Breaking bottles when capping!

The Homebrew Forum

Help Support The Homebrew Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

BeerCat

Landlord.
Joined
May 6, 2015
Messages
5,292
Reaction score
1,694
Location
East and West Grimblestbottom under the rye
Just bottled up my Swartzbier and managed to break another 3 bottles. Broke 4 doing my Punk IPA and often seem to break 2 or 3 every time i bottle. As you can imagine its really pissing me off. I had a knackered wilko capper which i replaced with one of the same. Thought about getting a bench capper but all my bottles are different. The bottles all break just under the cap. Could also be dangerous. Your advice is most welcome.
 
I found my problem with the hand capper was the magnet was not securing properly therefore causing the cap to offset and hence broken bottles.I now just place the cap on the bottle to cap and no more broken bottles 👍

Sent from my ALE-L21
 
I found my problem with the hand capper was the magnet was not securing properly therefore causing the cap to offset and hence broken bottles.I now just place the cap on the bottle to cap and no more broken bottles 👍

Sent from my ALE-L21

Aha that's what i have always done. At least i know i am not the only one. I should buy a bench capper as i am throwing money down the drain breaking them.
 
I only used my hand capper once, went straight out and bought a bench capper. Try and organise your bottles into size. Bottle one lot at one size, then adjust for the next size.
 
Ditto on the "never broke a bottle" (touch wood!) ... :thumb:

... but always had a bench capper! :whistle:

Hated having to adjust the capper for different height of bottles ...

... so I dumped all capped bottles that weren't at the same height as the 48 x 500ml ones that I bought from Grimsby Homebrew shop.
 
The ones I have seen all have an "up or down" adjustment so I guess they all do the same job.

A few of them have adaptors that allow for bigger or smaller caps and some even have "corking" attachments for wine making.

However, this is the one I have ...

http://www.homebrewcentregy.com/bench-capper-for-crown-caps

... and although it's no big deal to adjust the height of the capper for each bottle, it just adds a "buggeration factor" on bottling day that I can well do without!
 
I got a cheapish OMAC bench capper. Basic design, but all metal parts and very sturdy. The bottles do have to be the same size, give or take a few mm, but adjusting it isn't too much of a chore. There are two others I have seen which are more expensive, but seem like design improvements. One is the the HBC supreme one, which has rotating arms instead of a lever. I suppose this allows the bell to travel a greater distance, and thus require less adjustment for bottles of different size. The other has a spring loaded base, which claims to not require adjustments for any bottle size, though I can't remember where I saw it.
 
I got this one for 21.95 and have capped hundreds of bottles with it. Can't understand why anyone would want to continue with a hand capper for that price. Adjusting it for different height bottles takes a second or so.
http://www.thehomebrewcompany.co.uk...ed-suits-26mm-and-29mm-crown-caps-p-2187.html

I also have this one. £19 from Geterbrewed. Capped around 50 bottles of all sizes and shapes so far with no problems. Willko hand capper fell to bits after 3 bottling days
 
Broke another 3 bottles today. It seems to be the thin long neck ones that go. Have some gnarly fox and they cap a dream. Going through my bottles and throwing some out. Bench capper is still on my want list though.
Sounds like you getting a bench capper is more of a when, not if. :thumb: Once you do you won't regret it and you will wonder why you didn't get one sooner. So if were me I would hang on to your thin neck bottles until the magic day arrives. Waste not, want not.
 
I found my problem with the hand capper was the magnet was not securing properly therefore causing the cap to offset and hence broken bottles.I now just place the cap on the bottle to cap and no more broken bottles 👍

Sent from my ALE-L21

I do this after giving them a bath in Starsan, never broke a bottle.
 
The Wilko/Youngs cappers are c##p.Have a good hand capper now,excellent.
Never broke a bottle though!!!!!!!!!!
 
Back
Top