I’ve been saving a collection of Bawls guarana bottles for the day I can figure out how to cut the necks off and use them for something spectacular. The cobalt blue color of the glass is exquisite, and I know I can figure out some way to make a light fixture, drinking glasses, vases, etc.
But first, I have to cut the bottles, right? Myself, of course.
This weekend I tackled the job after looking on the Internet for glass-cutting ideas that I hadn’t already tried. I’d tried the string with alcohol method of bottle cutting, but always got a jagged edge.
Here is what I finally did. Actually, here are two ways I succeeded in cutting off the necks of my guarana bottles cleanly and cheaply and self-ly.
The first way was to use a tile saw. Plain and simple. I taped off where I was going to cut, but as it turned out that didn’t make any difference. The key was to clamp the guide down so all the bottles would be cut at the same place on the neck. Then turned on the saw and SLOWLY sawed through the glass bottles, rotating them as I sawed.
The cut is fairly clean. It does need a bit of sanding, and I wouldn’t use these glasses for drinking, but I will make something spectacular out of them. None of the bottles broke or cracked with this method. So if you’re looking for an almost-clean, but sure way to cut a glass bottle, the tile saw is your answer.
Cut Glass Bottles in 3 Minutes with $3
This next method was easier, cheaper, and cleaner, but not as certain in results as cutting with a tile saw. Some of the bottles cracked and had to be tossed, but most of the bottles had a perfect cut. As you’ll see in this video, I used a cheap glass cutter (about $3) from Ace Hardware, taped it to a cake pan, and used it to score a line around the neck of the bottle where I wanted it cut. Then I poured boiling water on the scored line, ran cold water over it and, voila, the neck simply broke off. You can’t get simpler than that!
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I have tried this with several different bottles and keep getting vertical cracks, and it rarely cracks on the score line, if it does, it is only halfway around, then veers up or down. What am I doing wrong? The hot water is boiling and the cold water is icy, my score lines have been deep and shallow. Same result six times.
Baffling. The only thing I can think of is that you may be being too thorough on the score line. Be sure to go around only once. Don’t go over the score line a second time. And rotate the bottle when pouring water over it. Sorry it’s not working! Let us know if you discover what you’re doing differently, ok?
VERY CLEAVER!! Thank you – gonna try it out
Super. I suggest perhaps a vertically sided pan, clamped tight to make immobile.
http://antiquitaglass.com/
I checked out your catalog of things made out of cut glass bottles and like it!
Muito bom o sistema.
Sugestão: se tiver que cortar uma quantidade maior. Substituir a bandeja por uma tábua onde seriam pregadas duas ripas paralelas formando uma canaleta para deslizar a garrafa e fixando o cortador com pregos no lugar da fita adesiva.
Se utilizar 2 vasilhas(lata ou baldinho), uma p quente e outra p fria, mergulhando a garrafa diminui o risco de espalhar cacos na pia se alguma garrafa partir no lugar errado.
Depois de cortar, é recomendável passar o lugar do corte sobre uma folha de lixa, fazendo movimento circular, para tirar rebarbas.
Ótimas sugestões. Vou ter que construir esse “gadget” cortador de garrafas pra mostrar aqui. Obrigada!
Fácil… utilize o método acima da seguinte forma:
Coloque três voltas de fita crepe, uma no lado da boca da garrafa e outra no lado do corpo de modo a ficar apenas a linha que você marcou no cortador (garrafas mais grossas, marque com mais força e mais fundo um pouco). Depois siga os mesmos passos.
Obrigada pela dica de usar fita quando cortando garrafas.