RECYCLED GLASS TUMBLERS

So this week I took on THE SCARIEST DIY project in the history of the world. Ever. The end.  

I kept seeing tutorials on how to cut glass on Pinterest with string, nail polish remover, fire, and cold water. So I thought to myself "Self, you have all those things. How cool would it be to turn old wine bottles (not that I have many of those lying around ... ok maybe a couple) into new tumblers?" To which I answered "The coolest. It would be the coolest."

The only problem is, you are literally playing with fire. And broken glass. And highly flammable liquids. It's scary.

Good thing I'm super tough.

So here it goes. Here's how to make your own. And some suggestions on how to make it slightly less scary.

STEP ONE: GATHER THE GOODS

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

Old glass bottles (feel free to use whatever type you have on hand)

100% cotton yarn (kitchen twine, roughly worsted weight)

Candle

Matches / Lighter

Nail polish remover (or acetone)

Paint pen 

A bucket of ice water (deep enough to dunk the bottle in completely)

Glass paint (optional)

STEP 2: MEASURE THE CUT

Using a paint pen, mark on the bottle about a 1/2" above where you would like the final cut to be. The reason you want it to be a bit higher than the final height is that this method actually cuts the bottle into three parts, thus making two cuts: one 1/2" above the string, one 1/2" below the string.

Keep rotating the bottle and marking at the desired height. This will help in aligning the string.

 STEP 3: MEASURE THE STRING

Wrap the string 3 times around the bottle. Make sure that it's not too tight otherwise when you soak it in the nail polish remover and slip it back on the bottle, the acetone will squeeze out of the string.

Depending on the thickness of your bottle and the thickness of the string, you'll need to wrap the bottle a different number of times. In my experiments, a beer bottle needs to be wrapped twice, a wine bottle 3-4 times, and a champagne bottle 4-5 times.

Trim the string very close to the knot.

STEP 4: SOAK THE STRING

Remove the string from the bottle. Soak it in the nail polish remover for 30 seconds or until the string is completely saturated. Place the string back on the bottle at the markings you already made. Be careful not to wring out any of the nail polish remover.

STEP 5: BURN AND TURN 

Hold the candle horizontally over an open flame. Lower the bottle until the string catches. This will be scary as hell. Just a heads up. Be careful not to drop the bottle. Stay cool. Keep holding it horizontally.

Immediately start rotating the bottle. Keep rotating while the bottle is held horizontally until the flame reduces in height. This is hard to describe but you'll see it. It means that all the alcohol has burned out of the string and just the cotton is burning now.

STEP 6: DUNK!  

As quickly as you can, dunk the bottle into the bucket of ice water. This is best done with eyes closed, screaming,  and as forcefully as you can.

If it was done correctly, the bottle should have split into three pieces. You'll only need the bottom piece. Unless you have something you want to do with the middle and top. But be careful!! This is crazy sharp.

A handful of times that I did this, I got small cracks in the glass below the main cut. I set these aside and used them as votives.

STEP 8: SAND THE EDGES

Use some heavy grit sandpaper to soften up the sharp edges.

To jazz them up, I added some glass paint. I won't go into the best way to use this here. I have it outlined in the Stained Glass Water Bottle Tutorial. 

Enjoy!