Have you ever received a bottle of wine and you wanted to turn that bottle into something useful afterward because you loved the design? Or perhaps you’d like to make self-watering planters, unique candles, chandeliers or even wind chimes… here’s How to Cut a Bottle Using String and Fire!
This project is so simple and takes literally less than 10 minutes from start to finish! Here we’ll be repurposing SKYY vodka bottles, I love these bottles because they’re blue and help to protect the roots of the plants from being burned by the hot Southern sun.
How to Cut a Bottle Using String and Fire
You’ll Need:
Acetone (Or Cheap Dollar Store Fingernail Polish Remover)
Cotton String
A Couple of Bottles
Bucket of Cold Water
First, wrap the dry string around the bottle firmly and tie it in a knot. You want the string to be thick, so wrap it several times or you can do what I’ve done here, which is to use a single string snagged from a Cotton Mop. You’ll want to use cotton because it wicks moisture.
Once the String is tied in a knot, snip off the excess ends and slide it off the bottle. Place the string in just enough acetone (fingernail polish remover) to completely saturate it and slide it back onto the bottle.
Next, light the string on fire and immediately begin turning the bottle over and over and over to allow the string to burn evenly.
When the flame begins to die out on the string, immediately plunge the bottle into ICE COLD water, the glass will Crack, make a pop noise and separate like this:
You’ll need to lightly sand the edges of the cut glass to smooth it and prevent it from being jagged and sharp.
Click Here to Learn How To Make your own Self Watering Planter
Other Things you can Make:
Aromatherapy Diffuser
– Cut the Bottle Top off, fill the bottle with wooden diffuser sticks and water/essential oils of your choice to make your own elegant aromatherapy diffuser. 
Unique Chandeliers
Candle Guards
– cut the very bottom of the bottle off and slip it over a lit candle to protect the candle flame as it burns. This makes a lovely table centerpiece if the lit candles are placed on a small mirror.
Wind Chimes
Candles
Make Your Own Wine Glass Candle-place a wick in the center of the cut wine bottle and fill with melted wax of your choice. This is a fabulous way to save a fancy bottle of wine that you received as a gift.
Wine Bottle Votive Lanterns
Simply make the cut at the very bottom of the bottle and then place an uncorked bottle over the top of a votive candle for display.
Wine Bottle Planters
Remove the bottom of the wine bottle as shown in the video, then lightly sand the edges of the cut to dull them. Next, cut a piece of hanging wire and cut it into three sections (determined by the size you need for hanging!).
If you’re hanging this outdoors from a tree, you’ll likely want it to be 3′ or longer. Remember, you can always reduce the size, but it’s much harder to increase the length. Tie a large washer to one end and feed through the bottle with the washer on the inside.
Wrap the roots of the plant in a mixture of sphagnum and peat moss, then stuff it up gently into the bottle. Let the plant establish itself in the bottle for four or five days and it will become tightly wedged.
this is very cool. i love applied science!
i get a lot of nice bottles from friends and this is nice to know .i have made wind chimes from some but this is neat .
this is awesome, i will try this tonight, maybe havwe a glass of wine after i am finished as a rewared.
this is awesome, i will try this tonight, maybe have a glas of wine after i am finished as a reward.
my husband and i tried this and it didn’t work for us. i wonder if we should get a glass scorer and do that first before this process?
this is awesome i will need to try this for sure. i have a glass cutter, but have been to anxious to try it yet. lol
thank you for the great tutorial. i’m curious about the candle guards. is there a photo of this somewhere that i could see?
i must be imagining this incorrectly because if you cut the bottom off of a bottle and place it on top of a candle, won’t that snuff the flame?
i apologize if i’m being dense!
one more question – what grit sandpaper works best for smoothing this type of glass? thank you!
Hmm, I’m not sure on the sandpaper I just grabbed whatever my hubby had lying around, it was really fine. . . and you aren’t really going over the glass, just the edge itself to ensure no sharp edges.
but here’s a photo of the candle holder:
The flames wont go out as long as you don’t have a cork on the top. But when you’re ready to extinguish them you could always just “put a cork in it”. HEHEHE, sorry, that was punny. :Drogar-Smile(LBG):
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super cool idea. i have lots of coke bottles around my house and you’ve just given me a wealth of ideas for how to use them. thank you.
i tried a couple of different wine bottles, and they did pop right off, but how do you prevent the glass from breaking around the cut area. it seems to shatter the glass around where it breaks. what am i doing wrong here?
awesome Idea gotta try this Thank so much:hand-icon:
Omg, this is so cool! My husband and I love drinking wine from time to time, and I’ve always hated throwing the gorgeous bottles away. Now I don’t have to!
What a fabulous idea! I love all of these, but the windchime is probably first thing I’d like to make.
I tried this on multiple wine bottles and it does pop right off, however I always end up with jagged uneven edges after I had made certain that the string was even before lighting it
his bottle-cutting method is such a fun DIY project! 🔥💡 I love the idea of turning old bottles into vases or candle holders, but I’m wondering if anyone has tips for getting an extra-smooth edge after cutting? Sanding seems to help, but I’d love to know if there’s a trick to making it really polished. 🏺 Has anyone tried adding color or etching to the finished bottles for a decorative touch?