Cutting glass bottles with acetone and string

Craft & Design

Here’s another method for cutting glass bottles, by Mike is bored: How to cut a wine bottle with acetone and a string. It doesn’t look nearly as precise as the score-and-heat method, though. Anyone try this out? [Thanks, Mandy!]

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22 thoughts on “Cutting glass bottles with acetone and string

  1. JD says:

    this method is in the improvised munitions handbook for the army.

  2. Stunmonkey says:

    I never had a consistent success with it, but it does work if you have no other easy options, or have a surplus of bottles in case you screw one up.

    JD is right, they used to teach using the punt on the bottom of a wine bottle for forming field-expedient shaped charges. Funny stuff.

  3. mikeisbored says:

    Thanks for posting my video and the link to my page.

    I can tell you for sure it is not by anymeans a precise method but it is a fun one. If I am cutting bottles well I use my dremel tool and a diamond cutting blade.

    http://mike-is-bored.blogspot.com/2009/10/how-to-cut-wine-bottles-with-dremel.html

  4. Todd says:

    You should try a combo of your acetone method with the scoring. Just use your acetone (or try denatured alcohol) string in place of the torch.

  5. Jim McCorison says:

    Acetone is absorbed through the skin quite readily. Please wear gloves when handling it.

    Also, it should be noted that acetone vapors are also flammable.

    Not saying that you shouldn’t do this. Just saying to exercise appropriate caution.

  6. mikeisbored says:

    for a while i would score lightly before doing the string but i did not find it made a big difference. I did often score too low back then though. I find the break is usually just a bit above the string. maybe ~3mm higher where the heat is highest.

  7. krs says:

    and what about a thin copper wire used as resistor to heat up the bottle? Could produce more precise break.

    1. mikeisbored says:

      Yeah I like that system. I think it does a very clean break. Never tried it. I think you do it with a little spray bottle of water. Something strikes me as odd about water+electricity but I would love to try it.

    2. mikeisbored says:

      Yeah I like that system. I think it does a very clean break. Never tried it. I think you do it with a little spray bottle of water. Something strikes me as odd about water+electricity but I would love to try it.

  8. Tiffany Eaton says:

    Tried that this morning; didn’t work. Just bought a $6 glass cutter at a craft store, and about to attempt that instead!

  9. Nancy Weaver says:

    This is a very nice glass cutting tutorial. I really love do it yourself projects and that one I haven’t tried doing it yet, but I will definitely give this a try. Thank you so much for sharing this video.

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