DIY Tap Handle?

I soaked the vials in oxiclean to remove the labels (save them, you can turn them in for goodies). Then I used zippo lighter fluid on a cottonball to remove the glue.

so here are mine. a mix of ideas from this thread. table legs and plinth block from lowe's. threaded insert in the block piece to fit the bolt that was on the table leg already. this way they don't look so phallic. I laminated some labels and stuck them on w/ tape for now. I can use a dot of putty or tape to hold them on.

Loving seeing these awesome ideas - definitely giving me some inspiration to go beyond the plain black handles on mine (when it's finally finished..)

can you get these inserts at Home depot? if so what size do you need

benharper13 said:

can you get these inserts at Home depot? if so what size do you need

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Yes you can. 5/16ths?

I have had a terrible time trying to get them into the wood straight though. I have tried everything! My handles are too big for all the drill presses I have access too and I can't drill straight apparently.

No, they're 3/8-16 coarse thread. Yes, it is almost impossible to drive them in straight, which is why I always insert them before turning them.

If you're not turning your own, you're going to have to live with a slightly skewed handle or be very lucky

-Joe

nostalgia said:

No, they're 3/8-16 coarse thread. Yes, it is almost impossible to drive them in straight, which is why I always insert them before turning them.

If you're not turning your own, you're going to have to live with a slightly skewed handle or be very lucky

-Joe

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Yeah that's the right size. Sorry for the confusion.

I am ok with a little skew but the handles I drilled out the other night are laughable! Going to try again tonight!

The problem is, even if you drill a perfect hole, the insert seldom drives in straight.

It'll go in straighter if you thread the insert onto a bolt first and you use a ratchet to drive it in, instead of the screwdriver.

-Joe

Does Lowes or Home depot carry a beer threaded beer tap insert? $6-$10 bucks each shipped is crazy.

yes get the 3/8-16 wood insert

Thank you.

Found it.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_137397-3767...ert&pl=1&currentURL=/pl__0__s?Ntt=wood+insert

I did a build thread on mine, but may as well post em here too. Never been much of a wood worker. So I decided to make mine out of steel. Went to the local steel supplier, found some cool 1/2" square twisted bar and some 1/2" spears. Some flat plate to attach my hard plastic baseball card holders to (to allow for easy label changes) then just took some standard 3/8" nuts and welded it all together. painted it 2 tone with Rustoleum hammered copper and silver

That looks awesome! Great job.

Ha! Shiner Mock! Awesome.

Check it, it's Fu Man Brew, dispenser of beer!

Here's mine.

I have made a couple different ones and didn't really care for the threaded inserts from the hardware store. The handles I made are a little wider than most so it just didn't look or feel right. Instead I use a 3/8th - 16 UNC screw and glue it into the bottom of the tap handle. If you leave about 1/2" stuck out of the bottom then use a ferrule (I use this one) as a female-female connection between the handle and the tap. Sorry no good pictures of the actual connection, hopefully it makes sense. On my setup it just looks a little nicer and makes the handles feel a little more solid.



I have a tendency to never take pictures until projects are almost done, just get too caught up in the process. Here is the one on the left before it got painted.

I have a number of home made and found items with 3/8-16 thread that have graced my tap. So far my favorite is a McMaster 6940K52 aluminum knob.

Also, M10x1.5 is just close enough to 3/8-16 to thread on and not damage your tap. That means any shift knob made for Hondas will fit taps too, or the other way around. lol:

I get the blanks from Rogue and then refinish them with new stain and chalkboard paint.

Here is my first execution of an idea I had. I like how it turned out and plan on making a few more with different colors and knots. I wish I had access to a lathe so I could spice up the dowel a bit. This is a 16 lead 5 bight Turks Head knot.

these are all great ideas! way better than my cheapo plastic black handles... i'm thinking hockey sticks for mine.

Mine is a golf ball. I clamped a golf ball in a vice and drilled a 5/8" hole about 1/2" deep using a paddle bit. Then I used JB weld to hold a 3/8-16 nut in the hole I drilled in the golf ball and it works great. I had done something similar a few years ago, making a gear shift knob out of a rock for my Jeep, so I knew the JB weld was strong enough. You could use this method to put a recessed nut on just about anything and be able to screw it onto something. (thats what she said! )

I've no need for tap handles yet and only looked though part of this thread, but saw some nice ideas. Not sure if anyone has already done it but I thought maybe cutting the bottom off a beer bottle and filling it with epoxy would make a nice handle you customize labels for each beer.

tbel said:

I've no need for tap handles yet and only looked though part of this thread, but saw some nice ideas. Not sure if anyone has already done it but I thought maybe cutting the bottom off a beer bottle and filling it with epoxy would make a nice handle you customize labels for each beer.

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I've cut glass bottles with a tile saw before, just go real slow and wear safety goggles. There are some other methods around for cutting glass if you don't have access to a saw, just google or go on Instructables.

Oskar Blues actually uses their cans as their tap handles. Not incredibly original but you know what you are getting.

Broonery,
What'd you use to drill the rock? I'm a geologist and have waaay too many rocks layin around. Use a diamond drill? Kyle

Conan said:

Broonery,
What'd you use to drill the rock? I'm a geologist and have waaay too many rocks layin around. Use a diamond drill? Kyle

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If you can afford a "Diamond" drill, screw the rocks, use the drill bit for the handle!!

It's not the greatest picture in the world, but here are the chalkboard handles I just finished. They're a little long for my tower, so I've got to do a little adjusting to make them fit right. Measure twice, cut once, right?

Xakk said:

...Measure twice, cut once, right?...

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no, my method is- measure once, cut once...measure again, cut again...take a hammer to the first one, throw the second one as far as possible, cuss a lot...then measure twice, cut once.

Here is my most recent tap handle. I made it for my "Orange Weizen" that was serves for Superbowl.

bionicbrew said:

no, my method is- measure once, cut once...measure again, cut again...take a hammer to the first one, throw the second one as far as possible, cuss a lot...then measure twice, cut once.

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Oh good. It's nice to know I'm not the only one out there.

electrichead said:

Here is my first execution of an idea I had. I like how it turned out and plan on making a few more with different colors and knots. I wish I had access to a lathe so I could spice up the dowel a bit. This is a 16 lead 5 bight Turks Head knot.

Click to expand...

Nice idea. I like it. My wife and I are climbers. We borrowed a friend's rope one weekend and before I returned it to him I thought it would be pretty friggin hilarious to turn it into a rug. It was the best knot I've ever tied BTW...that rug is about 3' x 2'

60 m rope:



And now for my thread contribution. This is a 6" Snap-On screwdriver handle. They no longer sell this old style, but the handle is available as a replacement part. $20 off the truck. I need three more...

Xakk said:

It's not the greatest picture in the world, but here are the chalkboard handles I just finished. They're a little long for my tower, so I've got to do a little adjusting to make them fit right. Measure twice, cut once, right?

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These are nice, how tall is the short one and how big is the chalkboard area?

Conan said:

Broonery,
What'd you use to drill the rock? I'm a geologist and have waaay too many rocks layin around. Use a diamond drill? Kyle

Click to expand...

A coworker of mine did it (I'm assuming) using a masonry bit on a drill press. He said it was a piece of granite.. I couldn't tell the difference between one hard rock and another. The JB weld held up exceptionally well as part of the gear shifter on a 5 speed transmission.

To drill the golf ball I just clamped it in a bench vise and drilled half way into it with a 5/8" paddle bit, then when I glued the nut in I just put a generous amount of JB weld on all 6 sides of the nut and slid it in, flush with the outside of the golf ball, letting it cure on a piece of paper with the nut side down. Then I was able to smooth out any minimal excess JB weld with a drum sander attachment on the dremel tool.

Pivzavod said:

These are nice, how tall is the short one and how big is the chalkboard area?

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I don't know why one looks longer than the other. Must be something funky with my cellphone camera. They're both 12" inches tall. The chalkboard piece is 2" x 2 1/2". Here's a better picture.

nice

do those look somewhat.... phallic to anyone else?
i mean, they're rad i just thought they were something else... lol

Rivenin said:

do those look somewhat.... phallic to anyone else?
i mean, they're rad i just thought they were something else... lol

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a psychologist may be able to help you with that

Rivenin said:

do those look somewhat.... phallic to anyone else?
i mean, they're rad i just thought they were something else... lol

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did you see the first page of this thread? with out the blocks on top it's worse. note the ones above with the chalk board on top are the same legs just turned over. that's how I used them too. less explaining...

Skins_Brew said:

i took a hex nut the size of the tap handle bolt, grinded it down so it was a circle and soldered it into a spent .50 call shell. I need to shine the shell and spray it with some lacquer so it stays nice and shiny.

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nice... I have 50 cal and some 25MM shells that will be on my keezer when it's done. Thanks for the idea. I have a few 5 INCH shells but i'm guessing those would be a little large for the tap...

TonySwank said:

I have a tendency to never take pictures until projects are almost done, just get too caught up in the process. Here is the one on the left before it got painted.

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More details on construction please!
On Both.

Thanks.

LOVE this Forum. Just superglued 3/8-16 bolts to the caps (we'll see if it holds) and drilled through.