# Did heat gun for PVC capsules ruin my wine?



## Gekko4321 (Apr 9, 2012)

Just did first PVC heat shrink capsules for 2 batches of wine. I did half with PVC and heat gun and am saving second half for wax application. When done I noticed when I looked into my filtered red bottles there was a whole bunch of floaties in there! Even larger pieces of something as well that may be cork. I held up same bottles that I was saving for wax and they did not have this issue. What went wrong? I did notice the top of the bottle gets very hot (too hot too touch) when using the heat gun so did I fry some wine or cork? What damage may I have done? I never read anywhere on this forum of someone having that issue with a heat gun. I started at the top on the 'low' setting and worked my way down like everyone says.


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## Runningwolf (Apr 9, 2012)

I cannot see who the heat gun could have done anything to the cork. You mention the bottle top was too hot to touch. Mine never get that hot. I apply just enough heat to shrink the capsule but not heat the neck of the bottle. I just find it hard to see using the heat gun had anything to do with the particals you got. You could try to heat a neck up without a capsule, just to see if anything happens to your cork.


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## Wade E (Apr 9, 2012)

You most likely heated it up too much and melted the paraffin wax off of the corks. You should nit have needed to get the bottles hot at all!!!!


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## Wade E (Apr 9, 2012)

This is not the first time Ive heard this but only like 2nd or 3rd.


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## Poni (Apr 9, 2012)

i like to use the boiling water method, i haven't tried the heat gun, but i got a portable electric burner and used that at bottling time, it worked great!


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## Gekko4321 (Apr 9, 2012)

Wade, I imagine that is what I could be looking at as 'floaties'. I honestly only did as much to shrink it and smooth it. What do you rec I do? Is the wine ruined?


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## Wade E (Apr 9, 2012)

The wine isnt ruined but if you dont like what it looks like then youll have to remove those corks and filter again as the wax will float unless you can rack through them. Nit knowing how youve sulfited this batch, it might be recommended that you add mire due to racking like this.


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## Gekko4321 (Apr 9, 2012)

I stayed up on sulfiting but may add more now. Wow. I just wrecked a day or two minimum. I honestly do not know what I could have done differently. I assume most of you have wrinkle free capsules. Is it possible I didnt need to be as close to bottle when shrinking it? I imagine that would just take longer though. Now that I have to tear off capsules, uncork 30 bottles, re SO2, filter, rebottle, and recork, how do I proceed with heat gun next time around?


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## Wade E (Apr 9, 2012)

Sorry, I dont use and never have used a heat gun. I have the horizontal encapsular which sort of is a heat gun but the coils go all the way around and about 4" away and it literally only takes 1 second in there.


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## millwright01 (Apr 9, 2012)

I regularly use a heat gun. It takes about 3 seconds of waving motion while turning bottle to shrink on the endotherms. My bottle never gets very hot. Sometimes I get a few wrinkles, but if you start with the heat gun pointing directly down on the top while holding endotherm down, they usually go wrinkle free. If there are a few wrinkles, so be it. The wine still tastes the same.


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## Gekko4321 (Apr 10, 2012)

Tried boiling water method tonight. Took a second and was way easier than the damn Wagner heat gun. No way I could have done it faster than the 1-2 minutes it took per bottle with gun. I just hope I can save these 30 bottles. The wine has been in bottle for 9 months now. What SO2 addition would u do after I filter and rebottle this? I have useless Accuvin testers so pretty much need a blind addition guess. Thanks for any advice.


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## Runningwolf (Apr 10, 2012)

Since you are unbottling and rebottling I would go with the 1/4 tsp. for 30 bottles. If you are not filtering and you have floaties try to at least use a funnel that has a screen in it. You can get them at your wine supply store. I just did the same thing about a month ago.


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## joeswine (Apr 10, 2012)

*Some like it hot*

I MYSELF NEVER USED A HEAT GUN BUT I TEND TO AGREE YOU COULD HAVE LOOSENED SOME OF THE CORKS ADHESIVE , THAT IS PROBABLY WHAT TRANSPIRED ,STRANGER THINGS THAN THAT GO ON IN THIS CRAFT,NOT TO WORRY.


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## Wade E (Apr 10, 2012)

When and what was your last SO2 addition to this wine?


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## DoctorCAD (Apr 10, 2012)

"1 to 2 minutes per bottle"

That's WAY excessive. I don't think I have ever gone more than 20 seconds to get a good shrink. Point straight down until the top seals, tip the heat gun to the side a bit and spin the bottle once.


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## Gekko4321 (Apr 10, 2012)

I bottled half of this 9 months ago after giving the 30 bottles a 1/4 teaspoon of k meta. Did it direct from manufacturer directions. The other half I bottled 1 month ago, after bulk aging, finally giving it to a 1/4 teas of k meta. I appreciate any advice on how to approach adding additional k meta to each batch. Thanks guys!


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## phat (Apr 10, 2012)

DoctorCAD said:


> "1 to 2 minutes per bottle"
> 
> That's WAY excessive. I don't think I have ever gone more than 20 seconds to get a good shrink. Point straight down until the top seals, tip the heat gun to the side a bit and spin the bottle once.



+1 on that. 

My better half has a crafting heat gun that she uses for making cards and stuff - it's a tiny little thing but works fantasticly on shrinktops - that ends up being her job - but it doesn't take more than 10-15 seconds per. having used the little crafting jobby I don't think I'd wanna use a big old paint stripping gun to do it.


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## WildBill (Apr 11, 2012)

Wade E said:


> This is not the first time Ive heard this but only like 2nd or 3rd.



One of these times would have been me Wade. I had the same problem and found that the hot water method worked way better. I did try it with the bottle on its top with wine bathing the cork with the heat gun and it didn't make floaters. Cork quality may have been an issue too but I don't know for sure.


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## Gekko4321 (Apr 11, 2012)

Thanks Wild Bill. What did you do? Did you redo the whole thing, pitch it, or drink it? Thanks.


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## Wade E (Apr 11, 2012)

I knew I saw it on here like last year maybe and once on FVW's a few years ago. Thats how I knew pretty much what happened.


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## Gekko4321 (Apr 11, 2012)

Wade, never heard back from you on K meta addition advice. Your just the guy I need to ask. See above. Thanks.


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## WildBill (Apr 12, 2012)

Gekko4321 said:


> Thanks Wild Bill. What did you do? Did you redo the whole thing, pitch it, or drink it? Thanks.



I drank it of course! : I noticed floaters in the first 5 bottles and figured it had something to do with the heat gun since they weren't there before the shrink top went on.


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## Wade E (Apr 12, 2012)

If only adding the 1/4 tsp after fermentation was done then you definitely want to add another 1/4 tsp per 6 gallons now. If you bulk aged this wine and added more sulfites while aging then Id probably go with a little under that unless you are planning on pouring each bottle out. Racking each bottle would be a much gentler way to go.


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## Gekko4321 (Apr 13, 2012)

Thanks Wade. I will follow accordingly. Wild Bill, I drank one.of my 'problem' bottles and I noticed no diff due to my error. It actually was quite good. Between the wine diamond fallout and the floaties I went with a coffee.filter into a decanter to make it appearance acceptable. I'm gonna make a move.to try and get these clean though and rebottle.


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