tap handle suggestions

[sebastienzeman18]

Normally I would be inclined to build my own tap handles as I try to DIY most of my projects but this is one where I simply don't have the skills to make it look even remotely presentable artistically on the tap handle. Does anyone have any suggestions for a somewhat affordable custom tap handle place? Any other suggestions are also welcome.

Cheers!

 

[kevin58]

I buy vintage faucet handles online. Craigslist, Ebay Facebook Marketplace, etc.

 

[FleEsq]

etsy has some as well

 

[AJinJacksonville]

Luckily my last name shares the name of a vintage brewery from way back. I found quite a deal on two tap handles (one for home, one for jockey box) on eBay.

 

[jrgtr42]

How custom do you want? Custom shapes and colors? or with your name painted or embossed?
Big differences there.
But I bet there's some local woodworkers nearby, I bet one of them can help you out for a share of beer. (or money, but where's the fun in that?)

 

[bkboiler]

I really like one where a guy built an 8 tap vertical keezer and used pool balls to be his tap handles...
Looks pretty sweet!

 

[sebastienzeman18]

I've got creative with my setup so Ive named my beers and even made labels for them. So ideally I would love to at least put the name of the beer on the tap handle and in a perfect world I put the logo of "my brewery" at the top of the tap handle. But name of the beer would suffice. I do love the idea of a beer for tap handles trade!

 

[NTexBrewer]

Here is something else to think about. The 4 tap is mine on an upright fridge that I can fit 4 2.5gallon kegs. The keezer is my cousins that I made for her. Before kegging, I almost always created labels for my beers and wanted to keep doing that. My solution was to have the mini clothes pins to easily hold the beer label Below or by the taps.

Sorry about the sideways pictures, not sure how to fix that!

 

[rwinzing]

I live on a farm so my handles are based on my brewery name.

 

[Yesfan]

I've got a bunch of handles of some of my favorite brews and had the idea of using them for whatever style was on tap. After thinking about it, I didn't like the idea of having to tell some friends I didn't have Redhook ESB on draught as it was an ESB I brewed. So I just break those out for a clone

I'm still using the generic black handles until I can find something better. I just use a chalkboard behind the keezer for the beers on tap.

 

[Squidmanoo7]

Got a 3018 Cnc just did this tonight little guy works great for any little task

 

[Tom R]

Got a 3018 Cnc just did this tonight little guy works great for any little task

Handle looks great, but your hand looks painful!

 

[RePete]

I have a Shopsmoth and haven't had an opportunity to try out the lathe yet. I'm thinking this would be a first good project at some point. My idea would be to stain the wood different colors to try to approximate beer colors.

 

[Brooothru]

I have a Shopsmoth and haven't had an opportunity to try out the lathe yet. I'm thinking this would be a first good project at some point. My idea would be to stain the wood different colors to try to approximate beer colors.

I got really mad at a 4-iron one day. Somehow the steel shaft got 'bent' during the ensuing argument. Five minutes later with the help of a hack saw and tap handle ferrule, and I had a new addition to my 19th Hole.

Brooo Brother

 

[Squidmanoo7]

Handle looks great, but your hand looks painful!

Haha thanks n yes molten metal in a glove isn’t the best

 

[Holden Caulfield]

Get one of these,

remove the cork, and epoxy a nut to the base and you end up with this

 

[khannon]

Where did that come from? I have a commemorative coin I use that has the Manikin(sp?) pis on one side and the country of belgium on the other that I always use for coin flips just to see how comfortable people are talking about a "boy peeing". Would love to have a tap handle for belgian-style beers.

 

[Holden Caulfield]

Where did that come from? I have a commemorative coin I use that has the Manikin(sp?) pis on one side and the country of belgium on the other that I always use for coin flips just to see how comfortable people are talking about a "boy peeing". Would love to have a tap handle for belgian-style beers.

Colleague of mine brought it back from a business trip to Belgium 25 years ago. It's just a cheap souvenir that I repurposed to bring a little culture to my keezer.

 

[Brooothru]

Colleague of mine brought it back from a business trip to Belgium 25 years ago. It's just a cheap souvenir that I repurposed to bring a little culture to my keezer.

It is indeed the Maniquin Pis in Brussels, just off the Grand Place. There's a neat little pub just across the street where I wasted too many brain cells on more than one occasion. Used to travel to Belgium quite often back in the day.

There's another fountain nearby, but well off the beaten path, called Jeneque (sp.?) Pis, depicting an opposite gender juvenile in a slightly different pose of relief. Please excuse my poor attempt at French spelling. Never could master the skill.

Brooo Brother

 

[Smudgey]

I went for simple to match the tower, laminated disc's left from the centre from the hole-saw etc. It only took a few minutes turning on a belt sander so I'm pretty happy with that.
The towers made the same way, set on a basic single-keg cooler made out of a well insulated culvert off-cut and cooled with glycol and an inkbird. I only intended to use it intermittently to cool a keg before carbing and bottling... cold beer on tap at home is a rather nice option though it turns out.

 

[bwible]

There are places that sell blank tap handles and you can make your own label to put it on it. Do a web search.

Or you can find used tap handles on ebay. Look for the ones that have labels you can remove, like I know the wooden Sam Adams taps and others that look like those have labels that are usually fairly easy to get off. Then you can paint them whatever color you want and make your own labels. I look for ones that are already in poor shape since I’m going to be taking the labels off and repainting them anyway. Then I don’t feel bad about destroying a new tap handle.

I use Photoshop to make my labels. I just print the label on regular paper and cut it out with scissors. I used to cover my printed label with clear contact paper to make it waterproof but I haven’t even been doing that recently.

Or I see people just using chalkboard paint. Get any flat piece of wood you like, drill a hole and put in your screw insert. Paint the whole thing with chalkboard paint. Write your beer names. Not as nice or as much fun as making labels but it works.

 

[bwible]

These looked really interesting: