My store-bought glassware has lasted longer than I anticipated, but each cup has broken one by one over the past four years. It’s time for a new set! While enjoying ginger beer with my family, I realized that these would make the coolest cups. Here’s a step-by-step process of how I created my new cup set.

MATERIALS

– Glass bottles (I used Bundaberg ginger beer bottles, which come in packs of four)

– Twine

– Rubbing alcohol

– Lighter

– Sandpaper

– Nail file (optional)

– Bowl filled with cold water

STEPS

1. Clean off any stickers or labels from the bottles. (I did not do a very good job at this – try soaking the labels, using heat or goo-gone)

2. Cut a length of twine and wrap it around the glass at the desired cutting location. Secure it with a knot.  

I wrapped the twine around 3-4 times, but if I were to do this again, I would only wrap it once or twice. A wider band of string resulted in a jagged cut rather than a flat top.  

I used various types of string before (cotton, thread, linen) but the twine was the only one that worked.  

I wrapped the twine at the very top, just before the bottle started to flare out. This also served as a good marker to ensure all cups would be even.   

3. Prepare a large bowl of very cold water; adding ice is optional but a good idea.

4. While standing over a sink, carefully and slowly drop rubbing alcohol onto the string until the entire string is wet. If any rubbing alcohol spills onto other surfaces or on any other part of the bottle besides the twine, wipe it off with a clean cloth.  

5. Still over the sink, light the string on fire. Rotate the bottle so that the fire burns evenly around the twine.  

6. Once the fire has gone out, immediately drop the bottle into the cold water. You will hear a cracking sound as the glass breaks apart.  

I just dropped the bottle instead of placing it in because I was nervous about the glass breaking, and the loud sound it made startled me!  

7. Carefully remove the string. You can untie it, cut it, or slide it off. Be careful and don’t cut yourself!  

8. Take damp sandpaper and sand all the edges of the new rims. Don’t forget to sand both the inside and outside edges thoroughly. You want to avoid any sharp edges.  

I also used an old nail file for any precise sanding I wanted to do.  

9. Dispose of the used sandpaper and nail file properly, and wash all dishes used in the process in the dishwasher. We don’t want any microglass particles getting into our systems.  

I plan to keep making these as I collect more bottles. I love the amber color, and this glass feels thicker than the cup sets I’ve previously purchased. I think I will now keep an eye out for cool glass bottles, and I might even buy a soda pack just for the colored glass. Next color, green!