A year in!

[my wine]

I would fill it a bit more. Maybe the length of the cork plus another inch is all the spacing you would need.

 

[Sunshine Wine]

That is with the bottle filler....

 

[Rembee]

Hold a cork up to the side of the bottle with the top of the cork even with the top of the bottle. Your looking for a level of 3/4" under the cork. If the level is lower then raise the level to that 3/4" below the cork level.

 

[winemaker81]

My filler tube is ancient, I don't believe this type has been made in a long time. However, I think the modern tubes have the same displacement.



After pulling the tube, my level is:



With a 1.5" cork, I have about 3/4" ullage (air space).

 

[Rembee]

Also, don't forget to leave the bottles standing up after corking for 3 to 4 days to allow the head space above the wine level under the cork to equalize with the outside atmosphere pressure. Then you can store the bottles on their side to keep the corks moist.

 

[Rembee]

My filler tube is ancient, I don't believe this type has been made in a long time. However, I think the modern tubes have the same displacement.

View attachment 70229

After pulling the tube, my level is:

View attachment 70230

With a 1.5" cork, I have about 3/4" ullage (air space).

This looks correct for corking.

 

[Sunshine Wine]

I'm having trouble with the corker, it doesn't seem to be centered so the cork looks like it's trying to go in a little crooked. I'm also afraid to force it. I don't want to break the bottle....

 

[Rembee]

What type of corker is it?

 

[Sunshine Wine]

What type of corker is it?

A floor corker

 

[Sunshine Wine]

This the cork after I have tried putting it in...

 

[winemaker81]

It's a Portuguese corker. If you are using regular wine bottles, not screw caps, you won't break the bottle.

I have an Italian corker, bigger heavier, but does the same thing. The piece that pushes the cork in (no idea what it is called) is not centered on the hole. My corks go in skewed, so I turn the bottle and push again, which settles the cork. I'm going to send pictures, will take a few minutes.

 

[Sunshine Wine]

It's a Portuguese corker. If you are using regular wine bottles, not screw caps, you won't break the bottle.

I have an Italian corker, bigger heavier, but does the same thing. The piece that pushes the cork in (no idea what it is called) is not centered on the hole. My corks go in skewed, so I turn the bottle and push again, which settles the cork. I'm going to send pictures, will take a few minutes.

I have some screw top bottles...

 

[Sunshine Wine]

It's not even getting it through the hole right....I got it for free from someone here on the forum....now I have all my bottles filled and the corker is not working....

 

[winemaker81]

The cork is a larger diameter than the bottle. The corker not only pushes the cork into the bottle, it compresses the corks.

Really important -- when you put the bottle into the corker, make sure the mouth lines up with the hole in the corker. You can look down from the top to see. The hole is probably lined up with the far side of the jaws.



When you pull the lever down, the jaws move in, compressing the cork over the hole, then pushing it into the bottle.



DO NOT cork screwcap bottles. The neck is not reinforced to handle the pressure, and the bottle can shatter. You can use screw caps, put the original cap on and screw on as tightly as you can. Turn the bottle upside down, if it doesn't leak, you're good.

 

[Rembee]

Is the cork inserter rod bent? In your picture of the floor corker it looks like it is

 

[Sunshine Wine]

Maybe.. I didn't know if it was supposed to be curved...

 

[Sunshine Wine]

Here is the result with my husband's help...

 

[Rembee]

I would siphon the wine back into your carboy and put it back under an airlock until you can fix this corker or at least buy a hand corker

 

[Rembee]

Do you have a hand corker?

 

[winemaker81]

The rod is curved, as the corking mechanism rotates downward in an arc.

It appears the corker needs adjusting.