by Jim Boettger

Back in 2012, M.E.S. and I decided to start saving our Red Stripe and Rolling Rock bottles to make glasses out of them. Making cups from soda-lime glass bottles was nothing new to me. I was a recent graduate of Alfred University where I studied glassblowing and I had seen many experiments involving similar setups.

We began collecting bottles that interested us. One thing that we look for is bottles with screen-printed enamel paint. Unlike a paper label, the enamel can withstand the heat of the kiln and ends up on the finished glass. I bought a small glass kiln, a bernzomatic map torch, and we were ready to start making glasses.

Travis Adenau, another co-founder of Overcast Design LLC got us in touch with The Mission Restaurant who was interested in using our glasses in their restaurant. Using their bottles we cut, fire polish them and return them.