How To Cut Bottles With String & 5 DIY Projects Using Cut Glass Bottles

Make these five DIY projects with cut glass bottles, but first, learn how to cut glass bottles with a string, also here!

RELATED: 19 Super Cool Wine Bottle Crafts and Ideas To DIY

In this article:

1. How to Cut Glass Bottles with a String Plus 2 More Ways
2. How to Make a Vase Out of a Bottle of Jameson
3. How to Make Drinking Glasses Using Beer Bottles
4. How to Make a DIY Hanging Wine Bottle Pendant Lightings
5. How to Make a DIY Candle Holder
6. How to Make a Self-Watering Planter

Cut Glass Bottles with a String and Make These Projects

How to Cut Glass Bottles with a String Plus 2 More Ways

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Cutting glass bottles can be intimidating but it is actually pretty simple. There are several methods you can choose from to cut them but we think using a string might be the simplest and easiest.

Cut glass bottles lend themselves well to a variety of cool DIY projects. You can your own cut glassware, home decor projects, lamps, planters and more.

Repurposing glass bottles are a fun and unique way to redecorate your home. All you need are a few essential supplies and some empty mason jars, wine bottles, or vintage milk containers.

For these projects, you can use just about any kind of glass container you have lying around. First, you need to learn how to cut a glass bottle.

Check out the step-by-step guide here to cut glass bottles using a string with the two other cutting glass techniques.

With these techniques, you will be able to make:

1. A wine or liquor bottle into a vase
2. A chandelier
3. Your favorite beer bottle into a drinking glass
4. A candle holder
5. A self-watering terrarium

How to Make a Vase Out of a Bottle of Jameson

What You’ll Need to Cut Glass Bottles:

• String or twine
• Acetone Nail Polish Remover
• Matches
• Pot of ice-cold water
• Jameson Bottle

Instructions:

Step 1. Tie String Around the Bottle

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First, cut a length of kitchen twine long enough to wrap around the bottle four or five times. Next, wind the butcher’s twine twice around the bottle where you want to make the cut. Tie the ends and cut the excess string.

Step 2. Lighting the String

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Now, soak it in acetone or nail polish remover. Be sure to saturate the entire piece of string before you light it.

Fasten the string back on the bottle just like you had it before. Wrap the twine around the bottle, tie it in place, and light. Make sure you aren’t standing too close to the flame!

Step 3. Make the Cut

Turn the bottle on its side and slowly rotate it around to make sure you distribute the heat evenly. Once you see the fire is about to burn out (about 10-15 seconds), quickly dunk it (top first) into the bucket full of cold water.

The fire should be completely extinguished and you will hear a pop! When you pull the bottle out of the bucket, the top half should be gone!

Note: The bottle will not break if it doesn’t get hot enough! You may even need to do this a step a few times on thicker bottles.

You may have a hard time keeping the flame going, but once you do it a couple of times you’ll get the hang of it. Just keep rotating very quickly!

Step 4. Sanding

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Sand down the rough edges but be careful not to cut yourself. The edges after the bottle breaks will be very sharp. Use gloves and sand around the bottom half.

Step 5. Create Your Vase

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There you go! A pretty vase made from recycled cut glass bottles.

How to Make Drinking Glasses Using Beer Bottles

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What You’ll Need to Cut Glass Bottles:

• All you need for this one are the exact same tools as from the first DIY project.

Instructions:

1. Follow the same instructions from our first project on how to cut glass bottles using a string.
2. Don’t forget to sand the edges!!!
3. You can also check out this tutorial to turn empty beer bottles into drinking glasses.

How to Make a DIY Hanging Wine Bottle Pendant Lightings

What You’ll Need to Cut Glass Bottles:

• You will need the same materials from our first tutorial.

Instructions:

1. Repeat the steps from our first project to cut the glass bottles with a string. Make sure to keep the bottle caps as we will be using it to hang the chandelier.
2. To attach the lighting, follow the step from our DIY Projects Youtube video. You might also be interested to make this hanging light fixture made from mason jars.

RELATED: Uses For Beer Bottles | 24 Creative Projects And Cool DIY Ideas

How to Make a DIY Candle Holder

What You’ll Need to Cut Glass Bottles:

• You will need the same materials from our first DIY cut glass bottles project here.

Instructions:

1. Follow the steps on how to cut glass bottles from our first DIY project.
2. Insert a tea light candle. Enjoy!

Tip: You can make your own DIY candle by pouring the wax into the bottom half and inserting a wick! You’ll have to get creative with the way that you cut the glass.

You’ll have to tie the string on an angle or buy a glass cutting kit (we recommend doing this). It is probably the easiest way to get the desired look.

How to Make a Self-Watering Planter

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What You’ll Need to Cut Glass Bottles:

• You will need the same materials from our first DIY project here.

Instructions:

1. Repeat Steps 1-4
2. Invert the top of the bottle into the bottom half of the bottle.
3. Thread some oil lantern wick through the top and down the bottleneck. This procedure helps to lead the water up through the bottom and soak the dirt (self-watering!)
4. Fill the base of your planter with water. Place dirt in planter and plant seeds in the inverted part of the bottle.
5. Enjoy your new planter!

Note: It is probably best to use a wine bottle for this project. You can also follow the step-by-step tutorial to make a self-watering planter from cut glass bottles here.

Watch this video from Shake The Future for a DIY lamp tutorial made from two cut glass bottles:

If you’re a DIY junkie who doesn’t throw stuff away, I can only imagine your beer and wine bottle stash. Well, I can also imagine they’d be dealt with very soon with these fantastic crafts using cut glass bottles.

Now you know how to cut glass bottles without spending on a glass cutter, cut glass projects, I believe are now in order. So, happy crafting DIY buddies, and keep safe, though!

Which of these DIY cut glass bottles projects are you going to try today? Let us know below in the comments section!

Up Next:

• Wine Bottle Crafts | How To Make Wine Bottle Planters
• 13 Cool Recycling Projects With Glass Bottles | DIY Projects
• DIY Home Decor: Turn Empty Wine Bottles into Gorgeous Accent Lights

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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on April 10, 2014, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.