Hi everybody. I just scored a number of Corona Extra bottles and would like to take off the painted labels before reusing them. Does anybody know how to "unpaint" them without damaging the bottles (somebody already recommended sand blasting!!)?
Paint off Corona bottles
- Thread starter Richard Hemmerde
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Not what you want to hear, but IMO, it is not worth it to try. You should also want to bottle with brown bottles, UV rays will skunk your beer quickly in clear bottles.
You might try a strong paint remover, but be careful that none gets inside the bottles. Disclaimer = I have never heard of this or tried it.
You might try a strong paint remover, but be careful that none gets inside the bottles. Disclaimer = I have never heard of this or tried it.
I bottle on brown bottles but I like to have three or four clear bottles on every batch to be able check how they evolve (color, transparency, etc)
Then I wouldn't bother trying to remove the paint. You might try to scrape it of with a razor blade???
You might try some rubbing alcohol, and some acetone. I've used acetone with success in getting paint off of some things. Depends on the paint, yada, yada, yada. Might require a bit of a soak, which you can do by laying paper towel over the label and saturate the paper towel. Do this in an open air environment.
imasickboy
Drinkasaurus extraordinarius
I think I remember reading something a long time ago about an extended, (weeks), soak in a starsan solution taking the paint off them.
Paint remover? I do remember trying a number of failed things (years ago), but I stopped short of an actual stripper. If I recall, acetone, a green scotch brite pad, and a ton of elbow grease WILL take it off but wasn’t worth it in the end. The stripper almost certainly would work, but that’s a pretty harsh chemical to use on drink ware.....
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I recently did this and it worked very well... submerge them in straight undiluted vinegar for 24 hrs then gently rub off the logo with a kitchen scrubbie. Wash inside and out with fresh water, sanitize, and you’re ready to bottle.
Sounds like a plan, thank you!! I was hoping for something that simple before looking at Naval Jelly and the like. That's scary stuff!!
I have a few samples on bottles with the labels still on them...and I hate the look!! (That's my OCD speaking ;-) )
I was surprised at how well it worked with something as cheap as vinegar. I think the Starsan method works too, but you have to mix the solution much stronger than we typically use for brewing sanitizing. Vinegar is a lot cheaper than Starsan.
I know the issue of skunked beer in clear and green bottles, but I have a pilsner that I brew and I kind of like showing it off when I give bottles away (I bottle from my keg). I know that the people I give them to usually drink them right away.
I know the issue of skunked beer in clear and green bottles, but I have a pilsner that I brew and I kind of like showing it off when I give bottles away (I bottle from my keg). I know that the people I give them to usually drink them right away.
It makes sense, StarSan is basically another acid.
Thank you all for your suggestions, here goes a follow up.
I decided to star with white distilled vinegar first cause it's safe AND cheap. It worked great.
I put some bottles in a buckett filled with pure vinegar and checked on them every half hour (my OCD kicking in again), rubbing them with a paper towel each time
There are only two colors in these labels: white and blue.
All the blue color wiped off within the first hour, some bottles took a lot longer than others (better ink quality?) but all of it disappeared pretty fast.
The white was a lot harder, with some bottles requiring up to 5 hours in the vinegar but, at the end, all of it wiped cleanly off.
Like I said before, I only used paper towel to wipe the ink off and the glass ended sparkling clean.
Total investment: half a gallon of vinegar ($2.00) and some paper.
I decided to star with white distilled vinegar first cause it's safe AND cheap. It worked great.
I put some bottles in a buckett filled with pure vinegar and checked on them every half hour (my OCD kicking in again), rubbing them with a paper towel each time
There are only two colors in these labels: white and blue.
All the blue color wiped off within the first hour, some bottles took a lot longer than others (better ink quality?) but all of it disappeared pretty fast.
The white was a lot harder, with some bottles requiring up to 5 hours in the vinegar but, at the end, all of it wiped cleanly off.
Like I said before, I only used paper towel to wipe the ink off and the glass ended sparkling clean.
Total investment: half a gallon of vinegar ($2.00) and some paper.
I do believe that a clear bottle in bright sunlight will skunk in a matter of minutes!!
The bottles he’s using didn’t originally have grape nehi in them. Just saying....
As part of my process before I started kegging, I always bottled one in every batch in a clear bottle and one in a plastic bottle. I never took a clear bottle “out on the town”, but they were surely exposed to UV to a small degree at least and I don’t recall ever having a “skunked” beer because of it. I’m not saying it can’t happen, but I am saying it’s not as immediate or possibly as imminent as I’ve heard claims.
Years ago we had some Coors Light. Clear bottles - in the sun not even long enough to cool the bottles. They were skunked..... Or possibly they were warmed, cooled, warmed, cooled before we tried to drink them. Of course they wouldn't have been good in the first place...
I've poured IPAs into a glass, sat on the deck on a bright summer day, and noticed the beer tasting a little skunky near the tail end.
Now I pour into a ss yeti mug for outdoor enjoyment.
Now I pour into a ss yeti mug for outdoor enjoyment.
This is true. I believe it's isomerized alpha acid that reacts with the sun. It's why you don't have to worry about a starter skunking--no hops in it.
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I guess I’m lucky enough to have an anti skunk pallet!
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