DIY Custom Crown Caps!

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I'm more than happy to contribute to the community. I figure I could give back in exchange for all the helpful things I've learned on HBT. ...

Well if you really want to give back...


I'll take 1,000 please.

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Seriously...nice post.
 
Damn fine post. I don't know that I'll ever put the time and energy into actually doing it, but I must say that the results are quite impressive!
 
Could you share with us an example of your waterslide decal? I'm really unfamiliar with what you're talking about.

He's talking about the paper that removable tattoos are printed on (minus the seperate adhesive layer). Its basically the same thing as what you've created by hand with the heavy paper and transfer medium. I don't see why it wouldn't work, but its probably more expensive than the method posted here.

Edit: Here's a source for it: http://www.decalpaper.com/ Its rather expensive just under a dollar per sheet of 8.5x11 paper depending on what size package you buy. I might pick some up and test it against your method and see how it holds up.
 
He's talking about the paper that removable tattoos are printed on (minus the seperate adhesive layer). Its basically the same thing as what you've created by hand with the heavy paper and transfer medium. I don't see why it wouldn't work, but its probably more expensive than the method posted here.

Edit: Here's a source for it: DecalPaper.com - Decals - Waterslide decal paper or inkjet,laser printers Alps & copiers Its rather expensive just under a dollar per sheet of 8.5x11 paper depending on what size package you buy. I might pick some up and test it against your method and see how it holds up.

It is kind of expensive, but $1/sheet works out to just over a penny per cap if you printed a whole sheet's worth.

I'm planning on using that stuff to make some labels for a few bottles (just gift bottles, not all of 'em) so I figured if I make 4-5 gift labels and have 4-5 square inches free on the paper I may as well give it a shot if it seems plausible (it's basically free since I'm reusing what would be scrap otherwise).
 
Hokie, I'm pretty sure there's money to be made in this. I can't speak for everyone, but I'd be willing to pay 100-200% markup on the cost of caps to get a custom logo on there.

I'm just sayin'.
 
Very cool idea - not sure if I would ever get around to doing it now, but had I known about this I probably would have for my baby beer that I did a few months ago.
 
Hokie, I'm pretty sure there's money to be made in this. I can't speak for everyone, but I'd be willing to pay 100-200% markup on the cost of caps to get a custom logo on there.

I'm just sayin'.

Haha, I'm actually one step ahead of ya. I got customcrowncaps.com as soon as I made my first post...however I'm a bit conflicted when it comes to pricing...basically, what are people willing to pay versus what my time costs to make them. a 100-200% markup on a cap would only bring it to 6-9 cents. If I had an automated system, that might be reasonable, but by hand it'd have to be much more I'd think. I'd love to get thoughts on the matter.
 
Haha, I'm actually one step ahead of ya. I got customcrowncaps.com as soon as I made my first post...however I'm a bit conflicted when it comes to pricing...basically, what are people willing to pay versus what my time costs to make them. a 100-200% markup on a cap would only bring it to 6-9 cents. If I had an automated system, that might be reasonable, but by hand it'd have to be much more I'd think. I'd love to get thoughts on the matter.

I'd pay a 200% markup for them.

I wouldn't make them for other people for that price.

Yeah, it's tough to see how to make it worth your time without figuring out a way to at least partially automate.
 
Don't look at mark up.
Look at labour costs plus material and what people are willing to pay.
Don't forget people are usually willing to pay ore for novelty.....at least the first time.
 
Hmm... I'm not positive laser printers would do the trick vs inkjet- I mean, inkjet ink is a powder that the printer sprays out and then sprays a fixative on buuut I'm not entirely sure that that's how a laser printer works. XP

Then again, I wouldent have pegged matte medium for doing transfers! I have a big bottle left over from finals last semester...hmmm...:)
 

I can't say for sure because I haven't tried other types of paper. Frankly, I only used the paper I had (Mitsubishi Diamond Jet brand) because I had a ton of it and was hoping it would be of some use for this purpose. I'd be willing to bet and decent quality matte presentation paper would work well. I'd be interested in trying glossy too...perhaps that might have an effect.
My next endeavor will be trying out B&W and color laser printers. The high resolution and opaque toner would be advantageous to the process. White ink or toner is the only thing missing really..no good way to do that yet unfortunately (that I know of).
 
As far as mass production goes, you could build something like this that would allow you to "print screen" 63 caps at once. The top cube is a piece of plastic, cardboard, metal, scrap wood, whatever you got laying around that you would be able to drill through. The thin tubes attached to it are magnets which hold the caps in place. When you're ready to apply a batch you would get a spray bottle full of the transfer goo, spray the paper, then lay the cap-label-kajigger on top of the paper.

CapLabel.jpg


Just an idea to help you out.
 
As far as mass production goes, you could build something like this that would allow you to "print screen" 63 caps at once. The top cube is a piece of plastic, cardboard, metal, scrap wood, whatever you got laying around that you would be able to drill through. The thin tubes attached to it are magnets which hold the caps in place. When you're ready to apply a batch you would get a spray bottle full of the transfer goo, spray the paper, then lay the cap-label-kajigger on top of the paper.

CapLabel.jpg


Just an idea to help you out.

I actually made a template juuust like that. I made it out of hardboard and drilled lots of 1-1/8" holes that fit caps perfectly...backed that with a solid piece of hardboard and used it when attempting to screen print. That experiment failed spectacularly, so threw everything away...now I kind of wish I kept it. I'll figure something out though. Thanks!
 
Hokie this is a great idea and all, but how's it gonna keep the Hokies from getting trounced by my Crimson Tide in Atlanta? Hmmm????? :)

Okay I'll stop and not hijack any further. This is seriously cool, as an artist I've done these type transfers before but hadn't even remotely thought of doing this. Good JOB!!! This is something I'd pull out for Christmas gifts etc.

Schlante,
Phillip
 
Great thread.Do you have a source for the colored caps? I've only seen silver and gold.

Good question. I actually have a couple sources to cover the spectrum:
Home Brewing Supplies, Kits from Homebrew Heaven (They have red, green, blue, and gold as of this posting)
Home wine making supply and home brew supply available on-line at Midwest Homebrewing Supplies. Search for wine recipes and beer recipes (They have red, green, white, and yellow)

Home Brew Heaven carries different colors/patterns all the time, so I'd check back every so often to see if there is anything different.
I'd love to find a reliable source for other colors, but they seem to be few and far between...and I'm not about to pay 30 cents a cap either for the privilege, ha.
 
Hokie this is a great idea and all, but how's it gonna keep the Hokies from getting trounced by my Crimson Tide in Atlanta? Hmmm????? :)

Consider this... the Hokies got to and won the Orange Bowl in a "rebuilding" year. I can't wait for the game.
 
WOW! This is the reason I joined this forum. Well that and the brewers and there ideas!:tank:

I have been looking for someone or a site that can do those or at least make me think others might like to do something outside of the box (or on the top of the bottle) ha ha:)
 
Consider this... the Hokies got to and won the Orange Bowl in a "rebuilding" year. I can't wait for the game.


Just wait till Paul Johnson gets players to run his offense...The Ramblin Wreck is about to be unstoppable in the ACC!!!

On a side note, I love the bottle caps.
 
Ha, I was afraid someone would ask. I was going to get around to writing a step-by-step, but essentially...
-Print mirror images onto a sheet of paper (I have limited experience so far, but I think the kind you use matters)
-Cut them out into 1x1 inch squares
-Apply a thin layer of acrylic medium onto the cap
-Place the image down onto the cap and burnish lightly
-Wait a few seconds and remove the paper
-Rub and wash off any leftover paper
-Lacquer

Probably not something you'd do for an entire batch, but they add a nice finishing touch, especially for presentation purposes. I think once you got the hang of it, it wouldn't be much of a chore.


question: Burnish lightly? What/how is this (done)? And what's the acrylic medium?
 
F%&K ME! This is exactly what I wanted to do to my caps (without knowing what it was). Something ELSE I have to add to my collection of time consuming hobbies!

Time to start pricing colored caps...
 
I'm looking into making some cheap stencils for spray painting single color logos onto beer caps now...I've done this for t-shirts in the past. While you could only realistically do one or two colors, you could easily spray 55 caps in under a minute.
 
question: Burnish lightly? What/how is this (done)? And what's the acrylic medium?

Haha... burninshing is essentially a fancy word for rubbing. I do it to make sure the excess glue seeps out of the sides and the whole image is evenly pressed on the cap.
 
Before I forget... if you ever plan to do more than a few caps with this method, this (Medium Squeeze Punch - 1" Circle) circle punch is perfect for quick, perfectly sized circles that make the process so much easier and cleaner. I got mine from Michael's or AC Moore... I forget. It's not really a bargain, but the options are few and far between.
 
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