How to Make a Cheese Board Out of a Wine Bottle

Wine bottles can be made into cheese boards using a kiln.

"Slumping" is the term used to describe the process of melting glass into a flat surface. A cheese board can be made by melting down a wine bottle. Wine bottle cheese boards are popular at craft shows and can easily be made with the right tools and understanding of the process, which includes operating a kiln. You will need basic knowledge of terms such as "annealing," which is the process of slowly cooling glass to relieve internal stresses, "thermal shock," which is a temperature change that occurs too quickly, and "devitrification," which produces a whitish film on glass when it is kept at a high temperature for too long.

Things You'll Need

• Kiln
• Kiln wash
• High-temperature gloves

Instructions

1. Wash the wine bottle with soap and water. Use a sponge and remove the label. Allow the bottle to dry completely. Inspect the bottle for any residue and rewash if necessary.

2. Spray the inside of the kiln with kiln wash. This will prevent the melted glass from sticking to the inside walls on the kiln.

3. Place the bottle inside the kiln and close the top.

4. Turn on the kiln, warming it up slowly. Increase the temperature of the kiln every hour by 500 degrees until it reaches 1,100 degrees.

5. Maintain the temperature of 1,100 degrees for 10 minutes. This will allow "soaking" to occur, which is when all the glass in the bottle reaches the same temperature.

6. Increase the temperature every hour by 250 degrees until it reaches 1,300 degrees. Turn up the heat to 1,425 degrees as quickly as possible.

7. Turn down the kiln's temperature as quickly as possible to 1,100 degrees. Open the lid slightly to prevent devitrification.

8. Remove stress from the bottle by cooling the kiln every hour by 150 degrees.

9. Remove the glass from the kiln once it has completely cooled off. Wash it in warm soapy water and allow to dry. Serve your cheese on the new cheese board.

Tips & Warnings

• If you need to place your hands inside the kiln while it is hot, using high-temperature gloves will reduce the risk of getting burns on your hands and arms. Some high-temperature gloves include Zetex, welder's gloves and Kevlar gloves. The gloves cover your hands, wrist and forearm.

References

• Corning Museum of Glass: Annealing Glass
• Glass Facts.Info: Thermal Shock
• Warm Glass: Devitrification
• Glass Fusing Made Easy: Slumping Bottles
• The Bottle Slumper: Your How-To-Guide for Slumping Bottles
• Warm Glass: Bottle Slumping