How To: Cuttin' Glass and Taking Names
By PlastoluxEver looked at a wine bottle to admire its shape, color, or translucent qualities?
These features shouldn't go to waste in the recycling bin. Here's a fun how-to that can reuse and transform wine bottles into something REALLY worth eyeballing.
Get all the info and tools for this killer DIY project after the jump:
I recently became curious about cutting wine bottles, I think it is because I live in a area that has a lot of wineries. I did a little snooping on the web to see what was out there that could cut bottles. I visited a few forums and people said not to buy a plastic one but to buy the old school one that is made from metal.
I found Ephrems Old Time Bottle Cutting Kit on eBay.
Here are a few tips and tricks I learned on the way
- The bottle has to be perfectly round to roll on the rollers
- Clean off all of the labels, you can cut through painted glass just fine
- Adjust to your desired length and firmly hold the bottle while you rotate it towards yourself.
- Do not go over the scored glass more than once. If you go over your score more than once you will create deeper cuts that could result in pathways for the glass to take off on
- Slowly roll your scored glass above a candle heating it up. The thicker the bottle the hotter you should get it. It should be too hot to rest your finger on.
- Instead of rolling the score with an ice cube I found a better way. Get a bucket or something that will hold ice water tall enough to cover your score vertically. When you feel the bottle is hot enough place the bottle in the ice water vertically and pop the bottle will split almost perfectly every time.
Now you have cut your first bottle. You now have to deal with the sharp edge. I simply took my hand sander and used a little water and wet sanded the edge.
After I cut my first bottle I thought, how can I make these more unique? I have access to a sand blaster, so I had some lettering and shapes cut at my local vinyl shop and applied them. I had them blasted then remove the vinyl and I was left these beautiful raised translucent shapes. I really don't see these as drinking glasses but more for your bathroom toothbrush or a fancy pen holder. Someone suggested you could put a candle in them as well, I think that could look pretty cool with the more detailed designs.
Most people may not have access to a sand blaster but there is always acid etching or I think there is a spray that can mimic this look.
What's next? I have a few ideas for some light fixtures I may try.
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Plastolux's blog (7 posts)
About Me: A Graphic Designer obsessed with modern interiors and architecture, with a little DIY on the side. See my site http://www.plastolux.com
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» All commentsdragonlady
Hi Chris,
Thanks for the tip. That's amazing that you've been doing this since you were 5.
A question for everyone. Where do you find/get your bottles?
jennymarie
Plastolux,
I don't know if you've seen these outdoor torches made from recycled wine bottles before, but it's cool! Maybe you can come up with a version with the cut bottles?
Chris
dragonlady, I've been making drinking glasses with Eph's bottle cutter since I was 5, it's easy and lots of fun! After you rub the cut edge of glass in the grit to even out the edges, use a sheet of sand paper to polish any remaining sharp edges. No hand sander needed, other than your hand for sanding!
M
To Anonymous, you can buy glass etching cream at any Michael's or JoAnn Fabrics store for around $10.
dragonlady
Yes, you could buy the finished product in a store but by making your own, you can personalize the bottles. Once you have the bottle cutter and supplies, you can make a lot of bottles with different designs.
Actually, you don't even have to do bottles. You can etch anything glass. Years ago, my sister did some old fashioned whiskey glasses as a present for my DH and myself with our initial and holly etched into the glasses. The biggest expense was buying the glasses.
Jenny
By the time you buy all the equipment to make these you may as well buy the finished items from a homewares shop for less!
Anonymous
I have done may of these projects in the past and found another trick that worked quite well, especially with larger bottles. After scoring the bottle I would tie a piece of butchers twine around the score add a couple of drop of lighter fluid, let it soak in and then light the twine. I would then turn the bottle horizontally and slowly spin it. This allowed for very localized and even heating of the glass (much quicker than a candle). When the twine started to burn down, plunge the bottle into room temperature water and the top would cleanly pop off.
pm
If you wanted to use them as drinking glasses how would you fix the edges so that you wouldnt cut yourself?
Anonymous
as a custom picture framer who uses a power sander on glass(to get those nasty little 1/32 'bumps' off to fit into a too tight corner kind of thing) let me admonish everyone to go to the hardware store an pick up one of the cheap dust masks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! silicosis is NOT something you wish to play around with(and who is to say when enough glass dust is anough???) unless you think coughing/pulling around an oxy tank for the rest of you life is 'cute'???---PLUS have a vacuum handy to go over your arms/hands/chest/the table top/the floor around you(glass 'dust' will NOT not disappear on it's own--and WILL last forever!!!!!!!).
Anonymous
Most people who dont have access to a sand blaster don't have access to acid etching.
dragonlady
Plastolux,
Thank you for the answer. When you get your light fixtures done, you'll have to post that. I would love to see what you come up with.
Andreas,
Thank you for the tips.
I appreciate any help I can get.
Have a good weekend,
Andreas
No sander needed, put fine sandpaper on a table (if the table is valuable you might want to put something underneath like old newspapers), moisten and sand away by holding the bottle bottom in your hand using gloves.
For the frosted effect: either use hydrofluoric acid (available as an easier to handle gel, but still: handle with care) or glass frosting color
Plastolux
Dragonlady, you can use just about any bottle that will fit the cutter and is round. I do want to try some bigger glass jusgs for some lighting fixture ideas.
dragonlady
Plastolux,
Thank you very much for the answer.
Sounds like a hand sander would be a good investment if I want to do a lot of presents. : D
Also, I would have to find a good supply of empty bottles. I'll have to talk to my friends. Any excuse, right? lol!
Have you tried this with different jars? For example, jelly jars, mayonaise jars, pickle jars, etc.
Have a great day,
Plastolux
Dragonlady, with the Ephrems Old Time Bottle Cutting Kit comes some polishing grit type sand that you can use, it just takes a long time. You put some of the sand on a hard surface with a little water and rub the edge of the glass in a circular motion.
dragonlady
I would love to do this but I don't have a hand sander.
Is there something else you can recommend to smooth down the sharp edges?
Just reading this, gave me some great ideas of various ideas I'd love to try.
Thanks,
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