LTownLiquorPig
Well-Known Member
About half way through capping my first batch and the capper broke. The bell some how came un-threaded and stuck to a bottle. WTF as the kids say......
Any hot tips?
Any hot tips?
Help! Bell from wing capper stuck on a bottle.......
- Thread starter LTownLiquorPig
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runningweird
Well-Known Member
take a picture because I have never heard of this happening. as for the rest of the beer try looking up the diy capper from Alaskan bootleggers bible
TheBroonery
Well-Known Member
Lubricate the bell with mineral oil (not mineral spirits!)
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LTownLiquorPig
Well-Known Member
Trying to find the camera......
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LTownLiquorPig
Well-Known Member
This is what I'm dealing with. Now that I've calmed down a little I see I only have 8 bottles left to cap, but DAMN.
Been waiting to be capped for an hour, should I just pour them out and clean up?
Been waiting to be capped for an hour, should I just pour them out and clean up?
boley
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I have the same capper you do. I just messed around with mine and found out the bell piece can come unscrewed. See the threads inside the top of the bell? Those go onto a stem that surrounds the base of the magnet.
Since I don't see any red plastic down in the threaded area of your bell, I don't think you snapped it off. Try placing the wing capper over the bell and threading it back on properly. You might be able to finish capping that beer and then get the bell off.
Good luck.
Since I don't see any red plastic down in the threaded area of your bell, I don't think you snapped it off. Try placing the wing capper over the bell and threading it back on properly. You might be able to finish capping that beer and then get the bell off.
Good luck.
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LTownLiquorPig
Well-Known Member
Boley: Been trying to thread it back on, but with the bell stuck on a capped bottle I don't have the clearance to get the magnet rod deal far enough down to make contact with the threads. .................................
I didn't look at mine but that is exactly what I thought when I saw the threads on the inside of the bell.
Edit: From your pic it looks like the bell is off the bottle. The bottle is really dark.
Try to hold the bottle with an oven mitt and gently tapping the bottom of the bell with a hammer.
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LTownLiquorPig
Well-Known Member
Yeah, the pic was supposed to show the bottle being held up by the bell, but too close and too dark a background.
Oh well, I have two full milk crates full of bottles, the beers I don't have capped wouldn't have stored neatly anyway.......... That's what I'll keep telling myself......
Oh well, I have two full milk crates full of bottles, the beers I don't have capped wouldn't have stored neatly anyway.......... That's what I'll keep telling myself......
boley
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Ughh, I see what you mean. Personally I would probably resort to the violent use of hand tools at this point. I can think of multiple creative ways to sacrifice one bottle and cap to get my capper bell back. I don't nessessarilly suggest this course of action, but if you do be sure to wear safety glasses and heavy gloves. :cross:
You could try to put it in a soda bottle. Not the best but it will hold the carbonation and since you are going to throw out the beer anyway, it won't hurt.
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LTownLiquorPig
Well-Known Member
Tried the mineral oil, didn't come off.
Got all but 1.5 bottles into a 2L Pepsi bottle, all I had with the cap still on. It's an oatmeal stout, so it actually looks like Pepsi too, weird.....
Drank the half bottle I had left over, and it wasn't too bad. A little sweeter than I expected, but I think they'll do nicely.
Got all but 1.5 bottles into a 2L Pepsi bottle, all I had with the cap still on. It's an oatmeal stout, so it actually looks like Pepsi too, weird.....
Drank the half bottle I had left over, and it wasn't too bad. A little sweeter than I expected, but I think they'll do nicely.
So it is still stuck? That is weird.
At least you got most of it in bottles.
Yeah the flavors should all mellow out with conditioning.
It shouldn't be that hard to remove. The cap must not be crimped all the way flat if the bell is really stuck on it. You should be able to put a leather glove on,& pull/wiggle to loosen it & get it off. Or maybe have someone hold it on the edge of a work table,& use a tack hammer & drift punch. Put the drift punch down through the bell onto the cap,& carefully tap the bottle out of the bell.
I have to do that with sockets & old bolts/lug nuts occasionally.
I have to do that with sockets & old bolts/lug nuts occasionally.
Mpavlik22
Well-Known Member
LTownLiquorPig said:
It may be sweet due to the priming sugar you added.
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LTownLiquorPig
Well-Known Member
Got the cap off, used a rubber mallet and the edge of the work bench, bottle opener style. Best part was the cap didn't come off with the bell.
I hope it was the priming sugar. I've spent the last 3-4 weeks looking for something to go wrong. Paranoia setting in pretty badly, almost like I'm on the dope again.
I hope it was the priming sugar. I've spent the last 3-4 weeks looking for something to go wrong. Paranoia setting in pretty badly, almost like I'm on the dope again.
It'll taste a hell of a lot less sweet with carbon dioxide in there. Don't worry, fella.
I just had the same thing happen to my capper. I was almost to the point of breaking the bottle to try and recover the bell. I read this and was able to tap it off with a hammer and retread it once I got it off the bottle. Thank you!!! I'm back in business!
andrewf1985
Well-Known Member
Had almost the same issue with my capper (same as yours) except i wondered why mine just fell out when i took it off the bottle. You'll check every time you use it to make sure its tight on the handle. Not had any issues since then other then a few wonky caps
petey_c
Senior Member
Now that you got it off, how about rinsing both threads off with rubbing alcohol, let it dry and add a couple of drops of loctite before you screw it back on. Unless you have to use the threads to adjust it. I don't use cappers, so I'm just guessing.
