DIY- Glass Bottle Cutting
Our First DIY project is full of charm and fraught with danger! Well that may be overstating things a bit, but there was a *little* danger and a bit of anxiety. In the end, all was well.
The idea with this project is to turn last night’s wine and beer bottles into tomorrow’s functional works of art, such as flower vases, candle holders, drinking glasses, chandeliers… Don’t believe these can be cool? Check out Jerry Kott’s work.
It all starts with a bottle cutter. We used Ephrem’s Bottle Cutter which can be easily found online for $30-40. The kit comes with:
- the bottle cutter- to cut the bottles, of course
- a candle- to heat the line which the cutter makes in the glass
- sand paper- to file down those dangerous edges after you cut the glass
- carbide polishing powder- to smooth those edges even more so you don’t cut your lips if you’re making a glass (ouch!)
Our first bottle was the scariest, with cries of “I think I cracked it!” and “Oh Shit, things are flying at me!” being par for the course. But, once that first bottle is cut, the experience becomes really satisfying (especially the ‘POP’ when the two pieces of the bottle separate). Here’s the breakdown of the process:
Step 1: Set your bottle in the cutter and turn it ONCE, slowly, with even pressure.
Step 2: Place your candle in a candle holder (we learned about the candle holder the hard way, with a waxy mess and concerns about burning a hole in the rug), light it, then slowly turn the bottle around 3-4 times, about 1/8″ from the flame. This heats the score line that the cutter made in the glass. This is the step where the “Oh Shit, things are flying at me!” came in. Little puffs of black smoke came up and there was some soot left on the glass (which was easily wiped off later).
Step 3: Rub an Ice Cube (not included with the kit 
) along the now hot score line. Don’t be afraid of any cracking sound that you may hear. Rub the ice around the bottle 3-4 times.
Step 4: Pull the bottle apart. I know you’ve got some muscles from that bridal boot camp you’re doing, but don’t use them here. Just a bit of force is all it takes, and you’ll be rewarded with the satisfying ‘POP’ of a job well done.
Step 5: Sand those nasty edges down VERY CAREFULLY with the sand paper provided in the kit. Keep sanding until you have really evened things out.
Lastly, mix the carbide powder with a little water on a surface that can be scratched up (so use an old flat plate or pie pan…something that you can stand to ruin) and gently rub that now smoother edge of your cut glass around in the powder/water mix (sorry no picture!).
There you have it! Take a look at the image gallery below for more detailed photographs. I believe some of our examples may be used on a tablescape at this weekends Lovely Details Showcase, so look for them if you go (and you SHOULD go!).
