Bottle Cappers: Dimple Good, NO Dimple Bad??

I've bottled 2 batches with my Red Baron wing capper. The first two batches I didn't really try to get the "dimple" on the caps. But somehow it got into my head that the dimple is an indicator of a good seal, so on the 3rd batch, I used force to get the dimple, and I got it... But I was afraid I was going to crush the bottles (thats how much force I used).

So, I thought maybe my Red Baron was defective and I bought a bench capper. When I was practicing with the new bench capper last night, I realized that it too didn't dimple unless I use significant force. In fact, more force than my wife could probably exert 50+ times (and she is the capper in the assembly line).

Question is: can you put my mind at ease and let me know if the dimple is necessary for a good seal? When I don't get the dimple it seems the bottle caps are sealing well, but I've just got to know if I NEED the dimple.

boil your caps to sanitize and before they get to cold, it will be hot, cap your beers and you will have a good seal.

I rarely get a dimple. When I do I adjust the capper bell so it stops doing it, although I know some are not adjustable. You do not need to apply your body weight to the capper or anything.

Very few of mine have the dimple, from my experience it isnt needed.

I have seen it go both ways and have had some issues with capping that I resolved. I noticed that with the bench capper the more force I used the less likely it would cap correctly. Now I just adjust the capper to the bottle size and I have had less issues. Some of my caps dimple and some don't. I also check every bottle after I finish capping. It takes an extra 5 min or so but it is worth it to me.

whalenutz said:

boil your caps to sanitize and before they get to cold, it will be hot, cap your beers and you will have a good seal.

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I though that was just for the old school bottle caps. I have not boiled bottle caps in years. I just soak them in Star San for 30 seconds or so.

I have wondered the same thing, so I bottled half a batch with dimple and half without, using a Wing Capper such as yours.

Both kept seals and achieved sufficient carbonation. I could not draw any significant differences between the two.

Sometimes I get the dimple, sometimes I don't. It just seems random. I haven't had any issues with the bottles either way.

When you use a wing capper, you don't want to apply any downward force on the bottle. The capper will apply the force on the cap for you. You want to lever the handles down as if you were bending something in the air rather than pushing the handles downward. When I cap, the bottle actually comes up off the floor slightly as I finish capping it.

I don't heat sanitize my caps. I just lay out a half dozen or so from the bag at a time and spray them down with Starsan.

If you boil caps it can take the oxtgen barrier off. just drop in sanitizer

The capper shouldn't dimple the cap.

Edit: Wow, you guys answered really fast.

zman said:

I though that was just for the old school bottle caps. I have not boiled bottle caps in years. I just soak them in Star San for 30 seconds or so.

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it seems to help with my caps or im just weird

I prefer for mine to not have the dimple. If I get a dimple I feel as if I've capped it poorly/improperly. Most bottles don't have the dimple but a few do. Very little force is required to properly attach/crimp the cap imo.

I have capped alot of beers and have never seen this dimple you speak of. Does someone have a pic? I have also never had a problem with a seal!

zman said:

I though that was just for the old school bottle caps. I have not boiled bottle caps in years. I just soak them in Star San for 30 seconds or so.

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+1 one to this...

In fact with the little plastic gaskety thing inside the cap you really DON'T want to boil them.

Funny you brought up the dimpling...I never dimpled, and never got any homebrew from any other brew buddies who did, but I recently have been give some bottles by folks who dimple....I've done the last two batches with dimples, primarliy because they were Belgians with between 3 and 3.5 volumes of co2, so I figured dimpling couldn't hurt.

carbon111 said:

The capper shouldn't dimple the cap.

Edit: Wow, you guys answered really fast.

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well some of us are at work so we respond a little bit slower

I was playing golf but I as soon as I saw this thread I raced home to post.

Anyway, to me dimple means I did a bad job and apllied too much downward force.

And since I use oxygen barrier caps and really value the extra money I spent on them, I just would not destroy that insert by boiling it. Never boiled a cap in the 16 years before I started using oxygen barrier caps either come to think of it.

dontman said:

I was playing golf but I as soon as I saw this thread I raced home to post.

Anyway, to me dimple means I did a bad job and apllied too much downward force.

And since I use oxygen barrier caps and really value the extra money I spent on them, I just would not destroy that insert by boiling it. Never boiled a cap in the 16 years before I started using oxygen barrier caps either come to think of it.

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I do not use OB caps and still just use good ol Star San. I noticed the dimpling recently and I do not get it all the time so I agree on the force thing. I just need to have a few less homebrews when bottling...lol

Another factor is the bottle itself. Most of us probably use an assortment of old bottles and the mouth is different on many of these bottles. So after you've capped a bunch of bottles with a regular/standard mouth...that oddball bottle gets capped with the same motion/force and it's not right.

I boiled them years ago with no ill effects. But now I has StarSan.

The dimple is not required for a good seal. It doesn't mean the seal is bad either. I ignore it.

I have capped alot of beers and have never seen this dimple you speak of. Does someone have a pic? I have also never had a problem with a seal!

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Cheers,
ClaudiusB

Every bottle I've capped has a dimple, though not as wide as the one pictured above. It's smaller than dime sized, and consistent on every cap I've done. Never had an issue with seals.

Much like this, without the overcarbed bulge:

I like dimples- nice round pert dimples.

Wow, I have never had a dimple on a bottle that I capped. I assume what is happening is that the magnet inside the bell is being forced onto the cap and distorting it. I would assume that this would potentially do more harm than good, because the bottle cap is being forced into the bottle now instead of just onto it. I guess the bell would try to hold the cap onto the mouth of the bottle, but I would just ease up and not try for a dimple. Think of how many commercial beers you see with this dimple.

This is the kind of dimple I was talking about...

JVD_X said:

I like dimples- nice round pert dimples.

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Funny, I was thinking the same thing while reviewing this thread this am.

And when the dimple gets really hard you know they are just about ready.

Wow, I have never had a dimple on a bottle that I capped. I assume what is happening is that the magnet inside the bell is being forced onto the cap and distorting it.

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For illustration purposes I adjusted the capper stroke to get the dimple.
In my case the dimple comes from the crimp die, no magnet in my old pneumatic setup, bottle ejector in its place .
The hand cappers magnets retract completely and don't leave a mark.

I would assume that this would potentially do more harm than good,

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Only a commercial capper GO/NO-Go gauge can tell.

Every bottle I've capped has a dimple, though not as wide as the one pictured above.

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Your crimping die (bell) is not from the same manufacturer.
I have both types.

Cheers,
ClaudiusB

Doesnt matter. I dont sanitize caps either.

ClaudiusB said:

Your crimping die (bell) is not from the same manufacturer.
I have both types.

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Well that would explain it, I can't even adjust mine.

BeerPressure said:

Doesnt matter. I dont sanitize caps either.

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Gremlyn1 said:

Well that would explain it, I can't even adjust mine.

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Does not make a difference if you have a simple on your caps or not.

zman said:

I though that was just for the old school bottle caps. I have not boiled bottle caps in years. I just soak them in Star San for 30 seconds or so.

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I can see where the person was headed regarding boiling caps in water. I would boil a pot of water for ten minutes first, then remove from heat. Transfer the caps from the starsan to the still hot but not boiling sterilized water and bottle with HOT CAPS. As the metal cap cools on top of the bottle it shrinks ensuring a perfect seal.

I have never done this and probably never will because I am a minimalist (lazy) and what I do now works fine.

BeerPressure said:

Doesnt matter. I dont sanitize caps either.

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ewww