EVOO bottle into a shot glass

Not only is it healthy to implement extra virgin olive oil into your diet but that step also gives you free bottles, which usually are great for glass upcycling projects. I’ve made many interesting and useful containers out of oil bottles, among them there are flower vases, storage totes, drinking glasses and now shot glasses. This project was about upcycling an empty oil bottle and giving it a second life as a shot glass. Perfect for personal use and as a gift, also quite easy to make. The ideal size for serving vodkas and liqueurs.

I started by removing the label which was in the way of the cutting line. Using a heat gun helped, but wasn’t necessary as the label could be also pulled off with bare fingers. I cleaned any remaining glue residue with white spirit and set my glass cutting jig. As always, boiling and cold tap water were used alternately to crack the glass along the scored line. Then I started sanding the top of the glass. I used a miniature, but still powerful fan to blow out any dust and make my working area safe without the need of using a dust mask.

When I used 220-grit sanding discs, I started chamferring the outside arris. I used all the discs up to 2500 grit, cleaning them with hardened silicone after use. Next, I pulled out my sanding drums and installed a 240-grit sleeve to start working on the inside arris. As always, I continued with 400 and 600-grit sanding sleeves as that was all I had in my collection of sanding sleeves in that particular size.

The inside chamfer, however, was so small and unnoticeable, that it helped to conceal any imperfections that might appear on its surface. To be honest, I’m not sure if there were any. It looked good and always does, probably because of the step that follows which is the polishing. If I have to, I use blue compound but sometimes I only use super-fine polishing paste, which saves time and gives very similar effects. If my hands are steady and nothing slips during the sanding or polishing, the workpiece is usually good to go. That shot glass was put in the dishwasher and was ready to use when the washing cycle finished. Now I have a perfect shot glass, that can be either gifted or used by me to enjoy beverages on a cold night.