Broken bottles worth keeping, selling, donating, chucking

[Mailman1960]

You missed my point, were better than the average bear at finding what you need to survive.

But it is nice to see that you have such a rosy outlook

 

[Newtothiss]

You missed my point, were better than the average bear at finding what you need to survive.

I have no doubt about some our survival skills..

Having to provide food, water, security, ect. in its entirety.... not much time left for bottle hunting..

Though I do very much understand where you're comin' from.

 

[DeepSeaDan]

Thanks Dan, I appreciate your taking the time to elaborate since "glass cutter" is a pretty broad category.

EDIT: I watched the video. That looks like a pretty well thought-out device. I especially like the spring plunger to exert consistent pressure during scoring.

Very welcome, Willong! And yes, that spring feature is excellent; you just need to apply sufficient downward force while releasing the spring pressure, to keep the bottle from being forced upward. That can be tricky, depending on the nature of the damage to the bottle. Wear cut-proof gloves! I typically score right on the circumferential mold line of a 3-part mold bottle. I also make a mark on the glass with an indelible black marker, to indicate my starting point. I rotate the bottle around, then past the mark line about a 1/4", then back to the line. I then take the scored bottle & rotate it just above the flame-tip of a candle, using my phone's stop-watch feature to time the heating. You'll see tiny bits of glass ejecting from the score line area, so wear safety glasses and a mask. Heating time is a function of the thickness of the glass, though I stay on the conservative side of heating time ( many of the bottles I've cut have considerable variation in glass wall thickness ). IMMEDIATELY after heating, submerge the bottle in a bucket of ice water; if you're lucky, the glass will separate instantly & you'll have a nice, clean edge. If it doesn't separate, dry the bottle & re-heat it / re-dunk it. Sometimes it takes several heatings to achieve the desired result. I've found this technique to be the best method to minimize the risk of cracks forming. As you can imagine, the newly formed edges are very sharp, so handle with care! This concludes "Glass Bottle Cutting 101"!

 

[New England Digger]

Hello,

I moved into a new cottage and found a number of old, but broken bottles in the garage - presumably left by the previous owner. Since they look old, before I get rid of them I though i would check if they were worth something to someone. They have "Tyrer London SE" and "Cathedral Brand" written on them. Any info would be appreciated. thanks

I had several broken/colorful bottles that I took and cleaned and then covered with a towel and took a hammer to them; making shards. Then I took a 'shadow box' and replaced the back with clear glass and placed them between the two pieces of glass. It makes a good keepsake and conversation piece. My frame was flat sided so I could place it on the sill of a window to better show the shards/colors. Give it a try!