# Corker problem



## Ceegar (Jun 16, 2009)

I have the double lever corker which works beautifully, but the rod leaves a huge dent in the tops of my corks. I was reading on a forum about this issue one day but couldn't find it again. 

I know I have heard of this happening with others so I know it's a problem with this corker. For those wiht the same issue what are you doing to resolve this?

I'm also thinking about the Porteguese Floor Corker - I've heard it's pretty darn good. In looking at the pics of this thing it appears the rod is very similar. I don't want to spend the money for one only to have the same old issue happening.


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## cpfan (Jun 16, 2009)

Ceegar:

Personally I don't consider it to be a problem. However, I believe that I have heard that some people put a coin (a dime?) on top of the cork before inserting.

Steve


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## Ceegar (Jun 16, 2009)

cpfan said:


> Ceegar:
> 
> Personally I don't consider it to be a problem. However, I believe that I have heard that some people put a coin (a dime?) on top of the cork before inserting.
> 
> Steve



Thanks CPfan - I put a dime up to the opening and it doesn't go all the way through, therefore the cork would probably not insert flush with the bottle neck. I tried a piece of cork to act a sa buffer but that too got smashed easily. When my corks get pushed in at the tops about a 1/4-3/8 of an inch that seems to me to be a problem - not to mention they look terrible. And like I said I heard someone else on one of the forums complaining of the same thing - wish I could find that thread. Maybe I can try a thicker piece of couk, maybe even use a cork made out of the real stuff rather than the softer nomacorks.


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## WildSeedGrrrl (Jun 16, 2009)

Ceegar, 

I have a floor corker and it does not leave any dents or marks of any kind. Plus I like being able to recork a bottle of wine I've already opened, especially when I've tore the old one all to heck after opening it. It's definitely worth the investment in my opinion.

WSG


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## Sacalait (Jun 16, 2009)

I use a portuguese floor corker that leaves slight dimples in the cork but that's not a concern for me.


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## cpfan (Jun 16, 2009)

Ceegar:

Maybe it was somebody in the UK, so a different coin.

WildSeedGrrrrl:

I use a VacuVin pump & stopper. This removes most of the air (oxygen) from the bottle thus keeping the wine in the partly open bottle from oxidizing.

Steve


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## Tom (Jun 16, 2009)

I would then use #8 corks. 
They are just a tad smaller in diameter. That will resolve your problem
GET A FLOOR CORKER !
Port or Italian will be great (I have the Italian)


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## Ceegar (Jun 16, 2009)

Tom said:


> I would then use #8 corks.
> They are just a tad smaller in diameter. That will resolve your problem
> GET A FLOOR CORKER !
> Port or Italian will be great (I have the Italian)



Well I'm impressed Tom - you knew I was using #9s without telling you, or at least something else besides #8s anyway. Unfortunately I have over 100 of these left so I'll definitely try that. I was going to hit the wife up about the floor corker tonight, you know with Father's Day coming up this weekend and all. She's taking a little cat nap in the chair right now. Normally I would encourage her to get up and snap out of it, lots of day left, but tonight I think I'll let her sleep, what do you all think?


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## Wade E (Jun 16, 2009)

I have a Port. corker and dont get the dreaded dent in my corks like I used to with the dble lever. I would never go back to a hand corker!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Manimal (Jun 16, 2009)

Get the floor corker... it has jaws that compress the corks before the rod pushes them into the bottle, so it doesn't really leave a significant dent. The double lever hand corker just tapers in toward the bottle, so the corks get pretty banged up on the way in. I still have the hand corker, but I borrow a floor corker from work whenever I bottle... it's definitely worth getting one.


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## Tom (Jun 16, 2009)

Ceegar said:


> Well I'm impressed Tom - you knew I was using #9s without telling you, or at least something else besides #8s anyway. Unfortunately I have over 100 of these left so I'll definitely try that. I was going to hit the wife up about the floor corker tonight, you know with Father's Day coming up this weekend and all. She's taking a little cat nap in the chair right now. Normally I would encourage her to get up and snap out of it, lots of day left, but tonight I think I'll let her sleep, what do you all think?


I been doing this and helping others a long time and can tell by how its written that they use #9.
You will kick yourself you know where after you get a floor corker. You will tell all including SWMBO that you should have done it sooner. !!


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## WildSeedGrrrl (Jun 17, 2009)

Ceegar said:


> I was going to hit the wife up about the floor corker tonight, you know with Father's Day coming up this weekend and all. She's taking a little cat nap in the chair right now. Normally I would encourage her to get up and snap out of it, lots of day left, but tonight I think I'll let her sleep, what do you all think?



Yeah, like she won't see that coming from a mile away!

I suppose it beats the ties, or socks that we always got my dad. 

WSG


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## St Allie (Jun 17, 2009)

Hmm MEN!!

they are always easy going when they want something..



Allie::


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## Russ Stewart (Jun 17, 2009)

I received an early Father's Day gift last week - a port. floor corker. I had been using the double lever corker and will never go back to using it. I helped a friend of mine bottle up some wine and gave him my hand corker to keep - I don't want it back. I got mine from the Grape and Granary in Akron, Oh for around $60.00. 
Russ


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## Madriver Wines (Jun 18, 2009)

I got the port. floor corker from shriverspharmacy.com for 49.95. It is great and leaves no dent.
Steve


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## Ceegar (Jun 18, 2009)

Madriver Wines said:


> I got the port. floor corker from shriverspharmacy.com for 49.95. It is great and leaves no dent.
> Steve




Thanks Madriver - with $11 shipping that is the cheapest I have seen them by far. I just bought one - had to at that price.


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## Madriver Wines (Jun 20, 2009)

I am about to buy a second one for my son in law Jon. It and 100 corks will be his Christmas this year. He is the one who introduced me back to wine making and I blame him for any money I spend lol.


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## Ceegar (Jun 20, 2009)

Madriver Wines said:


> I am about to buy a second one for my son in law Jon. It and 100 corks will be his Christmas this year. He is the one who introduced me back to wine making and I blame him for any money I spend lol.



I hear ya - I've been dropping some coin lately too on this hobby - mostly equipment costs. Thank God those can be used over and over again.

The way I justify it with my wife is like this - she breeds labradors. So I'm naming all the wines using her kennel name - she likes that!!


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## Madriver Wines (Jun 23, 2009)

Wow that was brilliant! No such luck here. Shhh I think she is on to me! (


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## Ceegar (Jun 23, 2009)

Great - my order arrived today from Shriver's but they sent me something totally different - some kind of picture frame something or other. Oh brother.

I'm a loser - it was the corker, but they packed it in this thin picture frame shipping box - the description on the outside threw me off.


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## Madriver Wines (Jul 7, 2009)

Wey you scared me there lol. I ordered 2 carboys and it came in a golf bag box 4 feet high!!


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## TopsyKrett (Jul 7, 2009)

Ceegar I too have a double lever corker and I also have the same problem, but what I did was adjust the depth of the cork to make it a little recessed inside the bottle about 1/4 of an inch or so and then filled the "dimple" with colored bottle wax up to the rim of the bottle and that seems to work just fine for me.  hope this helps until you atleast get a floor corker.


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