Bench capper problem

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nick9one1

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i recently bought a used bench capper, but I having a problem with it. I can't seem to cap standard bottles unless I use a lot of force, to the point where I'm worried about breaking the bottle.

I've tried two types of caps, youngs red ones from tesco, and some cheaper black caps from my lhbs.

The capper seems to be in good condition, not seized or worn, and the bottles are kopperberg, although I have tried others with the same results.


Any ideas?

image.jpg
 
I wonder if the bell on the capper could be worn? This does happen but you should be able to unscrew it and put a new one on. What issue are you seeing when capping? Maybe you have to move the bell closer to the bottle to crimp the cap on with less effort.
 
Thanks.
I've tried a few different heights, both close to the bottle before pulling the handle, and further away.

It almost seems like the bell is too small, its extremely tight when I do manage to force it over the bottle cap.

I did wonder if it was for a different size of crown, but there only seems to be two main sizes available.
 
I've only generally ever seen 2 sizes of crown cap and bell (26mm for standard bottles and 29mm for champagne/Leffe/Hoegaarden bottles) but I'm sure that other sizes do exist. But if the capper you have bought was used for home brew I would guess it has the correct size of bell on it. Very strange.
 
My two handle lever style capper needs a lot of force sometimes and on most bottles it scares the sh1t out of me, but in the 200 or so bottles I've done with it only one ever broke and that was a wychwood (notorious buggers to cap at home). Have any actually broken? I've not used a bench capper but maybe that's just how it ensures a tight fit?
 

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