Fancy Glasses

 

Repurposing bottles is surprisingly easy, it just takes the right tools and a little patience.

What you’ll need:

  • Glass Bottle (If your quarantine has been anything like mine this should be an easy thing to find, I prefer wine and whiskey bottles)

  • Glass bottle scorer

  • Wet/Dry Sandpaper in various grits ( I used 80, 150, 320, and 1500)

  • Wine or Whiskey to test your new glass with

Step 1. Score the bottle.

I used a glass scoring tool made special for bottles, it holds the bottle steady and makes it easier to get a straight(-ish) line. You can find them at most art and craft stores or search on etsy and support a fellow artist. I found that you don’t need to use too much pressure here, a light score does the trick.

Step 2. Break the bottle

I had the best luck with the hot-cold water method here. Get some water boiling and run the hot water over the score line. Make sure you get all the way around the bottle so the temperature of the glass is all the same before you switch to cold water. If the glass temperature is inconsistent you run a higher risk of an uneven break in the bottle. After the score line is hot run the bottle under cold water, again making sure you go all the way around the bottle. Depending on the thickness of the glass you may have to repeat the hot to cold steps a few times. When it fully breaks you’ll know, the bottom of the bottle pops right off and it doesn’t matter how many times I do it, it always startles me. * Be very careful when dealing with cut glass edges, it is very sharp and can seriously hurt you.*

Step 3: Sand the ever-lovin’ s*** out of the rim

Now for the arm workout. On a flat surface lay down a sheet of the coarsest grit sandpaper you have, I used 80 here. Pour water over the paper to wet it down (this keeps the glass particles out of the air and just generally makes it easier to polish glass) and start sanding. I try my best to move the glass in circular motions, occasionally rotating the glass position in my hand to make sure I’m getting an even edge along the rim. Take a small piece of the same grit sandpaper and sand along the outer and inner rim edges. If you had any bumps or irregularities from when you cut the bottle make sure you get them sanded down, you want the glass to be even and all sharp edges removed before moving on to the next sanding grit. Repeat the sanding steps with the remaining sandpapers going smaller in grit size as you go. I finish sanding my glasses with 1500 to get a better polish along the edges, but you can do as much or as little as you’re comfortable with.

Step 4: Clean up and get to drinkin’

Wipe down your surfaces and thoroughly wash your new glass, making sure no glass dust residue remains. Pick out your favorite beverage, give yourself a healthy pour, and give your new glass a test run.