Beer and Wine Bottle Glass and Candle

 

We read a lot of different ways to cut old beer and wine bottles into cups but after trying them out this method is by far the best and least likely to shatter.  After a bit of practice we have about 80% success without the glass cracking which is pretty darn good.  Minor cracking at the rim is fixable. If a crack travels down the glass then i suggest abandoning that one because it will only get worse and even the sanding could break it. Thicker glasses do work better if they are etched well.

First we used a thinnish piece of wood to fasten our glass etcher to the work bench.  The workbench has an adjustable gap to let various bottle sizes to sit nicely. From here we would determine where we want to score the bottle and line that up with the etcher and then screw in a block at the base of the bottle to hold it still and level while we rotate it.

Glass Etcher (Red Arrow)      Scored line on bottle (Green Arrow)

Now you rotate the bottle with just enough pressure to scratch the glass, too much could punch a small hole through. Once the etched line is all the way around the bottle you are ready for the next step. Boil a pot of water and get the tap water running as cold as you can. Then pour the hot water slowly on the etched line of the bottle rotating it all the way around to make a complete circle or two. Then do the same with the cold and keep alternating until you hear or feel a faint crack.  If done just right the bottle will split without any effort if not then a very light tap with something hard will do the trick.  Small pieces of glass may flake off the rim so we would advise glasses for this step.  We usually have a bucket of water just below the glass so when the bottle separates it doesn't smash.

When the bottle has separated and you have a mostly level split you can begin the sanding. By hand this is a LONG and painful process.  With a simple electric sander or attachment for a drill it becomes a breeze. We sanded down 5 bottles in about an hour. The sand paper does get used up quickly though so make sure to keep using new pieces and it will go much quicker. Use a medium to fine grit as a rough grit may actually make divots in the rim or break the glass. Also be careful not to sand the label down(another hand sanding risk) unless you want that type of worn effect. Look at the photo below to see a partially sanded label.

Wine bottles work well also

These glasses make great crafty glasses though they work well as candles also.  I melted the bottom of old candles in a old pot and poured it slowly and in small amounts.  Let it cool completely in between pouring or else the candle will develop holes on the inside.