Fischer Gaskets Stuck

[cjstruble1]

Hey Everyone,

I have have a batch of Fischer bottles that I've been using for a while, the gaskets come off nice and easy and I replace them when I bottle. Recently, however, I got a new batch of Fischer bottles from a nearby bar and the gaskets appear to be glued on. No, they are definitely not stuck...all of the 20 or so bottles I have are like this...they've been soaking in ammonia for weeks. I had to try and pry one off with a knife to no avail. Has anyone else had this problem? should I just stop trying to take the gaskets off and just sanitize them thoroughly before bottling?

Thanks!
Craig

 

[samc]

Did you try boiling hot water?

 

[cjstruble1]

Oh another thing I just noticed on these bottles...the swing top cap seems to be plastic and not ceramic....I almost wonder if the bottles of Fischer that bars get are cheaper versions than what's sold in the stores....or maybe they are all cheap versions now...not sure if this makes a difference.

 

[weirdboy]

No, they sell them in stores like that now, too. I recently got one like that, and went over to a friend's house this weekend to help them bottle, and they had one like that as well.

I agree, glued-on gaskets suck.

 

[Jmac00]

yeah, all the newer Fischer bottles are glued on....good luck.

 

[cjstruble1]

Now that's not very homebrewer friendly of them!!

 

[2-0turbo]

All the ones I've picked up lately here in France are glued on. I'm getting ready to bottle my third batch and I was starting to get worried that maybe I'm not sanitizing under the gasket and that could be some crap in there. Do you guys pull all the gaskets off when you clean/sanitize prior to bottling? They are tough to get off and I haven't tried the boiling water. Depending on what you guys say will determine whether I'm trying boiling water this weekend to try and remove all the gaskets. Thanks.

 

[cjstruble1]

I think given the fact that the gaskets are glued on, I'm going to toss mine...or use them for salad dressing..haha. It's almost impossible to remove the gaskets that are glued on unless you use a knife...and since these are plastic and not ceramic, you run the risk of gouging them up. I say forget it and stick with the brown Grolsch bottles or regular bottle caps.

 

[yetanothersteve]

If you want to go through the trouble, both Northern Brewer and Austin Homebrew Supply sell swingtop replacements. I tried a Fischer yesterday and noticed the glued on nature of the gasket afterwards. I will probably wait until I go to the LHBS again to see if they also carry such an item. Otherwise it is a nice bottle.

http://www.austinhomebrew.com/index.php?cPath=178_356_63
http://www.northernbrewer.com/brewing/brewing-equipment/bottling/bottle-caps-closures

 

[staggerlee]

My LHBS sells a replacement for the whole flip-top mechanism for about 75 cents. They sell the gaskets for a quarter, which makes that sound like a real deal.

 

[soup67]

yeah, all the newer Fischer bottles are glued on....good luck.

New here . . . and reviving an OLD thread, but I have a dozen Fischer bottles I'd like to use with my first batch of HB. Can't I just clean and sterilize the cap/gasket and bottle away? The fact that the gaskets are not removable shouldn't prevent me from getting everything clean and sterile, should it?

Thanks.

soup

 

[Jmac00]

No, you should be ok to re-use after cleaning and sanitizing. Its just that over time, the gaskets will break down or get a groove into them and don't seal very well. But the original gaskets should be good for a few batches of beer at least.

 

[soup67]

No, you should be ok to re-use after cleaning and sanitizing. Its just that over time, the gaskets will break down or get a groove into them and don't seal very well. But the original gaskets should be good for a few batches of beer at least.

10-4.

Anyone had any luck prying them off and replacing when the time comes?

 

[yetanothersteve]

I run all my bottles through the dishwasher without detergent before use. I keep hoping the heat will pry off the gasket but no joy yet.