Glass cutting...liquor bottles

UTfball68

UTfball68

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 18, 2008
Location
Granite Quarry
I have several Maker's and Maker's 46 bottles I'd like to use for lights/lamps out in the garage. The plan is to use Edison bulbs. I need to cut the bottom of the bottle off. I've seen a few techniques using a glass cutter and etching the bottle...heating up the seam, then cooling quickly (repeating as necessary) so the bottom portion separates. I have no idea if that actually works, but I was just planning on using my dremel and a glass cutting wheel. Anyone have any other suggestions? This is the intended result:
image.jpg
 
I actually just tried this last weekend with some wine bottles. Michael's (the craft store) has a glass bottle cutter. It's basically a jig that allows you to get a perfect circle etched around the bottle, after that you dip it in boiling water then ice water. The first one I did made a perfect cut, but the glass cracked also. The second one, no cracks, but the cut line wasn't as perfect. From what I've read it takes a bit to get the technique down, so I'd practice on some other bottles first. Also this works great for round bottles, but you would probably have to freehand the square Makers bottle.
 
Thanks...I wasn't really sure how well those rapid heat/cool videos actually worked. Maybe I'll try on some beer bottles first.
 
yes it does work. That woodford picture above is cool!

If you get a diamond cutter like used for stain glass, you could create a jig that would help you guide the knife around the bottle. seeing as your bottles aren't round, you'll need something to help you control the knife.

Maybe cut a few pieces of wood that the bottle sits down into and use the wood to follow the conture of the bottle. See attached sketch.
 

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^^^Thanks...I was trying to figure out what I could use with a sunken base and just go from there. A hunk of wood should work just fine.
 
I tried the string/twine/acetone method several times. No luck at all. I did the score around with a glass cutter then boiling water, freezing water. Like posted above, results vary as to smoothness of break and additional cracking of glass where you didn't want it. One I have't tried, that will be my next attempt, is to make a score mark about a 1/4 inch long where you want the bottle to crack off, then using a lazy susan spin the bottle applying heat from a propane torch, gently at first, hotter after bottle gets hot. Vid seemed to take awhile but produced a nice edge. Youtubed cracking off technique I think. From what I have seen and from what I have tried it's all in the practice. One of the craft store cutters will not really help a whole lot, you still have to perfect your technique even using one of them.
 
What about tightening a large hoseclamp around the bottle and using the edge of it to guide the glass scorer/knife around the bottle? It could be loosened and re-positioned to continue the line where the screwclamp was and complete a straight line all around the bottle.
 
I would love to do this... and suppose Ill have to try... I have a collection of years worth of various liquor bottles at my house and hate to just throw them away.
 
Wet tile saw.
Go slow.
No voodoo or tricks.

I've had good luck with a dremel or air tool and diamond blades and going slow.

Matt
 
UTfball68 said:
I know I know...but good God, there's not much that isn't. Quality, American bourbon whiskey doesn't seem to be too high on Salisbury's priority list.
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they don't have george dickel?
 
A buddy of mine had some bottles cut and filled with wax and a wick. Pretty awesome candles... Kraken and JD bottles.
 
XJfreakHO said:
A buddy of mine had some bottles cut and filled with wax and a wick. Pretty awesome candles... Kraken and JD bottles.
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This was my intention as well. We put out tea light candles in mason jars as luminaries for a live nativity at our barn each year, afterwards we are left with 300 or so half used candles. We don't reuse them because we don't want them going out halfway through the show, so I was going to melt them all down and make our own candles.
 
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