Using milk to stick on labels?

[Casedeville]

I made a quick video of how I use this method. It's worked really well for me. I used non-fat milk, and no brush.

[ame]http://youtu.be/II37YITuuNU[/ame]

 

[StanJohnson]

Nice video. Thanks.

 

[bmasyga]

Do you need to refrigerate right away? Or could I label them as I bottle them and let sit for a few months?

 

[sirpilsofd]

I made a quick video of how I use this method. It's worked really well for me. I used non-fat milk, and no brush.

http://youtu.be/II37YITuuNU

Great video. I just did my first set and I noticed that there are some wrinkles due to excess milk. Their all dry now so it's shouldn't stink. But I never thought to line up the labels with the seam of the bottle and rolling it on the table is much better then how I did them with the bottles standing up. I'm going to use your technique on the next batch.

Cheers!

 

[Casedeville]

Do you need to refrigerate right away? Or could I label them as I bottle them and let sit for a few months?

I don't have the space in my fridge for all the bottles, so I only refrigerate a couple at a time to have ready to drink. The rest just sit in boxes at room temperature without any problems.

 

[Casedeville]

Great video. I just did my first set and I noticed that there are some wrinkles due to excess milk. Their all dry now so it's shouldn't stink. But I never thought to line up the labels with the seam of the bottle and rolling it on the table is much better then how I did them with the bottles standing up. I'm going to use your technique on the next batch.

Cheers!

Yeah, just a little contact with the milk will be plenty. I've also noticed that wider labels (ones the wrap further around the bottle) are more prone to wrinkles, so I use even less milk on those. Well, I try to use less milk, but I am usually enjoying a homebrew at the time, and we know how that goes.

 

[balickma]

Posting so I can find this later

 

[FTG-05]

I made a quick video of how I use this method. It's worked really well for me. I used non-fat milk, and no brush.

http://youtu.be/II37YITuuNU

That's a great video!

Unfortunately, the milk labels aren't working out too well for me, they are all falling off, before I put them in the refrigerator or either shortly thereafter.

I put them on them pretty much the same was as Case is doing in his video above, except that I wrap my bottle/label with a paper towel instead of using a paper towel to wipe the label down. That shouldn't make any difference, but my labels are still coming off.

Any ideas?

Thanks,

 

[MedicMang]

Did you say that you were immediately putting them into the refrigerator or shortly after? I've noticed that when I do that the milk hardens weird and they fall right off. I wipe the outside of the bottles before I stick them with a moistened paper towel to make sure they are super clean. Then after I stick the labels, I leave them out for a couple more days. Straight up like cement on them bottles. The bottles should also be room temp when you go to stick them. I had trouble trying to label beer straight out of the fridge.

 

[FTG-05]

Did you say that you were immediately putting them into the refrigerator or shortly after? I've noticed that when I do that the milk hardens weird and they fall right off. I wipe the outside of the bottles before I stick them with a moistened paper towel to make sure they are super clean. Then after I stick the labels, I leave them out for a couple more days. Straight up like cement on them bottles. The bottles should also be room temp when you go to stick them. I had trouble trying to label beer straight out of the fridge.

My bad, let me clarify: My cleaned bottles are at room temperature and remain that way for at least several days while either finishing their bottle conditioning or because I'm not ready to drink them and I just leave at room temps.

My labels will either fall off before they get to the frige or shortly after they get there.

What am I doing wrong?

 

[brewers-assistant]

Milk is the best glue for bottles. I never use anything else.

On a side note - does anyone else here just HATE Crooked Tree's labels ? Damn things take forever to take off and even then never completely off. Anyone know an easy way to get rid of them ?

 

[AleDave]

Easiest label removal I have found is to soak in oxyclean. Takes off labels and all residue.

 

[brewers-assistant]

Easiest label removal I have found is to soak in oxyclean. Takes off labels and all residue.

Hm, I'll try oxyclean next time I get Crooked Tree, but I m still skeptical. I think I tried a bunch of different things on those - boiling, boiling in detergent, bleach I think as well, and nothing worked. I mean the actual paper does come off eventually, but the sticky , stretchy residue stays there no matter what. In the end I'd have to scrape it off with a butter knife and/or roll it off the bottle with my fingers. It's like they use construction glue for their labels or something.

 

[ChrisTags]

Believe in the oxyclean it really does work incredibly! I had some bottles that did nothing when boiled, but hot water and oxyclean in sink for a couple hours and all the labels just fell off.

 

[slatorian]

I just left a few cases worth of collected bottles in a big cooler with warm water/oxyclean solution overnight. even got rid of painted labels, i just can't remember if that was only 1 night or 2, but my stone bottles came off clean as any of them!

 

[jastor]

Is there something special in the US milk that does it adhesive or does it work with any milk (eg: Swedish milk).

 

[HoppieBomb]

I saw the recommendation for oxy clean but all I had was some Borax so I thought I would give it a go (and its cheaper)...not 15 min later after soaking my bottles in Borax and hot water the labels fell right off and if there was residue left over it wiped off super easy with a sponge. Hope this makes the label removing headache a litlle smoother. Hoppie Brewing!

 

[wsender]

Is there something special in the US milk that does it adhesive or does it work with any milk (eg: Swedish milk).

All milk should do this. Milk paint was fairly common until the mid 19th century. Also the only additives to US milk, correct me if I'm wrong, is Vitamin A & D.

 

[BigEggy]

Milk is the best glue for bottles. I never use anything else.

On a side note - does anyone else here just HATE Crooked Tree's labels ? Damn things take forever to take off and even then never completely off. Anyone know an easy way to get rid of them ?

I know this is a old thread but thought i'd just mentions this tip i pick up from Big Secue on Youtube:

For really REALLY stubbon glue that even OxyClean wont remove try rubbing with olive oil and leaving for a few mins and then scrub with a rough dish sponge.. worked a treat on Hook Norton (UK) bottles that use some strange silver glue.

Eggy

 

[ljewels4u]

Old or not - this is a great thread as new brewers still need a good cost effective way to put labels on - Has anyone who had an issue with just milk sticking to bottles used a combination of Milk and gelatin (knox) - I read somewhere that increased adhesion?

Regarding REMOVAL - I've done a few things but the fastest one stroke removal that seems to work 98% -is putting the bottles into the oven at 200 - 250 for between 5 and 10 minutes then take a corner of the label and it just pulls off usually with the glue - so much faster than soaking in water or oxiclean - not saying you won't every need to go that route but for 98 out of 100 - this will be a time saver

 

[pc_trott]

Regarding REMOVAL - I've done a few things but the fastest one stroke removal that seems to work 98% -is putting the bottles into the oven at 200 - 250 for between 5 and 10 minutes then take a corner of the label and it just pulls off usually with the glue - so much faster than soaking in water or oxiclean - not saying you won't every need to go that route but for 98 out of 100 - this will be a time saver

Is this for all labels, or just the plastic/vinyl (I don't know what their made of) labels? The labels that are stuck on with mucilage, that is, water soluble glue, come off easily with a couple-hour soak in PBW.