Custom Glasses From Repurposed Bottles

For our wedding we planned on purchasing pilsner or pint glasses for many of our guests.  We had intended to have our names and the date printed on them.  However, with minimum order sizes, shipping costs, and realizing that glasses with other people's names on them are not much fun we decided to make our own.

A friend that married a few years ago bought beer steins for each of his best men.  He bought most from eBay and each one had a meaning to the recipient - for instance, one that liked golf had a golf-themed stein.  I liked his gesture and wanted something similar.  Although we didn't have a bridal party and we did not intend to make them for everyone.

By using wine and liquor bottles we gave a little extra life to something that was discarded.  We plucked the bottles from community recycling drop bins.

You will need:

• bottles!  (wine bottles are pretty good but some liquor bottles work too)
• a tile saw
• rotary tool with grinding bits
• multiple grades of fine sandpaper
• tape
• letter decals
• glass etching paste
• paintbrush
• face shield, hearing protection, and respiratory protection
• the names or initials of the guests you want glasses for

Note that we did not make glasses for everyone.  We made them for about 50 of our close friends and family.  These could be used to mark seats for guests.

Determine the height you want the glasses to be.  Use other glasses to compare or experiment with a few to see what you like.  Set the fence of the tile saw at that height.

Make sure there is water in the basin of the saw.  Don your protective face shield and ear muffs.  Flip the switch and then carefully rotate the bottle on the platform, rolling the bottle into the blade with the base against the fence.  Concentrate on keeping the bottle perpendicular to the blade.  Carefully rotate until you are close to cutting through.  Gently hold the neck of the bottle so the weight doesn't cause the bottle to shear in the last few millimeters.

NOTE: A search on Instructables for "cutting bottles" yields many different ways to cut them, good tips on smoothing the edges, and plenty of tips on removing labels.  In addition to this Instructable it would be wise to read through some of them and their comments.

Some labels come off easily in some hot water.  Others need to be soaked in a solvent to be removed.  With some experience you'll quickly see the ones that come off easily and start to gravitate toward them in your selection!

Using adhesive letters and some tape to mask edges you can make designs and do initials or monograms on the glasses.  Just lay out your design remembering that exposed areas will be the parts that are etched. 

We didn't take enough pictures of the process of making the monogrammed glasses.  So here are some mustache glasses that we made using this technique.  (Available in our Etsy shop if you don't want to take this project on.)

Simply follow the directions on the bottle of the etching paste.  Paint it on, wait the recommended time, and then rinse it off. 

Be careful during rinsing - we have found that there sometimes is a faint etch done where there is exposed areas unintended for etching.

Then peel off the stencil you used.  Wash the glass and they are ready to be used!