I’ve been saving glass bottles and jars to recycle into utensil containers, paint rinse cups, vases, candle holders, windchimes and whatever else. At this point i could break half of them and still have plenty. I have a glass bottle cutter and the stuff to sand down the cut rims afterward. (I read somewhere that the sanded rims are fragile and it’s best to heat the glass rim with a propane torch, but i dunno if i’m up for that.)
I’m thinking about how to turn these plain containers into nicer items, ideally so i can keep saving my bottles and recycling them into gifts. I’ve read about engraving glass with a rotary tool (which i own, with plenty of diamond bits, and i’ve engraved on metal), and the only other thing i know of would be using armor etch, but i’d have to hand cut the stencils and it sounds tedious and messy.
I don’t know how concerned i should be about the glass shattering as i am engraving. I have glass cutting oil, or do i need to rig up some kind of tub with a water drip to engrave in? I know glass dust is a problem, too. I’ve waited until summer to start this project so i can work outside, at least until i get the feel for it.
Has anyone engraved on glass or done a similar decorative project with recycled bottles and jars? Or just a project with cut down containers? How’d it go? What did you make?
Hello recycling friend!
I’ve been doing some bottle glass recycling of my own. Started with simple wax candles in bottles with the tops cut off, now moving into fusing and slumping (requires a kiln). For that I’ve been crushing bottles into frit, then spreading them into a ceramic mold brushed with kiln wash, then running the kiln up to ~1500F to fuse the glass together before cooling slowly. They make kilns you can use in a microwave, but I recommend one with a digital control - costs typically over $1k if you buy new, cheaper if you can find one on craigslist :)
In my experience, engraving isn’t too hard on the glass as long as you’re roughing up the surface and not going too deep. You can buy diamond coated Dremel sanding bits to smooth the sharp edges. I’d avoid high heat as uncontrolled cooling can build internal stress and cause the glass to shatter months/years down the road.
I’d recommend a vinyl cutter for making stencils, and sand blaster for roughing the unmasked area - you can find cutters on sale for ~$100 off eBay/Amazon with a small but useful cut area. They’re much faster and more precise than going by hand.