DIY: cut glass at home

// upcylce your beer bottles into handmade glasses or vases or planters or WHATEVER!

What you’ll need:

handheld glass cutter

metal adjustable circular ring/clamp

2 candles

large bucket of cold water

slotted screwdriver

waterproof sand paper (approx. 10 cm for 6 glasses)
safety glasses

                             

                                                                                                                                                                 

set up shop

place a bucket of cold water close to candles to strengthen thermal shock[1]. Light two tea candles and place them one in front of the other on tin foil for safety. 

place metal ring
position the ring the place where you want to break the glass and tighten with screwdriver.

score the bottle 

following one edge of the metal ring (only go over this once)

* you will need to adjust the ring at some point as to not go over the elevated section
 - remove the metal ring when you have completed a full cirlce

heat score line

hold the bottle horizontally and heat the scored circle over the candles, constantly turning the bottle for about 1 minute or until the ring is charred

dunk bottle in bucket

quickly immerse the bottle in the cold water bucket until you hear a crack and the bottle breaks in two

smooth edges

dip the waterproof sandpaper in water to avoid overheating and sand the rim until smooth.

and voilà. 

* dishwasher safe

* this method works with any circular glass bottle (wine, beer, etc...)

* get creative and cut the glass at different heights for different functions (vases, small bowl, ash tray etc...)

** this is an original glass cutting technique that will give you a fairly accurate cut with minimal investment. Once you get the hang of it, it takes about 5 minutes.

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^[1] Thermal shock describes the way in which some materials are prone to damage if they are exposed to a sudden change in temperature.

thanks crew!
model: alex cohen
location: patricia gelman