Yes, a picture would help us alot.
And the cornstarch test may not work if there is a styrofoam layer between the top of the fridge and the plastic part.
Expensive regulators are servicable i.e: Parts are available to make repairs and have better quality standards. Cheap ones have to be replace alltogether if they are defective and may not all hold pressure steadily.
A High pressure gauge is always a good thing to have and not a big expense over...
Just a quick question.
What do you mean "The capper doesnt seem to reliabily cap the bottles." ?
Do you mean that it can be unscrewed off an empty bottle easily or that your tried carbing and it won't hold carbonation?
Because it's normal that caps are easily remove from a none pressurized...
Here are my humble entries...
Right is my first lathe work in 10 years (it got scuffed when I was threading the insert) and the left one is my second time in 10 years. Both are cherrywood.
They may not be the best looking, but I'm proud of them.
I recently score some cheap used taps for my kegerator.
They were in storage for a while and the internal brass parts are have little oxidization.
Can they be brought back to life or am I screwed and need to rebuild them?
Actually, the first batch I made was with "Sélection" apple juice. It's pasteurized with no preservatives. It's a little dry, but still makes a really good cider. (And is currently on sale at 99¢/L at Super C ;) )