Finally cut my guarana bottles!
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.
Easiest Way to Cut Glass Bottles
The next method was easier, cheaper, and cleaner, but not as certain in results. 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!
