Detol and knockers

[RexBanner]

Eyup all.
Been looking at various methods of sterilising and VWP/Sanstar seem to be favourites.
Is their any reason a detol/water mix couldn't be used in a spray bottle? Or is it just the strong aroma is a pain to rinse off?

Also, methods of capping...
Now a bench capper is naturally the way to go but i don't
Have 30 squid to splash out on a bench one.
So has anyone used one of those "decapitator" twin arm thingys? Or even cheaper, the "knocker" type that involves a hammer *gulp*??

 

[Razor]

My dad used to use the hammer capper. It does work but he lost a few bottles that way either from hitting too hard or just defects in the glass.


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[GhostShip]

OK, so how many logged into this thread expecting something quite different?

 

[Razor]

OK, so how many logged into this thread expecting something quite different?

I did :lol: Not sure what I was expecting though.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I fell for it too. :lol:

 

[RexBanner]

Lol these are genuine questions man, moneys tight as owt so if i can get away with cheaper methods ide like to know, ta

 

[braziliain]

I got a £10 Wilko twin lever capper thing and I'm a bit disappointed. It can't cap corona or koppaberg bottles as the ridge it grabs at the top of the bottle is too high. A bench capper wouldn't have that problem and could cap anything.

Oh, and was also expecting to see a squeaky clean pair... Lol.

 

[Simonh82]

I think the main problem with detol would be the strong smell and need to rinse several times. You can make a sanitiser from very dilute thin bleach and white vinegar (don't mix them directly unless you want a chlorine bomb)

I use one of the two arm cappers. A bench capper would be great but I don't fancy having to reset it to each different bottle height (my bottles are many and varied). It does feel slightly flimsy but I think it is a much better option than letting me lose with a hammer and glass bottles.

 

[yeastinfection]

I have a twin lever capper. Decappertater it is. It won't do bottles with a roundish top.ie hobgoblin type.
All my bottles are that so it was easier to buy a counter top one than replace all my bottles.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Lol these are genuine questions man, moneys tight as owt so if i can get away with cheaper methods ide like to know, ta

I cannot help with the capper but this may be of some use -

http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=53700&highlight=sanitiser+steriliser

.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

You could try asking if any members have any cappers they are willing to sell in the wanted and for sale forum.

Cheap Knock On Bottle Capper - £5.35 delivered - 14 hours left - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/0025-557-...330666?hash=item3f2e37872a:g:4hAAAOxyVaBSwEa0


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[MickDundee]

I think I struck lucky with my 2 hand capper. It's caps very well (although I sometimes have trouble getting it off) and even handles Wychwood bottles which seems to be most people's bugbear with them. It's this one:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00MNIV5GK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_wa4iybPZXQZE8

 

[Callumbo]

I think I struck lucky with my 2 hand capper. It's caps very well (although I sometimes have trouble getting it off) and even handles Wychwood bottles which seems to be most people's bugbear with them. It's this one:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00MNIV5GK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_wa4iybPZXQZE8

That is the exact capper I use and it has worked on every bottle I have tried to cap. From whychwood to lager bottles with a small ridge. Leaves a small circle in the top of the cap though if your quite aggressive, which I am just to make sure it's fully sealed.

 

[yeastinfection]

Ah.mine's a black plastic one from Wilko or Tesco.

 

[Hoppyland]

For me, the only way to go with crown caps is a bench capper. They last for years and years, so the initial outlay is a bit of a hit but long-term they cost little. You don't need to attach them to a bench - they are free-standing and portable.
Please, please, don't try the "hit it with a hammer" jobs. I started with one, but very quickly moved on. It's a difficult knack to get the cap to seat properly, and if you've had a bottle neck shatter then you won't want a repeat (only one - but that was enough for me)
However, if you really are on a super-tight budget, why not go for 2l PET bottles? My local Tesco sells them (full of their bargain-basement water) for 17p. So, for a 24l brew you'd need to spend a little over £2. And, you can re-use them (not forever, mind you....). And, you could use the water in them for your brew - an interesting experiment to see if it tasted different to your tap-water.

 

[Hoppyland]

Oh, and don't touch Dettol or anything similar for sterilising. You'll be lucky to get rid of the smell, especialy with plastic containers.

If you're happy to rinse thoroughly, and on a very tight budget, then for me there's only one way to go. Supermarket (or Wilko) cheap, thin bleach. Kills pretty well anything, and not that bad to rinse (lots of small dilutions with lots of shaking works by far the best). If you do, say 5 repeated rinsings and drain each thoroughly, then most of the residual pong is in the air, not the left-over liquid. So, then fill the container with water. No air left, no smell left.
Works with bleach, wouldn't trust Dettol. But Dettol is way more expensive anyway.

 

[pms67]

Dont mention bleach, there was a.... Ahem...
livley discussion with Johhnyboy about this.
Isnt powdered steriliser a couple of quid from Wilkos?

 

[Hoppyland]

Well, I will mention bleach, as per several of my previous posts!
Yep, I know it divides opinion. But I have no doubt whatever that:
1. It does an extremely effective job of sterilising most things (it will attack metal if left in contact)
2. Rinsing is absolutely essential, but not difficult if done as described above
3. I've been brewing for over 40 years. At first, I tried a bunch of different sterilisers that apparently the "professionals" used. For the last 30 years I've not deviated from bleach. It works. It's cheap. I'm absolutely convinced it does not affect the quality/taste of the beer in the slightest if used properly.

I was recommending it here to someone on a tight budget. But, I use it exclusively myself regardless of cost because it is so effective. I'd have to trawl back through my notes to see when I last had an infected brew. I think it might be the 1980s.

 

[Rocksaga]

I have a twin lever capper and it works well on Bulmers bottles as they have a deep ridge at the top, which the capper grips underneath. I have had to lubricate the mechanism though, as it became very stiff to get off after capping and I nearly lost a few bottles because I haven't got three hands. Would like a bench capper at some point though.

I wouldn't trust the ones that you have to bray with an hammer - the combination just doesn't seem right to me. Hammer - glass, glass - hammer: Tommy Cooper springs to mind at the thought.

 

[ravey]

2. Rinsing is absolutely essential, but not difficult if done as described above

If you get your solution right it's fine as a no rinse.