You can drill holes by using loose grit and a copper tube of the correct diameter. It can take quite a while. You will need to have a chuck big enough to take the tube, or have a means to reduce the tube diameter to the chuck size.

Alternatively, use core drills that have had the diamonds worn away.

Prepare the glass as for a drill press without a flushing head, so the water and grit are confined.  The dam can be putty, plasticene, clay, or other moldable material put around the area to be drilled.

The grit can be sandblast grit or other abrasive of about 100 to 200 grit.

Drill as normal.

If the core gets stuck in the bit, knock it out with some stiff wire or a nail. Always remove each core right after drilling. They are very difficult to remove if there is more than one in the core of the bit.

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