I forgot to post this simple project I did for the Christmas season. My mail carrier asked what products I offered when she would make daily pickups of packages that I send to everyone. To help explain to her, I made her a gift using a few of the products we offer customers which are:
- Glass etching and sandblasting supplies
- Glass bottle cutters
- Candle making supplies
To show my appreciation, I made her this etched glass container candle from a wine bottle. It basically says, “Mail Carrier of the Year: 2019” and has her name at the end.
It is just one little project idea that I thought I would share to give you some ideas.
If you decided to make a candle and etch it, I suggest you etch the glass container first so no sandblast abrasive gets embedded in the wax.
How Deep Should I Etch Candle Glass
Since wine bottles aren’t as thick as regular candle glass containers, they are more likely to break from the flames on the wicks. Believe me, I have had a few of these bottle candles crack and make a rather loud explosion sound.
How to prevent glass from breaking
With that said, you should:
- Lightly etch the surface or etch it slightly below the surface at most.
- Use a thin candle wick, that melts the wax just enough to the edge. Sometimes testing wicks is something that needs to be done.
As you can see in this other photo, I etched this design slightly below the surface.
Wine Bottles into Candles Kits
If you are interested in cutting bottles and turning them into candle gifts, we offer a few different options below:
- Deluxe Candle Making & Bottle Cutter Kit– with Glass Bottle Cutter, 2 LB Soy Wax, 2 Scents, Wicks + Holders & Pitcher.
- Starter Candle Making & Bottle Cutter Kit: everything included in the deluxe kit except the pitcher since many folks can get around without them.
- Complete Candle Making Kit– everything included to make candles except the bottle cutter.
- Bulk Wax & Wicks Kits– these are kits with larger quantities of wax and wicks, plus 2 wick holders included.
Have You Made Any Projects?
If you made any cut bottle projects or etched candles, please let me know. If you are open to sharing photos and being featured on the blog, please upload them here.
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Ed, where do u get your photo resist? I have used Rezist for years , like their products, but gotten very expensive also do u have source for flash glass?
Thanks for sending that over to me that’s an awesome idea.
I have a bottle cutter that I’ve had for a while that I haven’t tried might have to get that out and see how it does.
What do you use on the cut rim to smooth that off do you use a wet or dry sandpaper are what is a easy way to get that smooth so nobody gets cut from that.
Thanks Lane
Thank you Eric for sending me this 😀 I have etched all kinds of glass. Wine bottles make awesome etchings. I have frosted wine bottles that I will be etching and putting mini lights inside.
@ F Sherron, I use both Rayzist and Ikonics Imaging. This project was just done with a vinyl cutter- the vinyl is very inexpensive but requires weeding out the pieces which can take time depending on how detailed the design is. This probably only took a couple minutes to weed the stencil.
@Lane, I use wet silicon carbide sandpaper which is provided in our kits. Sometimes I use our diamond carbide sanding blocks which we provide too. I start with 60 grit, then 120, followed by 400.
@Suzanne, definitely! It is a good item to practice on too.