# About to buy my first corker



## beardy (Aug 10, 2013)

So its time to bottle my first skeeter pee batch and I realized I dont have a corker... or corks. So I'm gonna head out to buy each and I've seen a lot on soaking versus not soaking. So I'm not sure how I'll go about that yet. Maybe some practice corking tonight. Also I don't know if the local store even carries floor corkers so I might just be stuck with a double lever. 

Any input? 
Thanks!!


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## jamesngalveston (Aug 10, 2013)

If you wet the corks, they will go in easier...If you have to buy a corker, then buy one of the cheap ones and hand cork, until you can buy a floor corker. Floor corker is the best way to go, if you plan on making more wine.


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## Duster (Aug 10, 2013)

I know my preference is of the minority here but I really like the Colonna Bottle Capper and Corker. http://www.midwestsupplies.com/colonna-bottle-capper-and-corker.html
I ain't saying that a floor corker isn't worth the money and I'm sure they do a much better job than the dbl lever corkers. There are many reason I prefer the Colonna,
1. cheaper to buy
2. smaller, easier to store
3. will cork wine bottles and cap beer bottles
There is one downside to it, it leaves a distinctive round "dent" on corks and caps alike. Not really a big deal in my opinion but some have found it disturbing. 

Also it is plastic but not like toy truck plastic but more like Glock plastic, it's virtually indestructible so do not let that sway your decision.


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## spaniel (Aug 10, 2013)

If you are going to do any significant volume, you need a floor corker. I have yet to see a hand corker which a) does as good of a job, and b) lasts more than a dozen carbuoys before it starts to wear out.

That said, we bought an Italian floor corker...they were $75 a decade ago but now almost twice that...and it wore out in 2000 bottles and we needed to use a vice grip to lock it in place each bottle before ramming the cork home.

Get metal bushings to squeeze the cork...ours was but it was the mechanism to hold the platform under the bottle that wore out.

Check around to see if anybody close to you rents a corker. Currently I bottle everything with a corker that I rent from a winery near where I work... $5/day, I just time everything so I rent it for one night and bottle a year's worth at once. It's ancient, and works flawlessly.


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## beardy (Aug 10, 2013)

I bought the double lever. The only floor corker was $160 and they don't even sell the hand corkers. I did a test run with 1 dry and 1 wet in a kmeta solution and the dry one tore a pieces off the top. The wet one was definitely easier with no tearing. It did leave a slight indent in the top but otherwise will get the job done. Also picked up a wand filler (spring loaded type) and that worked amazingly well. Tomorrow I'll bottle my Pee and let the good times roll!


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## MrKevin (Aug 10, 2013)

Duster
Where can I get one of those glasses, just for when my wife only wants me to have one glass of wine?


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## beardy (Aug 11, 2013)

Duster said:


> I know my preference is of the minority here but I really like the Colonna Bottle Capper and Corker. http://www.midwestsupplies.com/colonna-bottle-capper-and-corker.html
> I ain't saying that a floor corker isn't worth the money and I'm sure they do a much better job than the dbl lever corkers. There are many reason I prefer the Colonna,
> 1. cheaper to buy
> 2. smaller, easier to store
> ...



The first time I saw that I was really interested. I plan on making some cyser and think individual bottles would be fun. Plus cider and rootbeer. I haven't heard much about that particular one while browsing here but you may have swayed me. Thanks for the tip!


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## Duster (Aug 11, 2013)

MrKevin
The giant wine glasses can be found all over the net. They are usually sold as cork holders http://www.giftedgrape.com/pversized-wine-glass.aspx?gclid=CMmB6tSo9rgCFenm7AodTBgAog

Beardy, Spaniel, the Colonna has held up quite well for me. I have use it for three years now and 50 to 60 gallons a year so it has had almost 1000 corks ran through it and it still looks and works like brand new. Last year I switched using synthetic corks and it inserts them flawlessly and easier than the disk corks.


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## cpfan (Aug 11, 2013)

I've never actually seen a Colonna capper/corker. My biggest concern would be bottle size. Can they handle a tall bottle? Thinking 1.5 litres or the hock style bottles. It looks like the shelf is positioned for the height of the bottle. To speed the process, that would mean sorting the bottles before corking/capping. Or if two people are doing it, sorting the bottles before filling.

Steve


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## jswordy (Aug 14, 2013)

Duster said:


> There is one downside to it, it leaves a distinctive round "dent" on corks and caps alike. Not really a big deal in my opinion but some have found it disturbing.



Ba-HAHAHAHA! I love this description. "...some have found it disturbing." I immediately visualized someone getting very disturbed by a dent in their cork or cap! 





And dang, $39 for the wine glass? I got one that about 12" high and holds about 2/3 of a bottle from the grocery store for $5.99. Makes a nice ring tone when you rub your wet finger around the rim after you have become pulverized. Hey, that may calm those disturbed by the dent in their cork! 

Here we go... http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000VKOK6O/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20


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## olusteebus (Aug 14, 2013)

I have an old corrona style. I think they made a big change in them since in that the swing of the arm can be adjusted. On mine, you have to reach around to the back, pull it up and over and down. Not easy at all.

It does the job pretty good. I have it screwed to my workbench.


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## vacuumpumpman (Aug 14, 2013)

Duster said:


> I know my preference is of the minority here but I really like the Colonna Bottle Capper and Corker.
> I ain't saying that a floor corker isn't worth the money and I'm sure they do a much better job than the dbl lever corkers.
> There is one downside to it, it leaves a distinctive round "dent" on corks and caps alike. Not really a big deal in my opinion but some have found it disturbing.
> .



I found if you take a part of a cotton ball and wet it with sulfite and place it on top of the cork prior to pushing it down - you will eliminate any dimples- 
YEA !!


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## beardy (Aug 14, 2013)

vacuumpumpman said:


> I found if you take a part of a cotton ball and wet it with sulfite and place it on top of the cork prior to pushing it down - you will eliminate any dimples-
> YEA !!



Dang. About 3 hours too late for my 9 dirsturbingly dimpled corks


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