How to Cut a Glass Bottle
I have a confession to make here. I got really really excited about cutting glass bottles. I bought a bottle cutter and asked a neighbor for some bottles. I saved and washed a few assorted bottles we had from the holidays. I got everything set up on the kitchen island, gave it a try…
…and then I had my husband finish cutting the bottles. I did participate in the whole process, so I still feel qualified to write this post, but my husband did most of the work.
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I’ve been saving glass bottles for a long time. I have a hard time tossing any glass bottles or jars that we empty, but I don’t always have a good way to use them. I’ve used them in a bunch of projects over the years. I’ve coated the insides with paint, used them to organize the kids’ craft cabinet, and made vases. You can check out my bottle vases HERE, HERE, and HERE.
What has always stumped me is what to do with empty wine bottles and other bottles with long necks. I don’t even drink wine, and yet we somehow end up with them anyway. (The truth is we entertain a lot of wine drinkers.) Since I’m not a big wine fan, I don’t have the desire for a bunch of decor that looks like a decorated wine bottle.
So what about something that is not so obviously a wine bottle? Well, to do that I needed to figure out how to cut off the bottle necks. That led me to an internet search, which led me to this bottle cutter on Amazon.
My short review of this bottle cutter? It works! For us, there has definitely been a learning curve. We’re still in the trial and error phase, but we’re learning a lot.
There are only three basic steps to cutting a bottle.
- Use the bottle cutter to score the bottle.
- Alternate between hot and cold to actually separate the bottle pieces.
- Sand/finish the cut edge.
The bottle cutter itself is very straightforward. It’s super easy to set it up so you can cut your bottles at whatever place on them you want to. There’s a metal L bracket that you adjust to hold the bottle in the specific place you want.
I’ve watched different videos about what to use for the hot and cold, and what we ultimately settled on was just what the instructions for the bottle cutter suggest—nearly boiling water and ice water. We have a relatively tall pot that we used to heat the water, and then we have an insulated jug that we use for cold water.
So. I attempted this at first and quickly realized that it’s like the grownup version of a Jack-in-the-box. You know, like opening a can of biscuits. You know it’s going to pop eventually, but you don’t know when. That made me very anxious. Fortunately, my husband came to my rescue and started cutting them for me. I took notes as we went so I could share what we did.
I had no issues using the bottle cutter—except that you have to be careful to only go around the bottle once, and it was hard to tell exactly where I’d started. My husband had the same issue. Most of the time it worked out fine. I’d like to find some way to mark the starting point. Something I’m pondering.
* Be careful of glass shards in this process. It’s more like a glass dust, and it can get everywhere if you don’t have something to contain it. Also, I used the gloves that came with the bottle cutter every time I handled a bottle during the cutting process.
To get the bottles to actually separate, first we started some water boiling on the stove in our tallest pot. Finding the right water level so that it wouldn’t spill over was a bit tricky. You want enough water to reach the score once you’ve cut that, but you don’t want the water to overflow when you put the bottle in it. When we held the bottle upside down, we didn’t displace as much water. But sometimes we had to hold it right-side up, and then we occasionally made a mess. Just something to consider when you’re choosing a pot to use.
While the water was heating up, we filled up a jug with ice water. We used lots of ice so that the water would get very cold.
Once the water had just started boiling, we turned off the burner. Since we were aiming for “nearly boiling water,” we waited for the water to cool down just a bit before continuing on.
Holding the bottle with a potholder, we held it into the water for a few seconds—making sure the score line was fully covered. From there we’d immediately stick the bottle in the ice water. In our experience, the bottles never separated from just that one cycle. So we’d go back to the hot water, and go back and forth until the bottle finally popped apart. Be prepared for a little splash when that happens!
We have had a few bottles crack on us, but for the most part, they cut relatively smoothly. We also had some little bumps left on some of the bottles, but I’ve been able to sand a couple of the smaller ones down.
Sanding the bottles is definitely the most time-consuming part of this project. I use wet/dry sandpaper, and I always use it wet. I don’t want glass shards flying around, and the wet paper helps prevent that from happening. I started out using the sandpaper that came with the bottle cutter, but when I got my variety pack I switched to using a coarser grit. 60 or 80 grit helps the process move a little faster.
I started out with the paper on a cookie sheet, and eventually, I moved to just setting it on a dish towel. I keep a measuring cup of water handy (I like the pour spout), and I pour a small amount onto the sandpaper. It spreads out as I start sanding. I put the bottle upside down on the paper and start moving it in a circular motion. I rotate the bottle every so often so that I avoid putting pressure on the same parts the whole time.
To check my progress, I wipe the edge of the bottle with a dry paper towel. The sanded parts are obvious.
Once the bottle edge has gotten pretty smooth, I use a finer grit to polish off the edges a bit. Just enough so that you can run your finger over it and not feel like it’s sharp.
I have yet to talk any of my family members into helping me with the sanding, so I’m getting quite the arm workout.
At this point, I don’t intend to make drinkware out of these bottles. I’m not overly concerned about making the tops perfectly smooth—as long as they aren’t sharp and dangerous. However, I do have a pack of wet/dry sandpaper of different grits, and eventually I will attempt a better polish. For now, my goal is to not have any sharp edges. They can at least be used for vases and candleholders that way. Check out how I etch them and use alcohol ink on them.
As we get better at cutting bottles, I’ll be sure to pass along what we learn. I’m hoping to have some more tips for you soon. In the meantime, if you have any tips for me, please pass them along!
If you’d like to see what I’ve done with these bottles, you can check out how I’ve used alcohol ink and etching cream to decorate some of them.
