hennesse
Well-Known Member
And then they changed to the stupid little envelopes...
Tonight, I got started on a Tap Handle kick. I was browsing through some homebrew sites, and noticed that they're selling fancy tap handles for like $40 each. Let's see, I have 4 plain black tap handles on my kegerator fridge. Wait - let me do the math - that's $160 to upgrade them to cool. I like cool, but not that much...
So I started thinking about what might make a cool tap handle, and then the idea of using the White Labs vials popped into my demented little head. I had saved a bunch of them, as they were too good to just throw away. But I never did find a good use for them either, so eventually I tossed them all in one of my spring cleaning fits.
I only had one left. I drilled a 3/8" hole in the cap and mounted the cap on one of my taps with a washer and a 3/8-16 nut. I filled the tube with nuts and bolts and screwed it on the tap. Looks pretty cool.
If you have any of the old White Labs vials hanging around - turn them into tap handles. Get creative, go to the crafts store, and see if you can find little colored balls, or some colored sand, or some little dice, or something attractive to fill the vial with. Cool tap handles - almost free!
What else can I find in the garage that I make make into a tap handle?
How about a spark plug? I ground off the side electrode with my bench grinder, busted up the ceramic insulator, and drilled down the center electrode (difficult!). Drilled the center to 5/16", and then threaded it with a 3/8-16 tap. Now I have another cool tap handle - free!
Show us your taps! Especially those homemade less than a dollar kind. You're not cool unless you share it...
Dave
Tonight, I got started on a Tap Handle kick. I was browsing through some homebrew sites, and noticed that they're selling fancy tap handles for like $40 each. Let's see, I have 4 plain black tap handles on my kegerator fridge. Wait - let me do the math - that's $160 to upgrade them to cool. I like cool, but not that much...
So I started thinking about what might make a cool tap handle, and then the idea of using the White Labs vials popped into my demented little head. I had saved a bunch of them, as they were too good to just throw away. But I never did find a good use for them either, so eventually I tossed them all in one of my spring cleaning fits.
I only had one left. I drilled a 3/8" hole in the cap and mounted the cap on one of my taps with a washer and a 3/8-16 nut. I filled the tube with nuts and bolts and screwed it on the tap. Looks pretty cool.
If you have any of the old White Labs vials hanging around - turn them into tap handles. Get creative, go to the crafts store, and see if you can find little colored balls, or some colored sand, or some little dice, or something attractive to fill the vial with. Cool tap handles - almost free!
What else can I find in the garage that I make make into a tap handle?
How about a spark plug? I ground off the side electrode with my bench grinder, busted up the ceramic insulator, and drilled down the center electrode (difficult!). Drilled the center to 5/16", and then threaded it with a 3/8-16 tap. Now I have another cool tap handle - free!
Show us your taps! Especially those homemade less than a dollar kind. You're not cool unless you share it...
Dave
