Showcasing industrial style lamps and a candle holder from discarded objects.
Sonny’s suggestion to fellow crafters is always try doing new stuff. He tells us that he gets most of his supplies on the internet and flea markets.
Before taking a look at the unique bottle lamps and candle holder pictures Sonny sent us for our DIY Show Off page, take a moment to like Sonny’s Metal Art page and check out his craft videos on Facebook.
Most of the bottles Sonny uses in his designs are liquor bottles.
How did you attach the skull to the base? The skull is held on by drilling a hole in the bottle top and putting in a threaded rod for lamps in the hole. Then I glue a fitting to the top and screw that into a pipe fitting. I find the top that is used in bars for poring liquor works great. You just need to remove the metal spout and insert a threaded lamp rod.
The following dual purpose steam punk lamp is not an old fashion radio like I thought, it’s some kind of electrical tester.
Do you know what kind of tester this is? Leave us a comment below.
And last, but not least, we have a cut bottle candle holder.
Are you interested in learning how to cut your own bottles? Check out our Beer Bottle Cutting 101 article explaining the glass cutting process and tool suggestions.
We appreciate Sonny’s creativity and thank him for allowing us to share his work on our DIY Show Off page.
Visit Sonny’s Metal Art website to get in contact with him or to commission a lamp or other unique art piece. He’s working to bring dreams to life!
Do you have a DIY project you would like to show off?
Submit your entry – include your picture(s), your name and a description and/or any tips you would like to share with us and our readers. If you have an online store or blog you can also include the web address and we will link back to you.
Turn your favorite beer bottle into a drinking glass or flower vase.
With all the craft beer companies popping up all over the country, bottle designs have become pretty darn cool. I’m sure you have at least one favorite brew that you found simply because the label caught your eye or the name of the brewery was too hilarious to pass by.
What do you do with all those cool bottles?
Cut the glass so you can use them over and over. Hey, what’s cooler than drinking your favorite beer out of a glass cut from the beer bottle? Cut a whole six pack set for a friend or turn it into a tall glass vase for your girl-friend or wife.
Beer bottles with the logo painted directly on the bottle work best. If you use a bottle with a printed label, be careful, or paint over it with a coat of Modgepodge sealer to preserve the label.
Wash the bottle thoroughly with warm water and soap.
Score the beer bottle with the glass cutting tool of your choice.
We have several article reviews for bottle cutters that work well. If you have a square bottle then the Creators Bottle Cutter is your only option. You will be able to score beer bottles, wine bottles, square bottles, triangular bottles, oval bottles. Just about any bottle with a flat bottom.
Next, you will need to use the hot/cold water process to separate your beer bottle.
Heat up some water in an electric water kettle and either pour it over the bottle or set it inside the pot. Immediately after you use the hot water, hold the bottle under cold water until you hear a click and the bottle separates. It’s best to practice this process a few times!
Be careful and wear protection! The bottle sections may separate when the bottle is either in the hot water or the cold.
Smoothing The Glass Top Fit For A King
Before you can drink out of your newly crafted beer glass you will have to smooth out the edges. Use the sanding paper that came with your bottle cutter or purchase some regular sanding paper at your local hardware store. 60 – 120 grit works great!
Use a combination of circular motions and bottle rotations!
Emerge your sandpaper in a shallow pan and slowly rub the sharp edges of your new glass. Always ensure that the portion of glass you’re sanding is submerged in the water. If you’re making a drinking glass sand the inner and outer lips as well. They will both make contact with your mouth and you don’t want to cut yourself when you’re using your new beer glass.
If you’re ready to cut a bunch of bottles than think about getting a set of Saber Tooth Diamond Sanding Pads. They’re a huge time saver!
The End Result Is A Cool Drinking Glass…
… fill with scented soy wax for a calming candle or stick some flowers in the beer bottle and turn it into a vase. Voila!
Turning empty Beer Bottles into Awesome Drinking Glasses or Home Decor has never been easier!
Share your favorite off-the-wall brewery with us. Leave a comment below.
Classy Garbage has been up cycling bottles since 2012. We got a look into share just a few of the many up-cycled bottle crafts that are offer through their Etsy
Here is your complete list of tools to convert your old glass bottles into something artistically functional. Remember that the best laid plans are nothing without planning.
Let’s get the obvious out of the way: The empty bottle. You’ve seen the pictures and now you want to create a bottle lamp for yourself. If you have a special bottle set aside then let’s move on. No bottle yet? Try bars and restaurants that may just throw their empties away. You might have to do some dumpster diving but consider this as part of your adventure.
The tools that you will need. A screw driver, safety glasses, gloves, drill. This is a pretty generalized list but it will all come in handy for your project. The safety equipment should really be emphasized here. Why let a weekend project ruin your fun or dramatically alter the quality of your life? Wear the glasses and gloves while your drilling the bottle. Your eyes and hands will thank you later.
The parts to purchase. The bottle lamp kit, and the glass drilling drill bits. Your lamp shade can be purchased or if your feeling really adventurous, you could make one as well. I said adventurous from my own personal perspective. Some people accept this as a challenge and others not so much. We’ll leave that choice up to you.
You are ready to begin! If you would like detailed instructions on the bottle lamp making process then you might want to check out “How To Make A Bottle Lamp DIY Tutorial“. This article also has a link to our video as well.
Finding Bottle Lamp inspiration on the Pinterest boards can be a little over-whelming. Don’t let that stop you from exploring! We’ve showcased some of our favorite pins on the site and compiled them all for you right here.
The Kraken bottle is so unique it’s actually a crime to simply throw it away. Doesn’t it just scream ‘Up-cycle’ to you
These five bottle lamp pins really showcase nicely what you can do with an empty glass bottle. Be sure to check out Our Pinterest Craft Ideas Board to find many more project ideas, tool recommendations and how-to tips.
Don’t forget! Pinterest allows you to share your bottle craft project pictures on your and other people’s boards. Don’t be shy or afraid to put yourself out there and share your latest craft creation with the world.
Leave us a comment below and let us know what you think of these pins.
Ready to make your own bottle crafts? On our blog you will find all the step by step instructions and resources you need to get started. Check out our DIY videos and supply page to get you going. Don’t hesitate to ask questions, we are here to help!
The Creator’s has done it once again, they improved upon their bottle cutting tool selection with the Cyclone bottle cutter.
Cyclone – a system of winds that rotates about a center of low pressure
From the original Creator’s Bottle Cutter to the ‘Over The Top Bottle Cutter’ and their super handy ‘Bottle Neck Cutter’, they already have a great selection of tools for glass bottle artists. With the new Cyclone Bottle Cutter, you will find that you can easily cut all of your favorite bottles plus it’s an all-in-one package.
My First Impression
The Creator’s Cyclone Bottle Cutter arrived in a 4″ x 8″ box . This was already a departure from the previous bottle cutters that Creator’s has made which came in much larger boxes. This might seem like a minor point but I’ve always had it in my head that if I ever wanted to pack a bottle cutter up to take with me on a trip, then this would be an issue.
The Cyclone is light weight and easy to assemble.
I was up and in running in no time. Have you ever received instructions that looked like they were printed on bar napkins? Not the case here. The Cyclone comes with full 8 1/2″ x 11″ color instructions to make this whole process a breeze. Once again, I appreciate the attention to details that the Creator’s put into packaging all their bottle cutting products.
The contents of the box include: The Cyclone Bottle Cutter (neon colored cylindrical tube with the logo etched into it), reducing sleeve, spacer disk, twist a cap, a pair of safety glasses, and a sanding stone.
As you can see in the picture below, the scoring wheel comes attached with an adjustable screw to the bottle cutter itself. It is fully adjustable and can be moved to the outside of the Cyclone.
Implementation Of The Cyclone
I was eager to get started with my new Cyclone bottle cutter so I grabbed just a regular sized beer bottle to begin with. Using the reducing sleeve allowed the bottle to move in closer to the scoring wheel. Since the Cyclone itself is not adjustable, using the sleeve will help with smaller sized bottles.
Using the spacer disk is optional, but it makes sense to have it as your base to turn the bottle on. The ‘Twist A Cap’ is a nice touch as well, because you really want to be able to make your bottle rotation in one even smooth turn, if possible.
Let’s not overlook one of the most crucial elements for cutting glass and that’s the safety glasses. It only takes a minute to unwrap the glasses that come with this bottle cutter and then put them on. You never know when a bottle might break and glass shards go flying!
With all of the components in play the scoring process was done before I knew it.
The clear plastic parts allowed me to see where I was at in the rotation of the bottle so there was little chance of over scoring my separation line. Both ends of the score line met perfectly and I was ready to continue with separating. Check out glass separation video on youtube.
The perfect break came easily and once again the Creator’s bottle cutter impressed upon me how much easier these bottle cutting projects can be with the proper equipment.
Just one of the many projects you can do with your Cyclone Bottle Cutter
My Final Impression
For a compact bottle cutter you really have to appreciate how diversified the Cyclone Bottle Cutter is.
By making a few minor adjustments to the main bottle cutter component (simply remove the cutting wheel and place it on the outside) you will be able to score both larger bottles and square bottles with ease.
Multiple parts can make the cutter a little cumbersome to store unless you keep it in the box it came in. This is a very minor inconvenience considering how well all the parts of this bottle cutter work together.
Affordably priced and designed for multiple uses, the Cyclone Bottle Cutter is the better bottle cutter in this price range. Priced for a limited time at under $40. Invented, Designed, Sourced, and Made Just For You In The USA!
There are a lot of bottle lamp kits on the market that offer the straightforward parts to help construct your next DIY project. But if too many choices seems to only confuse you rather then offer constructive ideas, we will offer you a more simplistic approach.
The Wine Bottle Cork lamp
This bottle lamp will have you up and running in no time at all. You simply attach the cork to your empty wine bottle and plug it in. The only downside that some might see to this is that the electrical cord simply flows down the back of the bottle. This may make the lamp a little unsteady but a bottle filler should help remedy this problem.
The GE Bottle Lamp Kit
This standard bottle lamp kit has proven to be the most reliable. All the components that you need are in this kit. A slight modification to the rubber ring in the bottle neck may be needed. Unlike the previous bottle lamp kit, glass drilling may be required to allow the electrical cord to run through to the bottom of the bottle. If the thought of drilling glass intimidates you the you can always run the cord out of the socket and run it down the back of the bottle.
Drilling the bottle will require the proper tools to drill glass. You will be adding an additional step to your bottle lamp making but the end result will be well worth the effort, A rubber grommet for the electrical cord that runs out of the bottle will give your lamp a nice finished look.
The Harp Lamp bottle kit
Our last bottle lamp kit is similar to the previous one with the exception of the lamp shade holder. If your lamp has a harp, you will need a shade with a spider fitter. The spider fitter sits on top of the harp, is secured by a finial, and is integrated in the lampshade. If you have picked out a lamp shade then this will help you decide which bottle lamp kit will work best for you.
Seasons greetings! I can’t believe another year is winding down. It’s been amazing to see everyone’s bottle craft pictures on social media. One of the highlights that we’ve seen is the Instagram page for the Bottle Lamp Community. The #BLCproject currently has over 700 posts. Thank you to everyone who has contributed and please keep them coming.
If your new to the BLCproject (Bottle Lamp Community project) then let me bring you up to speed. The Instagram page that we set up to curate bottle art pictures became overwhelmed with contributions from our readers. So to simplify the whole process we created the hash tag that would allow everyone to submit their pictures without the hassle of waiting for us to re-post them. Voila, the project has taken off and daily submissions are happening.
Both Silke and I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of our readers for making this web-site possible. We enjoy your spirit of creativity and your comforting words of encouragement.
