HELP... 2 handed bottle capper has turned to crap...

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CROM

CROM

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so I bought this a while back
Red_Baron_Beer_Capper_135x144.jpg


and for the first batch of beer I had no problems... the 2nd batch of beer I noticed I had some difficulty on a few bottles...

and now this time, I wasted about 3 caps per bottle because I couldnt get it to cap properly...

is this common with these 2 handed cappers?

Im definitely going to be buying one of those one handed pull down type cappers very soon...
 
the first time I used it no problems... this time it wont evenly distribute the force behind it... I push down as evenly as I could and.... bam, slanted to the side a lil bit, try again, and gently now, and.... clunk, not sitting right...
 
I have capped over 14 batches of beer with that exact same capper and have never had a problem. Not to be a jag off but, maybe its the way your doing it? I had a friend come over and help me bottle my pumpkin ale, and he too would waste at least 2 caps per bottle, making them slide all over the counter. The one thing I taught him is this; dont push down on the wings, but pretend you are bending a piece of rebar right at the top of the bottle, therefore, your not putting any pressure down on the bottle, but leverage on the capper. OR... your capper is a piece of trash :rockin:
 
I use screw top bottles and a rubber mallet... give it a shot and tell me how it goes! Jk.

I have used mine for 4 or 5 whole batches and 12 bottles from another 20 or so batches. No problem. When it pisses me off, it is going in the trash though and getting replaced with a fancy bench top one.
 
If you turn the capper over, there are two vaguely U-shaped pieces of metal that grab the neck of the bottle. These can be removed and replaced in most models. Might check and make sure one or both of them haven't gotten loose.
 
I've done nearly 30 batches w/ my wing capper and have been pretty violent with it, with no problems yet. Maybe you just got unlucky.
 
I brew 30-40 batches of beer a year...I started in 1994...I think I've ever ruined only 2 caps the entire time.

Hate to say it, but damaging caps is a good indicator that you're just not paying that much attention to the task. If it's "slanting to one side" then you are pushing it to that side.

After I bottle I place a cap on each bottle. I generally sits for a couple of minutes before I start crimping.

I usually line up 3-5 bottles in a line going away from me and crimp one after the other without any problems.

Start by trying to keep the first bottle about 6-8 inches from your center of gravity (stomache area) and press slowly down with both hands at the same time.
 
homebrewer_99 said:
I brew 30-40 batches of beer a year...I started in 1994...I think I've ever ruined only 2 caps the entire time.

Hate to say it, but damaging caps is a good indicator that you're just not paying that much attention to the task. If it's "slanting to one side" then you are pushing it to that side.

After I bottle I place a cap on each bottle. I generally sits for a couple of minutes before I start crimping.

I usually line up 3-5 bottles in a line going away from me and crimp one after the other without any problems.

Start by trying to keep the first bottle about 6-8 inches from your center of gravity (stomache area) and press slowly down with both hands at the same time.
Click to expand...

Ditto...mostly. I have bottled about a dozen batches with a "winger capper". No problems except for one broken bottle on the first batch. You need to apply EVEN pressure on both sides.


Having a homebrew or two (three) while breing is okay, having enough to be drunk might cause irregularities in the process....
 
Yeah, I agree with what others here are saying. I have a problem with a bottle now and then, but it's always if I'm accidentally getting a little sideways on it.

Still, I prefer my old bench capper but it's long gone. The banch capper's way easier, IMHO. For now, for me, though, it's this butterfly one...
 
Deuce said:
I have capped over 14 batches of beer with that exact same capper and have never had a problem. Not to be a jag off but, maybe its the way your doing it? I had a friend come over and help me bottle my pumpkin ale, and he too would waste at least 2 caps per bottle, making them slide all over the counter. The one thing I taught him is this; dont push down on the wings, but pretend you are bending a piece of rebar right at the top of the bottle, therefore, your not putting any pressure down on the bottle, but leverage on the capper. OR... your capper is a piece of trash :rockin:
Click to expand...

I used my "red baron" wing capper for about a year and 20 batches, before I switched to Grandpa's old Prohibition-era bench capper. Never had any problems, except for that cap-holding magnet falling out, which I didn't use anyhow. I agree with the assessment by "Deuce" above. I cap with a wing capper by exerting force on the wings, NOT a downward force on the bottle. I didn't figure that out, guess I just started doing it that way.

The operating principle of the wing capper depends on the two pieces of metal that lock onto the bulge in the neck of the bottle below the lip that the cap goes on. If something's wrong with them, your capper probably won't work right.
 
Are you making sure to push both wings all the way down?

the first couple times I used mine I thought they were pushed all the way down- but they weren't. the bottle caps were crimped on unevenly because of this.

once the wings feel like they're all the way down they can be forced down just a bit more, finishing the job.

It really took applying some force on the first batch until the capper got a little worn in. Now it works perfectly every time.
 
+1 to making sure you are pushing the handles down all the way.

A few people posted that they had to give it a extra push at the end to cap the bottles. I have the same bottle capper and have bottled 3 batches with it. The only time I had issues was with the first batch due to not pushing the arms down all the way. It almost feels like you are going to hyper-extend the arms of the capper. That is the best way I can describe it. Hope this helps.
 
greeneyed said:
What kind of bottles are you using?
Click to expand...

this is the question that solves that answer...

so I decided to take out the plates and switch them around in the capper, (wasnt the issue) switched them back, and then realized, that i was using different bottles this time....

so I brought out some of the bottles I used on the 1st and 2nd batch, and no problems at all, worked like a charm...

then I decided to give the bottles I used for this batch another try, and bam, problems again...

so I looked at the neck of the 2 bottles and they are different, the first batch bottles have a ring that is lower and the last batch bottles have a very high ring at the top of the bottle...

My first batch I used steam whistle, carsberg, hieiken, carona, and Zywiec bottles no problem...

this batch was brava, its cheap beer but the bottles were clear pop tops with no ingravements... its funny cause the radio commercials for this beer always beg the consumer to bring back these bottles to the beer store cause they are running out, I always thought of course they are, these bottles are perfect for home brewing... perfect if you have a bench capper...
 
As just mentioned, I have noticed a difference in bottles. I like to bottle a few in Corona bottles so I can see the beer as it ages. However I usually have problems capping them. All my Descutes bottles have been flawless. Haven't failed 1 in probably 500 bottles
 
CROM said:
this batch was brava, its cheap beer but the bottles were clear pop tops with no ingravements... its funny cause the radio commercials for this beer always beg the consumer to bring back these bottles to the beer store cause they are running out, I always thought of course they are, these bottles are perfect for home brewing... perfect if you have a bench capper...
Click to expand...

Actually, because they're clear they're NOT good for home brewing. Or for beer in general. Clear glass = skunked beer.
 
ChshreCat said:
Actually, because they're clear they're NOT good for home brewing. Or for beer in general. Clear glass = skunked beer.
Click to expand...


I wouldn't say clear glass = skunked beer. In all honesty it's the light, that does it. So if you keep the clear glass in a dark location it conditions/carbonates/stores the exact same as a brown bottle.
 
i noticed that some bottled are harder than others. i bottled today and had issues with stella artois bottles. everything else was smooth as butter
 
CROM said:
this is the question that solves that answer...

so I decided to take out the plates and switch them around in the capper, (wasnt the issue) switched them back, and then realized, that i was using different bottles this time....

so I brought out some of the bottles I used on the 1st and 2nd batch, and no problems at all, worked like a charm...

then I decided to give the bottles I used for this batch another try, and bam, problems again...

so I looked at the neck of the 2 bottles and they are different, the first batch bottles have a ring that is lower and the last batch bottles have a very high ring at the top of the bottle...

My first batch I used steam whistle, carsberg, hieiken, carona, and Zywiec bottles no problem...

this batch was brava, its cheap beer but the bottles were clear pop tops with no ingravements... its funny cause the radio commercials for this beer always beg the consumer to bring back these bottles to the beer store cause they are running out, I always thought of course they are, these bottles are perfect for home brewing... perfect if you have a bench capper...
Click to expand...

Not a bench capper issue, per say. Are they 29mm caps as opposed to 27mm? A bench capper isn't going to make it all better if you're using the wrong sized cap. I have a wing capper with a 29mm bell that works wonders on champagne bottles.
 

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