How much K-Meta for a corkador?

[skyfire322]

I plan on making one tomorrow, and wasn't sure how much to use for 30 corks. Also, I've seen some have them sit overnight and others just an hour; is there a "specific" time to place them in?

 

[Johnd]

I plan on making one tomorrow, and wasn't sure how much to use for 30 corks. Also, I've seen some have them sit overnight and others just an hour; is there a "specific" time to place them in?

Unless it’s in some giant bucket, 1/2 cup will be plenty, just need enough for the fumes to do the work. I usually set up my corks, sanitize bottles, bottle, then cork, half hour, 45 minutes of sit time.

 

[skyfire322]

Unless it’s in some giant bucket, 1/2 cup will be plenty, just need enough for the fumes to do the work. I usually set up my corks, sanitize bottles, bottle, then cork, half hour, 45 minutes of sit time.

Thanks! I was just going to use a one quart tupperware bowl since there aren't too many corks.

 

[garymc]

I have a quart trigger spray bottle I use for k-meta sanitizing. You can get them in the mop and broom area in grocery stores and Walmart. I make up about a pint or pint and a half of sanitizing solution. For a clean 8 gallon bucket, I spray the sides, bottom, and lid, put the lid on for a few minutes, and it's ready to go. For the corkador, same thing with a 5 (or 4 since I have some 4 gallon buckets.) Spray the lid, sides and bottom of the bucket, put your corks in a collander or other screen type vessel that will allow fumes to move around them, but keep them from getting wet, and place the collander in the bucket, put the lid on for 15 minutes to a few hours while you're getting ready to bottle. But, when the k-meta has dissipated, and I don't know how long that is, a day, 2 days, 2 weeks, whatever, then your corks are just sitting in a very humid closed space - not good. I read about somebody storing their corks either in solution or in a corkador type thing for six months and they were moldy or rotted or some such. Corks (I'm talking real cork) should stay dry until one end gets put into the wine bottle. Anyhow, a pint of solution in the spray bottle does most of my sanitizing for months and then I throw what's left out because I have no idea how long it lasts in solution. If you spray it in a container and stick your nose over it and you think it's peeling the skin off the back of your head from the inside, it's still active. If my bottles have sat a few days since washing, I give them half a spritz each as I'm bottling. With carboys that were washed weeks or months ago and plugged, I rinse and then spritz 2 trigger pulls or so in them right before racking. Edit: I meant to point out that it's the sulfite gas released from the k-meta that sanitizes, so a large surface area like the sides, lid, and bottom of a bucket releases a lot quickly.