Trash to Treasure
W. J. Wheeler
Glass Technician
University of Wisconsin
Madison, Wisconsin

In this article I will describe the processes to convert bottles normally disposed of as trash into usable glasses for the table or bar. The bottles I use are those with the fired-on ceramic ink labels that will survive firing, annealing, and subsequent handling and dishwashing. There are a number of sources of bottles of this type, (Figure 1), and the novelty of drinking from a salvaged bottle, along with the ease of producing the cut-off bottles, makes it a worth while project for the glassblower. I will describe the processes I use in my shop, along with two single ended homemade lathes for making the cutting and fire polishing the open ends.

The bottles are made from soda lime, (soft) glass, and do not require much different techniques than used in normal glassblowing of the hard glasses. Because of the high coefficent of expansion of this glass, some extra care has to be given to heat up the cut end slowly. Once slowly heated , strong gas and oxygen flames can be used to round off the cut edge. Once the edge is rolled up, and heated off at the strain point close to the fired edge, it can be oven annealed at 555 degrees C. in the same oven with Pyrex ware. There is a chapter describing this process in my book, "Getting Started in Glassblowing", however, I will enlarge on the previously printed notes, with more detail and descriptions of suitable rotating devices to produce glasses quickly and cheaply.

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