Colonna capper

[Ibrew2]

I have a Colonna capper/corker and when I cap my standard beer bottles, it leaves 2 ridges proud, like they slide into the slots of the capper bell. I then need to rotate the bottle a bit and make one more pass, and it pushes the 2 high ridges down and it looks better.

Has anyone else had a problem like this? It can with 2 bells and the cork pusher, so does not look like anything is missing. I am thinking I got a bum bell, and may order another. I got it as a gift, so not sure where it was purchased, or where I might get spare parts. Can find the capper/corker online, but haven found a supplier for parts. Any ideas?

 

[microbusbrewery]

I have the capper/corker and the smaller capper-only model. I've had the capper/corker longer and mostly used it for corking Belgian bottles. I recently inherited the capper-only and have used it quite a bit. I haven't experienced the issue you describe with either, so I would assume it's a bad bell as well. Can you see any kind of defect/deformity in the bell?

As for parts, I haven't been able to find any. The capper-only that I inherited came with a nylon/plastic c-clip where the handle attaches to the plunger arm (the capper/corker uses a plastic threaded nut, so I think this may be an older design). I pulled the c-clip off to adjust the handle to my liking, and the c-clip cracked in half. I looked all over for a replacement that would work, but couldn't find any. I ended up fabricating one out of a piece of nylon sheet I bought on Amazon.

Maybe homebrew shops can order parts? If all else fails, you might be able to fabricate some kind of mount and put a winged capper bell on there. It really is a pretty awesome capper. I use mine all the time and just keep my winged one around as a backup.

 

[microbusbrewery]

P.S. I just stumbled across this site that sells a replacement for the cork compression/plunger thingy. I've never seen any replacement parts, so it might be worth it to email and ask if they can get their hands on one.

http://growhome.com/Homebrew/Bottli...t-Plunger-for-Colonna-Capper-Corker/CB-6170A/