Cappers for different bottle shapes?

[matt76]

I have a hand capper that came with a Northern Brewer kit - does the job on most bottles but not all:

Left to right:
- "standard" neck is fine
- Hobgoblin is a bit fatter, it works but only just
- Doom Bar also works ok

But some bottles - notably Old Speckled Hen - don't seem to work with my hand capper, it just slips off the bottle when i try to crimp the cap on.

Is it worth shopping around for a better hand capper or are they all like this?

(I know many folks seem to rave about bench cappers as an alternative)

Cheers,

Matt

 

[Mavroz]

Bench capper..... Happlily caps all my bottles.

 

[Ninkasi]

As above. I've gone through 2 of the hand held cappers. Waste of time. I now have a bench capper and haven't look back. Superb piece of kit. Haven't had a bottle yet it couldn't top

 

[The Baron]

Yeah bench capper is the way to go and they last years compared to hand helds which begin to snap necks with age

 

[phildo79]

Swing top bottles mean you don't need caps or a capper. They also speed up the bottling process by quite a bit. Might be worth slipping the odd Grolsch bottle into the shopping trolley when you're at the supermarket.

 

[matt76]

Thanks all for your suggestions.

I've recently acquired a dozen swing tops, but longer term will look into a bench capper.

 

[Graz]

No need to spend any more than this on one:
http://www.thehomebrewcompany.co.uk...ed-suits-26mm-and-29mm-crown-caps-p-2187.html

Got one myself and it's fantastic.

 

[matt76]

No need to spend any more than this on one:
http://www.thehomebrewcompany.co.uk...ed-suits-26mm-and-29mm-crown-caps-p-2187.html

Got one myself and it's fantastic.

Thanks @Graz for the suggestion, i got one of those in the end. However...

When i bottled my last brew i gave it a whirl but it didn't seem to work so i went back to my trusty hand capper for the time being - the lesson there is practice or RTFM before you actually use it in anger!

Not to be deterred, i had a practice in the garage with the new bench capper this afternoon on a few different bottles - the capper was on the floor as i brew/bottle in the kitchen so fixing it to a bench is impractical.

I'm stunned how much force it takes! I was bearing down with most of my weight, fearing I'd break the bottles!

I got the hang of it in the end - eventually the tool slips over the bottle cap and you can see the difference in the shape of the skirt of the cap when it's properly fastened and when it isn't.

(Actually the bottle and cap were stuck in the tool and i had to gently twist them out!)

Is this normal or am i still doing something wrong? I thought maybe the tool the holds the cap will eventually bed in a bit - at the moment it seems a fraction new and "green" and too tight aunsure....


Suggestions welcome folks

Cheers,

Matt

 

[The Baron]

no sometimes they do stick in slightly especially when new just a twist and jiggle sorts it

 

[Ninkasi]

Are you adjusting the height of the lever so it sits just above the bottle before using?

 

[Mavroz]

Yes adjust the height to suit the bottle and yes the bottles have to be eased out of my capper with a twist, mine is an all metal, different brand.
I don't need much force whatsoever and can cap 40 ish bottles in around 5 mins or so if I get a move on.
The grip of the bottle is getting less as the capper is used more now, so the bottle needs the slightest of twists to release it.
I use the capper on the end of the kitchen worktop.

 

[matt76]

Are you adjusting the height of the lever so it sits just above the bottle before using?

Yes, that bit was obvious

 

[Graz]

Must admit when I first used mine I was a bit dubious as to how far to push the caps down and had to have a second go on a fair few of the bottles I'd done once I figured it out. You pull the lever down until it kind of clicks and it's easier to release a bottle with a fully crimped cap. I think it does also bed in a little with time. You can smear a little Vaseline on the inside of the bell too to help matters.

Easy once you get the hang of it though.

 

[matt76]

You can smear a little Vaseline on the inside of the bell too to help matters.

Easy once you get the hang of it though.

Always sounds advice this