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Step 7Drill & Glue the dice.
After you've practiced drilling and gluing on the test die (dice), proceed to the 3/16" pieces.
This step will take longer than any other, including marking the magnets, which you may have realized, is also quite tedious.
As you pick up each die to work on from the die guide, you may want to put a dot on the center of each face that will be drilled, with a sharpie, to prevent accidentally drilling the wrong side.
After the 3/16" holes, drill the 3/8" ones. I found that using some clamps helped keep the die stationary while being acted on by the greater force of the larger diameter bit.
After drilling, put some glue in one of the holes and then a stick of two magnets (make sure you get the polarities right). Wipe off any excess glue on the die or magnet face. My glue was very negotiable when it came to this, and came off easily most of the time. When more than one magnet are in a die with the same polarities facing out, you will probably need to clamp them together. The second magnet ensures that the glued magnet will be set under the surface of the die. The glue sometimes seeps out of the seams as it dries, but it can be removed with a screwdriver as long as it is not completely hardened. It stays about the consistency of caramel for several hours.
I experienced only a few problems with drilling and gluing. One was if the glue ran up the sides of the hole too much, an air pocket could sometimes be created between the die and magnet, pushing the magnet out. When this happened, I let the magnet come out and cleaned both it and the die with a towel before trying again.
Another problem was, if the hole was slightly too shallow, the magnet would not fit in the hole all the way, and my first reaction was to clamp it really hard. This was a mistake. Although the glue itself didn't cause stress fractures, putting that much force on the plastic in the bottom of the hole did. This only happened to me on a few magnets however, so it wasn't a big problem. I would suggest that instead of forcing the magnet in, you should take it out and drill the hole deeper or use less glue.
When the glue dries, glue another magnet in, until all sides are glued. Try not to drop or connect the dice until they have completely dried. For the stronger magnets, you may want to wait longer before unclamping the die, so it doesn't fly out.
This step will take longer than any other, including marking the magnets, which you may have realized, is also quite tedious.
As you pick up each die to work on from the die guide, you may want to put a dot on the center of each face that will be drilled, with a sharpie, to prevent accidentally drilling the wrong side.
After the 3/16" holes, drill the 3/8" ones. I found that using some clamps helped keep the die stationary while being acted on by the greater force of the larger diameter bit.
After drilling, put some glue in one of the holes and then a stick of two magnets (make sure you get the polarities right). Wipe off any excess glue on the die or magnet face. My glue was very negotiable when it came to this, and came off easily most of the time. When more than one magnet are in a die with the same polarities facing out, you will probably need to clamp them together. The second magnet ensures that the glued magnet will be set under the surface of the die. The glue sometimes seeps out of the seams as it dries, but it can be removed with a screwdriver as long as it is not completely hardened. It stays about the consistency of caramel for several hours.
I experienced only a few problems with drilling and gluing. One was if the glue ran up the sides of the hole too much, an air pocket could sometimes be created between the die and magnet, pushing the magnet out. When this happened, I let the magnet come out and cleaned both it and the die with a towel before trying again.
Another problem was, if the hole was slightly too shallow, the magnet would not fit in the hole all the way, and my first reaction was to clamp it really hard. This was a mistake. Although the glue itself didn't cause stress fractures, putting that much force on the plastic in the bottom of the hole did. This only happened to me on a few magnets however, so it wasn't a big problem. I would suggest that instead of forcing the magnet in, you should take it out and drill the hole deeper or use less glue.
When the glue dries, glue another magnet in, until all sides are glued. Try not to drop or connect the dice until they have completely dried. For the stronger magnets, you may want to wait longer before unclamping the die, so it doesn't fly out.
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