How to Melt Glass Wine Bottles

Melt down an old wine bottle and repurpose the glass.

You can turn glass wine bottles into practically anything. With the right technique, you can make them into jewelry items and interesting gifts or home accents. One of the basic techniques of working with glass is melting it. When working with wine bottles, it is referred to as "bottle slumping."

Difficulty:

Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Safety goggles or welding helmet
• Apron
• Heat-resistant gloves
• Kiln
• Kiln wash or fiber paper
• Slump molds
• 20-gauge copper wire
• Glue solvent

1. Read up on the topic if you have never worked with glass before so you are familiar with the process. It is even better if you learn to work with glass from a professional before attempting it on your own.

2. Remove all labels from the wine bottles. Soak them in hot water, use a hair dryer or use a solvent such as WD40.

3. Clean the glass thoroughly to remove any residue from the wine and also from any solvent you used to remove the label. Allow the bottle to air-dry before you fire it.

4. Decide whether you will slump the glass into the mold or drape it over the mold. The technique you choose depends on the finished product that you are looking to attain.

5. Put on your safety gear, gather your materials and cover the kiln with a kiln wash or fiber paper. Do one of these two things first: hang your bottle in the kiln using 20-gauge copper wire that you have twisted and placed into the mouth of the bottle so it can pour over or into a mold. Or slump the glass by laying the bottle down on the kiln surface -- with this method you do not use a mold at all.

6. Fire the kiln to 1,100 degrees F and allow the bottle to come to temperature over a two- to three-hour period. Over the next hour or two, bring the temperature of the kiln to 1,300 degrees F, in 250-degree increments. After reaching 1,300 degrees, quickly fire the kiln to 1,475 degrees F and allow it to remain at that temperature until the bottle has slumped the desired amount.

7. Cool the kiln quickly to 1,100 degrees F. Then bring the kiln down to 1030 degrees F and allow the glass to cool for 30 minutes. Over the next two to three hours, bring the kiln temperature down to 850 degrees F. Then allow the glass to finish cooling at room temperature.

Tips & Warnings

• For those who are just starting on glass works, it is good to start by practicing melting techniques with wine bottles because they are usually made from borosilicate and commercial-grade glasses that are usually easy to melt and manage.

• Different glass materials vary in their melting points. Familiarize yourself on which types of wine bottles melt easily and which ones need more time to melt.

• For thinner glass, it is possible to use a blowtorch for the melting process.

• The slump mold is used for glass slumping and shaping. The shape you choose will determine the shape of your creation when it's completed.

• Some people prefer to allow the kiln to slow-cool.

• Do not attempt to use a home oven. Home ovens do not reach the temperature levels needed to melt glass.

• Wear safety gear at all times while working with heated glass.

• Wear proper safety gear when working with hot glass.

References

• Warm Glass: Preparing the Kiln for Firing
• Warm Glass: Bottle Slumping