MAKE RECYCLED-GLASS WIND CHIMES

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BOTTLE RECYCLING

The first step in making wind chimes, of course, is to gather up bottles ... soak 'em in hot water . . . and scrub away the labels (make certain that you remove all the glue under the "wrapping", too, or your glass will have a frosted appearance) and dirt . . . although I find it's easier to finish cleaning the inside of the containers after their bottoms have been cut off.

Actually, you don't really "cut" the bottles ... you just make them break apart, and—no matter what kind of kit you're using—the principle remains the same.

Wearing work gloves to avoid burns and cuts, use a diamond-tipped tool to score a line around the bottle at each point where you want it to break. Space the scored rings approximately one inch apart, except for those made on champagne and other very thick wine bottles ... which can be as close as half an inch.

Then, with a candle flame or other heat source (in the case of my cutter, a hot electric wire), you heat up the score line . . . apply ice water with an eye dropper . . . and the sudden change in temperature will cause the glass to crack. All you have to do then is grasp that section and break it off. (Sometimes the cold liquid makes the glass fracture so suddenly that a ring will pop off by itself, so be alert and ready to catch the piece if this should happen.)

Once the bottom is off the bottle, you can wipe the dirt from the inside with a rag or paper towel, but be extremely careful, because the sharp edges can give you a nasty gash!

LOAD AND FIRE

With your rings cut, it's time to cover the kiln floor and all the shelves with a good layer of calcium carbonate. Next place the glass doughnuts in the kiln . . . making sure they're about 1-1/2 inches apart in all directions and the same distance from any posts and from the shelves' edges. Because hot air rises, the bottom of the kiln will stay a little bit cooler than the top, and—since brown glass will "slump" (or melt and collapse into the appealing shapes shown in the photos) at a slightly lower temperature than other colors—it should go on the floor and lower shelves ... clear glass should then be placed in the middle ... and green up above.

If you want to fuse two or more pieces together (as I often do to form the top segment of the wind chime), place one glass ring so that its edge overlaps the rim of another (of either the same or a different color). Double-ring combinations mustin order to fuse the two pieces-always be placed on the very top shelf ... as should any extra-thick circles.

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