Corking Problem - Can you help please?

[Ange]

Morning Chaps,

So far, I've corked about 36 bottles, using one of those 2-level type machines. I've experienced 1 x bottle bomb, the cork popped (the other 5 bottles DIDN'T, they were fine...) and today I've had a racking and bottling morning - so far 3 of the 6 corks I've inserted haven't pushed fully home! I'm pretty sure the bottle that popped the cork the other week was similarly not pushed fully home. Why is this happening? How can I remedy this, other than remove the cork and re-insert, which I've done on one of the 3 and it STILL didn't push fully home? Getting annoyed now....

Ange
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[Moley]

Bottle necks vary, some are tighter than others and there's no consistency in the thickened glass bands just below the rim, which is where your corker grips the bottle.

Even with the waxed corks, I still find they are easier to drive if you wet them.

Some will also need a bit of extra persuasion.

Find a piece of stick, a plastic rod or maybe a marker pen whose diameter is a bit less than the cork and which fits across the palm of your hand. Centre one end of the stick on the cork, wrap your hand around stick and rim of bottle then tap the other end with whatever you have available. I use a rubber mallet.

 

[Ange]

Bottle necks vary, some are tighter than others and there's no consistency in the thickened glass bands just below the rim, which is where your corker grips the bottle.

Even with the waxed corks, I still find they are easier to drive if you wet them.

Some will also need a bit of extra persuasion.

Find a piece of stick, a plastic rod or maybe a marker pen whose diameter is a bit less than the cork and which fits across the palm of your hand. Centre one end of the stick on the cork, wrap your hand around stick and rim of bottle then tap the other end with whatever you have available. I use a rubber mallet.

Thanks Moley, I'll ask himself to do that, I cannot. Oh I have soaked them for 20 minutes. Also, these corks that aren't fully home, are skew-wiff inside the bottle too..

Ange
x

 

[Moley]

Also, these corks that aren't fully home are skewiff inside the bottle too.

Try to push the cork a little bit further down inside the corker when you load it, and note where the plunging rod tends to sit. You need it centred on the cork, which in my case means I need to angle the cork to the right hand side of the corker barrel.

 

[Ange]

Also, these corks that aren't fully home are skewiff inside the bottle too.

Try to push the cork a little bit further down inside the corker when you load it, and note where the plunging rod tends to sit. You need it centred on the cork, which in my case means I need to angle the cork to the right hand side of the corker barrel.

Aha, I'm ahead of you on that one, Moley I have been watching where the rod 'hits' from the word go, as it sometimes seems to go off-centre..

Ange
x

 

[alanywiseman.]

As for the corks popping out, do you stabalise your wine with campden tablets and Potassium sorbate?

 

[Ange]

As for the corks popping out, do you stabalise your wine with campden tablets and Potassium sorbate?

I did, alan - none of the other 5 bottles popped either... most odd...

A
x

 

[alanywiseman.]

Very strange indeed :hmm:

 

[Moley]

Popping corks and bottle bombs are two completely different things.

What corks are you using and do any instructions tell you to soak them?

Did that one pop soon after insertion, or some time later?

It could simply be that the inside diameter of the bottle neck wasn't as tight a fit as the others you used, the cork was wet and the air compressed below the cork forced it out again.

It gets easier with practice, and don't be a wuss regarding the tapping stick. The reason for putting your hand between bottle and whacker is so that a), you're not going to whack the glass with a hammer, and b), as a psychological barrier because you're not going to whack the stick hard enough to hurt yourself if you miss.

 

[oldbloke]

All my corks used to protrude 1/16" or so, until I stopped overfilling the bottles... Just by 1ml or so, it was.

I've heard that if you have enough yeast that's still hungry, it can defeat even sorbate+sulphite stabilising. Was the bottle that popped the last one, with maybe a bit of extra yeast in it from the sediment?

 

[screamlead]

I leave about 2 inches of space in a wine bottle for corking. I also used have the same problem of corks not going fully home with those two handled red italian corkers too - solution - i made my own industrial type from box steel, steel pipe and a metal sanbrini corker.

viewtopic.php?f=48&t=22254&hilit=+what+did+you+make+this+winter - have a look here - scroll down to bottom.
I now never have a problem with corking and all corks go in fully - non sticking out at all :

 

[PD]

usual cause is as oldbloke says not leaving enough head space in the bottle. Inserting the cork in and your compressing the air, if not enough space then the air pressure will not allow the corks to go fully home or slowly push them out again.

Don't overfill your bottles....

 

[Ange]

Sorry for delay in answering, internet down since 14:00hrs yesterday, just back on now. I'll take on board all that's been suggested, thank you all, I leave a good inch between base of cork and wine in bottle.

Ange
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[PD]

I remember some instructions in a book years ago that suggested putting the end of a length of string into the top of the bottle to make inserting the corks easier then pull the string out afterwards !
It was an old country book.... :party:

 

[oldbloke]

CJJB's got that in one of his books, I'm sure.

I'd have thought an inch between cork and wine would be plenty, but I'm still at less than 2 years in this game. I've had one bottle push its cork out, and I'm still not sure if the wine wasn't stabilised properly or if it was a slightly oversized bottle.