How to Cut a Glass Bottle

You’ve probably seen jars made from glass bottles and wondered how they cut the glass. The process is quite simple, and with just a few steps you can make others wonder about your glassware! Try one of these four methods to cut a glass bottle with a smooth, clear cut.

Table of Contents

Cut with Fire

Mark the cut line. Use a glass cutter or glass drill to mark the cut. If you want, you can use a tool to make a perfect line around the glass bottle, or you can just draw it by hand.

Heat the bottle. Burn the marker you made with the glass cutter. You can use candles or a torch. Focus the heat directly on the marked line, and rotate the bottle continuously to distribute the heat evenly.

Dip the bottle in cold water. After the bottle has been heated for about 5 minutes, dip the portion to be cut in cold water. Immerse the bottle in a tub or basin filled with cold water, possibly with ice added.

Repeat this process. The bottle may need to be acted upon more than once to heat and soak in water for it to separate. You simply repeat the process of heating the bottle and dipping in cold water until it cracks.

Sand the edges. Use coarse sandpaper to rub the sharp edge of the glass. Replace with finer sandpaper to remove any remaining sharps. You should do this as soon as you’re done, to avoid cutting into the skin.

Enjoy your smooth cut glass bottle. Use the bottle to hold pens, drinking glasses, or make flower vases. The options are endless! ^{[1] X Research Source}

Cut with Boiling Water

Mark the cut line. You need to create a straight line for the bottle to crack by marking a line where you want to cut. Using a glass cutter or a glass drill, draw an even line around the bottle. Do not draw over the marked line as this will scratch the cut line more than a drawn line.

Have water ready. You will need to do this in a tub of cold running water, while also heating a kettle of hot water. This will work when pouring hot and cold water over the bottle one at a time until it cracks at the marked line.

Pour hot water on. Hold the bottle above the tub, then slowly pour hot water over the marked line. Avoid spreading the water, as you only need to concentrate the heat on the marked line.

Put the bottle in cold water. Once the hot water has been poured, place the bottle under cold running water in the tub. For the first time, the bottle probably won’t crack.

Continue pouring hot and cold water. Remove the bottle from the cold water and then pour the hot water over the marked line again. Pour water around the bottle, and dip it back in cold water. After two or three attempts, the bottle was able to crack completely at the mark line.

Edge sanding. Use coarse sandpaper to rub the sharp edges on the glass. When they are no longer scratched, smooth the edges with finer sandpaper for a smooth finish. ^{[2] X Research Source}

Cut with Wire

Wrap the wire around. If you don’t have string on hand, you can use thick cotton cord. At the place where you want to cut the glass bottle, wrap the wire around the bottle 3-5 times. Tie it tight and cut off the excess wire.

Soak the wire in acetone. Slide the string out of the neck of the bottle and dip it into a small saucer or lid. Pour some nail polish remover or acetone solution on the ring until it is completely soaked. You can pour the remaining acetone solution over the bottle later.

Re-wind the wire to the bottle. Remove the wire and re-wrap it on the bottle at the exact spot where you want to cut it. Check that the loops are wrapped tightly together to create a straight and clear cut.

Burn the wire. Use a match or lighter to light the string (wrapped on the bottle). Rotate the bottle slowly so that the wire burns evenly around.

Dip the bottle in cold water. Prepare a tub or basin of cold water – you can add ice if you want. Wait until the fire on the wire has gone out, then dip the bottle and string directly into the water. The bottle will crack completely at the place where the wire is wrapped around.

Sand the edges. Use coarse sandpaper to rub on the scratched cut on the bottle. Once all sharp lines have been removed, use finer sandpaper to smooth the cutting surface. You have finished the product! ^{[3] X Research Sources}

Cutting with the All-in-One Machine

Label the bottle. In this way, the multifunction machine will do the bottle cutting, but you need to determine where to cut. Use two strips of duct tape close together (but not touching) to make a small line around the bottle when cutting.

Cut the bottle. Attach the glass cutter to the multifunction machine head. Rotate the bottle around, cutting slowly along the line of the tape. You can cut multiple times on the marking line for a clear cut.

Sand the edges. When the bottle is cracked along the marking line, you will have a few scratches that need to be smoothed out. Sand around the sharp piece with coarse sandpaper, then smooth the surface with finer sandpaper. You are done! ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Advice

If using a tile saw, you must use a glass diamond saw blade. Always leave the saw blade in water to cool. Slowly pass the bottle through the saw blade, for a perfect cut when the cut is complete.
You can order glass bottle cutters online if you don’t want to try these methods for cutting glass bottles.
All heat changes should be gradual unless you put the bottle in cold water. Otherwise you will break the bottle.
If you are a child, make sure you are supervised by an adult.

Steps

Cut with Fire

Cut with Boiling Water

Cut with Wire

Cutting with the All-in-One Machine

Advice

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