How to Cut Beer Bottles or Wine Bottles
Empty beer and wine bottles can be recycled into sturdy glassware. Except for a bottle cutter, which can be found at a local handicraft store or online, everything you need for this project you already have around the house. The process is easy, requiring little investment and adding another dimension to a favorite brew or wine.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Glass cutting tool
- Gloves
- 4-cup heat-proof measuring cup
- Stove or microwave
- Funnel
- Large bowl
- Ice cubes
- Sandpaper, wet and dry, coarse and fine grit
Instructions
-
-
1
Position the cutting tool at the height you wish, but below the bottle's shoulder. With a continuous motion score a line around the bottle. Stop at the point you began the cut.
-
2
Place the scored bottle in a large bowl. Insert the funnel into the mouth of the empty bottle, being careful not to stress the neck. Boil 2 cups of water, add a cup of cold water and transfer it all to the large heat-proof measuring cup. Pour the water mixture slowly into the scored bottle.
-
-
3
Put on gloves to protect your hands. Holding the bottle firmly, run the ice cube along the line you have scored around the bottle. Do not stop moving the ice. Holding it in one place for any length of time could cause the bottle to crack. If you do this correctly, the bottle will separate along the score line and you will be able to lift the top off easily.
-
4
The edges of the empty bottle will be sharp. Place the coarse grit sandpaper on a flat surface and set the edge of the wine bottle flat on it. Rotate the bottle while moving it back and forth. Put your gloves back on and use the piece of sandpaper on the edges of the cut bottle. Repeat the steps with fine grit sandpaper until you have achieved a smooth and safe edge.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
If you want to keep the label on the bottle, apply a few coats of clear varnish or polyurethane, before the empty bottle is cut, to preserve it.
You are working with glass in this project; wearing heavy gloves and safety goggles are recommended.
