Cutting a Bottle Down to Make a Glass?

Babette

January 28, 20142 found this helpful

First get yourself a bottle cutter don't try the String and fingernail polish remover or any of the other suggestions. I bought mine at Michael's you need to score the bottle with a glass cutter it only needs to be a light scratching sound you need a real fine line cut into the bottle and I have recently found the best way to separate them.

For years I was tapping as it was suggested and the edges were never straight if I didn't break the bottle after doing your scoring, over a sink with an old towel on the bottom pour a very fine stream of boiling water over the scored line rotating bottle to heat the glass evenly and keep the stream as fine as possible then immediately run it under the cold tap water you will hear a little ping or popping sound at this point the glass may separate if not repeat the boiling water and must be boiling (I keep 2 tea kettles going) over the scored line again you'll actually see where it has separated rotating the bottle I have found This gives the smoothest this separation.

Then use sandpaper for glass to smooth out the very edges I just put the sandpaper emery cloth on an old thin towel on a flat surface and rub the bottle on it in a circular motion with very little pressure I keep checking to make sure that it is being sanded evenly once the hole Cut edge looks frosty It should have smoothed out all the rough edges so no one will cut their mouth.

And for all the ones that don't make it if you know anyone with a rock tumbler, break up or cut the pieces put them in the tumbler with a couple of rocks and some sand let them tumble for a couple days You now have see glass.