So, after doing a lot of digging through the forums I wasn't able to find any information on how to turn these:
into these:
Maybe I'm just particular, but I don't really want my home brew to be free advertisement for some vanilla brand of beer...but I LOVE the aluminum bottles! I've looked high and low for a source for the bottles that isn't outrageously expensive or has a minimum order of 30,000 pieces to no avail. So, after much consideration, I put an ad on Facebook to see if anyone had any of these types of bottles that they would be willing to sell. I was able to buy 100 of the 2 different style of bottles for $.20/each (here in Michigan, there is a $.10 deposit on these bottles). So...I got them cheap and in a manageable quantity, and the seller doubled their deposit return. It was a win/win...until I tried to remove the labels. I quickly discovered that the manufacturers did a GREAT job of sublimating their bottles...to the point that not even aircraft stripper would work very well on removing the labels. So...back to the drawing board. This time to try and figure out how to remove the sublimation and keep the shiny aluminum intact (I could sand off the sublimation, but I wanted to keep the shiny finish...like I said, I'm picky).
So after extensive Google-machining the issue and talking to a bunch of my friends that do auto painting, I hit upon an idea...using an autoclave!! That will CERTAINLY soften up the sublimation and I should be able to just wipe off the finish! Riiiiight. Well, first challenge was having access to an autoclave. For those of you that don't know what an autoclave is...this is what they look like:
They are mainly used as a means to sterilize various medical equipment...but also to help remove powder-coating and other "permanent" coatings by applying heat and steam at an elevated atmospheric pressure.
They also run about $3000! So...back to the drawing board, or so I thought. After spending more time Google-machining autoclaves, I ran across this image of a "portable autoclave":
INSTANTLY I thought of something that looked VERY similar to the portable autoclave that I just happened to own...
A PRESSURE COOKER! (I actually have 2 of them...one is an electric Instapot).
So...I removed the caps from all of the bottles and, 13 at a time (9 in the pressure cooker and 4 in the Instapot) I went about adding steam and heat under 15psi for about 20 minutes. I let the pressure dissipate then removed the bottles from the pressure cookers and let them cool.
After a little experimenting, I discovered that the sublimation still wouldn't come off just by wiping them...it is a baked-on ink, after all. So, trial and error led me to the discovery of using a "Magic Eraser" with a few shots of brake cleaner applied to it...and VIOLA!! Shiny, clean, reusable aluminum bottles!
One thing that I would like to point out is that these bottles CAN be resealed, and they keep their seal pretty well for about 3-5 uses...then they start to bleed oxygen. I am convinced that this is a function of the seal inside the cap getting deformed or just plain worn out. I am currently looking for a source for just the caps. I have reused these types of bottles upwards of 8 times and have not had any of the inner coating come off...at least to my knowledge. I'm not saying that it CAN'T happen...I'm just saying that I haven't SEEN it happen.
Sorry for the length of the write up! If anyone has any questions, please let me know!
into these:
Maybe I'm just particular, but I don't really want my home brew to be free advertisement for some vanilla brand of beer...but I LOVE the aluminum bottles! I've looked high and low for a source for the bottles that isn't outrageously expensive or has a minimum order of 30,000 pieces to no avail. So, after much consideration, I put an ad on Facebook to see if anyone had any of these types of bottles that they would be willing to sell. I was able to buy 100 of the 2 different style of bottles for $.20/each (here in Michigan, there is a $.10 deposit on these bottles). So...I got them cheap and in a manageable quantity, and the seller doubled their deposit return. It was a win/win...until I tried to remove the labels. I quickly discovered that the manufacturers did a GREAT job of sublimating their bottles...to the point that not even aircraft stripper would work very well on removing the labels. So...back to the drawing board. This time to try and figure out how to remove the sublimation and keep the shiny aluminum intact (I could sand off the sublimation, but I wanted to keep the shiny finish...like I said, I'm picky).
So after extensive Google-machining the issue and talking to a bunch of my friends that do auto painting, I hit upon an idea...using an autoclave!! That will CERTAINLY soften up the sublimation and I should be able to just wipe off the finish! Riiiiight. Well, first challenge was having access to an autoclave. For those of you that don't know what an autoclave is...this is what they look like:
They are mainly used as a means to sterilize various medical equipment...but also to help remove powder-coating and other "permanent" coatings by applying heat and steam at an elevated atmospheric pressure.
They also run about $3000! So...back to the drawing board, or so I thought. After spending more time Google-machining autoclaves, I ran across this image of a "portable autoclave":
INSTANTLY I thought of something that looked VERY similar to the portable autoclave that I just happened to own...
A PRESSURE COOKER! (I actually have 2 of them...one is an electric Instapot).
So...I removed the caps from all of the bottles and, 13 at a time (9 in the pressure cooker and 4 in the Instapot) I went about adding steam and heat under 15psi for about 20 minutes. I let the pressure dissipate then removed the bottles from the pressure cookers and let them cool.
After a little experimenting, I discovered that the sublimation still wouldn't come off just by wiping them...it is a baked-on ink, after all. So, trial and error led me to the discovery of using a "Magic Eraser" with a few shots of brake cleaner applied to it...and VIOLA!! Shiny, clean, reusable aluminum bottles!
One thing that I would like to point out is that these bottles CAN be resealed, and they keep their seal pretty well for about 3-5 uses...then they start to bleed oxygen. I am convinced that this is a function of the seal inside the cap getting deformed or just plain worn out. I am currently looking for a source for just the caps. I have reused these types of bottles upwards of 8 times and have not had any of the inner coating come off...at least to my knowledge. I'm not saying that it CAN'T happen...I'm just saying that I haven't SEEN it happen.
Sorry for the length of the write up! If anyone has any questions, please let me know!