Bottle Incense Burner

Turn any decorative (i use wine bottles) bottle into an ashless incense burner. With less than seven dollars worth of diamond chip dremel bits, you can drill a hole to allow airflow in a nice bottle without shattering the glass.

Wear a dust mask, cause' glass powder isn't good for the lungs. Eye protection is always a good shot too!

Step 1 Pick a Bottle

Pick a bottle that you would deem fit for an incense burner. Get a Dremel tool (if you don't already have one) and a cheap box of diamond chip bits from a flea market or some cheapo store.
Check this size bit. I choose this shape to go in at a slight angle so it is more like you are digging out the glass
rather than wildly spinning through it like on a drill press or the like.

Comments

[oking]

A split ring is easier to work with.

The diamond tool is just one method. Most hardware store sell a glass bit for a drill. I've used it with acceptable results. The method being shown here look much better and I bet the tool could be used to engrave the glass later.

[sillyzombie666]

i still want to make one of theses but have yet to get the drill bit

[bigbubblesoap]

Decorative paper clips in various designs also works to hold incense. I found mine at an office supply store. They may come in a box of 12, so that is enough for everyone on your gift list.
I also thought of decorating the bottle with glass decals, better yet, maybe some glass etching designs using etching paste.

[headlessbubble]

I made this and absolutely love it! thanks for sharing great instructable!

[.happy.hippie.]

putting the end of the incense into a keyring that doesn't fall into the bottle is what i do

[jspyrogram]

I made one of these. I couldn't get the incense to stay lit even though I made 4 holes around the bottom about an inch and a half up from the bottom of a tall coke bottle. Any have any ideas what I may have done wrong?

[daxdrone]

hey jspyrogram, I just started making these myself and the same very issue. I tried a more "true" incense as WUVIE suggested. That didn't change the out come. What I did was but a series of holes vertically one the bottle. I did 3-4 holes about an 1 inch to 2 inches apart(depending on the size of the bottle) using 1/4 inch diamond drill bit. I found that three work best, because the bottle filled with smoke which looked really cool. This is what has worked for me. Now all my friends and coworkers want one, this is a great and fun project.

[WUVIE]

Hello Jspy, it may not have been the bottle, but your incense. Many of the incense sticks sold at convenience stores, box stores, etc. are not worthy of burning, won't stay lit, and don't smell good at all. Shopping malls and smoking stores often carry Nag Champa, Super Hit and other true incense. When you buy incense, it should be fresh, with a seal even better. :-)

[theRIAA]

why hold it? just let it drop

[fleanine]

To_ theRIAA: (about the "why hold it?" question) you need the clips or a keyring ( you can wedge the incense stick into the keyring and let that sit on the top of the bottle, suspending the top of the incense to lower part of the bottle) to allow the incense to burn. if you just "dropped" it in, the part that was lit would either hit the bottom or one of the sides and stop burning.

[theRIAA]

put sand in the bottom?

[J@50n]

Sand and flame don't mix to well.....

[leevonk]

you could maybe drill a thin hole lengthwise through the bottles cork, and stick the base of the incense into it each time. squishy property of cork should make it easy to stick in and take out the incense, and it would look a lot better.

[fleanine]

good idea. i think that may cut down on the airflow though. since the smoke rises, it kinda likes to escape out the top. the side hole is more to allow for air intake. i guess you could put another hole toward the top, but why do that when there is already one there? whatever... i am sure there is probably a hundred ways to do this shyt. whatever floats your boat.

[WUVIE]

Imagine this! I have been searching for an Affentaler bottle for years, as well as always wanting to make one of these nifty incense holders. So here I sit looking up an Instructable, lo and behold you have both in one! Way cool! Off to Ebay to search for Spatburgunder once more! Karen Marie

[seanhexed]

Another good way to do the incense hanging bit on these is to use a treble fishing hook (the ones with three prongs) that's large enough for the prongs to fit around the top of the bottle. Then clip the points & barbs off, file the ends all nice, and pinch the flanges of the alligator clip around the part of the hook where you'd tie the fishing line. It's nice because it can't drop in and doesn't restrict airflow.

[theking]

SWEET

[stonebrew]

Just a little advice. Fill the bottle up with water, submerge under water in your kitchen sink and then start drilling. This works great in helping to keep the glass and drill bit cool. Heat from the friction is one of the main causes of the glass breaking.

[macher00]

I've used a bit made for drilling ceramic tile to do things like this.

[zjgz]

my dad used to do the same things with wine bottles, you could also use an arizona tea bottle, and since the neck is wider on those bottles you don't need to drill any holes

[MargART]

this is way cool. funny thing is, my mom actually bought one of these for me.

[AnimalChin]

A few years ago I tried making these with a "glass cutting" drill bit. The experiment resulted in 7 or 8 broken bottles. Glass cutting bit my ass!

The diamond bit makes all the difference. I just made 2 of these in less than 10 minutes.

Remember: rotary tools work on speed, *not* power. Don't try adding too much pressure to the bottle, and make sure your bit doesn't stray and you'll have a perfect hole when you're done - instead of scratch marks and dents like mine.

Excellent Instructable.

[AnimalChin]

Also: A dime-sized is probably overkill. A quarter-inch should be plenty.