Thick and heavy glass, a perfect addition to my handmade collection. It’s actually the first glass with labels and this makes it so special. After I cracked the bottle with boiling and cold water I had to remove some material with a glass cutter. Then came the sanding – from 40 to 3000 grit. Outside first, inside last, polishing with compound and paste. All steps are shown below: Taking pictures required light so I lowered the lamp to the bench level. Smooth and shiny. Washed straight away with washing-up liquid and ready to serve. As the day was dull I…

This vodka is the best and the most famous Polish vodka. It’s yummy, which is quite unusual! Bittersweet, herbal taste. I remembered to remove the cap during the “glass cracking” part. I must say the first (buying + drinking) and the second part (cutting + cracking) of the project went very smoothly. The cut glass looks nice and it’s symmetrical and round rather than oval and uneven. When I moved to the third part, which was polishing I made a couple of mistakes that had to be reworked. First things first. Sanding with coarse sandpaper was followed by a final…

Buying, drinking, cutting and polishing – several steps to get a perfect flower pot. Very unique and rare. A perfect gift for someone you care about. The first thing to do was to score a line with my homemade jig. Then the usual – cold and boiling water to crack the glass. Sanding the outside edges came next. First the top and when I used the 220 grit I sanded the bevel for the first time. Up to the 3000 grit. As always the next step was to install my drum sander. I used 240, 400 and 600-grit sanding bands.…

It’s another Porto glass – slightly bigger than the last one and dedicated to a different use. Separating the bottom from the top is always a big question mark. It worked this time. The process of making a glass like this involves buying a bottle and emptying it – these steps are very satisfying too! I don’t like to use the word “sanding” for glass, but that’s what it is and it’s working well. Sharp edges from the top were sanded with 60, 80 and 220-grit sandpaper. Then I used 320 for both the top and side edges. Next, –…

In order to cut the bottle I had to set the glass cutter at an angle. That gave me good access to the bottleneck. This jig has many limitations due to the way it’s built and fixed to the wall. Cutting was easy and fast, the bottle cracked as planned and the labels came off easily. Smoothing sharp edges was done in 2 steps, as always – outside first, inside next. This is 40 grit: I finished sanding with 3000 grit for the outside and started sanding the inside. I used 3 grits: 240, 400 and 600. Polishing was next,…

Cutting the bottle was easy and fast. Additionally, when I was cracking the bottle with boiling and cold water, the labels came off themselves. Didn’t expect that. Sanding with 40-grit sandpaper was next. It was a good idea to clean the sandpaper with a little brush. Rough edges were slowly transformed into smooth and shiny ones. Sanding drums took over and finished the sanding step. A polishing compound was applied to the spinning felt wheel. Buffing and cleaning with white spirit. The glass has these little details that highlight its character. Unusual bottom with a number, a date and a…

In order to cut the bottle in the middle of its neck, I had to keep the bottle upside down. It’s shown in this post (Slim flower vase) how difficult it is to get access to the bottleneck when the bottle is in an upright position. That setup had some limitations, however, it was useful for cutting jars. It’s not stable, but it worked this time. Quite a nice line was cut, and I moved to the kitchen. Boiling and cold water cracked the bottle. The first sanding disc I used was 40 grit. It took me 20 mins to…

Cutting the bottle didn’t take long. Removing the label, that’s something I don’t like. But first things first. Cutting the bottle in the shed and finishing it in the kitchen – using boiling and cold water. I used several discs to smooth it out from the top and the outside. Once that was done I smoothed out the inner edges. I forgot there was some oil in the bottle and the quick job became a slightly bigger one. I used 3 grits of sanding drums: 240, 400 and 600. Once it was properly sanded I polished it with my felt…

Preparation: unbreakable bench, garden hose, drill bit and the drill guide – everything staying secure in place. A 6 mm hole with sharp edges has to be covered with a grommet. Bottle – washed, stickers – removed. Time to install the lights. Shrink tubing in the same colour as the cord. A cable tie will prevent the cord from sliding in. One of the Christmas lights inside the bottle will prevent the cord from sliding out. Looks really nice, even in April.