ball)apply some liquid/paste potting compound or epoxy in the hole to encompase the screwthreads of the hanger. This potting compund when dried will both hold the hanger in place plus give the ventilator ball support from within.

Good luck and let me know if it works!

And if he ventilator ball is made of metal (like a BB), would you remove the BB first and then drill?

I assume that the ball is also made of resin since it it a resin lighthouse. If it's a metal ball the drilling would actually be easier. That was not made clear.

Max may be right. I think I do remember something about some of the HL's having a metal ball so they wouldn't break, but I think it was on some of the later models with a small ventalator. Rich didn't you find a metal top on the Wisconsin Point when you drilled it for a lightning rod?

There was no metal top on the Wisconsin Point. There as a metal rod. Some of the later pieces have a small metal rod in the ventilator ball to give it support. The actual ball is still the material that HLs has always used since either Canada or Malaysia.

The poster about resin lighthouses was not clear if he/she was talking about a HL piece or non HL piece. He just asked a question about a resin lghthouse and how to add a hanger to it. The procedure I gave him should work with any lighthouses, including a HL lighthouse, unless it has a metal rod inside the ball. You won't know that until you start to drill. All this is assuming that the hanging piece is going to be inserted inside the ventilator ball. If it is anywhere else the same procedure can be used except the care to not break the ball won't be needed.

Thanks for clearing that up Rich.
I remembered something metal was in the WP

Something that needs to be considered - Michaines may need to put the hook someplace other than the top of the lantern room. Depending on the piece, the top of the lantern is often not the best place to install a hanger as it is not the center of gravity. Look at your HL ornaments and most, if not all, of those put the hanger somewhere other than the lantern.

Very true statement Dave. The original post did not give all the facts so we are just assuming and you know where that gets you.

I could see this being a great space maker. I could hang my 300 HL out in my trees and free my one room and my storage shed.

It wouldn't take very long to have 300 very faded ugly HL's...

They could always be cleaned up by putting them in a dishwasher.

This is Michaines replying to the conversation of drilling the resin. I thank you all for the input. I have a friend with a dremel and perhaps he will do this for me. And don't laugh about my lighthouses in the tree. I would not hang an HL out there but these are larger and (as I said sone of them are wood) only one other is resin and it came with a hook to hang it. I have a photo of the lighthouse and the ball on the top but do not know how to include it in my reply. I will let you know how it comes out.

A HL tree....My POA would be all over that!