How To Cut Wine Bottles For Candle Holders

How To Cut Wine Bottles For Candle Holders

As we enter 2021, protecting our beautiful planet is at the forefront of everyone’s minds. What better way to help the environment than to create a beautiful homemade candle holder out of your old wine bottles? It’s a great way to reuse items that we already have in our homes. One thing that often puts people off this fun project is concerns about cutting down the bottles safely at home as it involves setting fire to glass and can create a dramatic-looking smoking flame. However, when done properly, there is nothing at all to worry about. Let us walk you through the safe, simple way to do it.

Step one

Choose the perfect wine bottle. Wine bottles come in an array of sizes and colors, from green and blue to brownish. The hue of the glass will affect the tint of the glow from the flame. If you are creating a centerpiece arrangement, you may like these to be a uniform size and color. Alternatively, you may enjoy the visual drama of a more chaotic arrangement. Avoid using champagne bottles as the glass is always very thick - a deliberate design feature to prevent exploding bottles - making the process of home cutting more challenging than other bottles. The Alsace bottle, also known as Mosel, are made from thin glass and have slender, straight sides, making them the perfect bottle for a first-time DIY candle holder project. Once you’re more confident, you may like to try a Burgundy bottle or a Bordeaux.

Step two

Fill your sink halfway with cold water and ice cubes or ice chips. Use at least one bagfull if using cubes and two bags full if using chips. Don’t leave too long between this step and the next as the water will get warmer. Now for the scientific part: for the glass bottle to undergo a temperature shock, you need the water to be truly glacial.

Step three

Soak a length of thick string in acetone (nail polish remover) and wrap it around the bottom of your wine bottle. Alternatively, you can wrap the string around the bottle when it is dry and dab the acetone on using a wad of cotton wool. You’ll want to wrap it around a few inches above the base, which is usually where the label starts. Be generous with the amount of string you use; loop it around no fewer than three times and tie it tightly. Snip away any dangly bits of string as you want the flames close to the bottle itself.

Step four

For safety purposes you’ll want to hold your wine bottle directly over your sink, which you’ve pre-filled with cold water and ice cubes. Leave a window open, if possible, as the smoke fumes will not smell nice. You also don’t want to set off your fire alarm unnecessarily. Now, it's time to light the acetone-soaked string. To keep your fingers safe, we recommend that you use either a long gas stove lighter or cook’s matches. This is the stage that can make some people feel a little nervous, but rest assured that glass has a very strong melting point and will not break or shatter while the string is lit.

Step five

Gently roll the bottle around at a steady pace, either clockwise or counterclockwise, until the flame on the string goes out by itself. Then, place the base of the bottle into the sink. The sudden change in temperature, from red hot fire to ice cold water, will cause the glass base of the bottle beneath the string line to simply break away. The base usually comes off in one piece. However, if it does break into shards, these will be all together in your sink and easy to dispose of.

Step six

Now that your wine bottle has been cut, it is ready for you to place the candle of your choice inside and display it! One great trick is to suspend a simple tea light midway inside using wire. You could also suspend the entire wine bottle candle holder. If that isn’t your style, you can use larger candles and rest the candle holder on a flat surface. Cut wine bottles work well as quirky centerpieces for hosting at home or special occasions such as weddings. Cut wine bottles can also be used to make other beautiful repurposed crafts, such as this artisanal wind chime with its subtle seaside aesthetic.