I have a floor corker and use quite a few half bottles. The corker is
designed for 750ml+ bottles and to make it work for the halves I have
to use a variety of items (towels, potholders, etc.) under the bottle
to make up for the lost height of the bottle. This obviously
increases the risk of a bottle flying out of the corker and/or not
getting good corking results. Have others run into this problem? If
so, how do you cork halves or smaller with the Portuguese floor
corker?

I've put a piece of 2x4 under the bottles with no problems.

Ed

"JJC" > wrote in message
om...
> I have a floor corker and use quite a few half bottles. The corker is
> designed for 750ml+ bottles and to make it work for the halves I have
> to use a variety of items (towels, potholders, etc.) under the bottle
> to make up for the lost height of the bottle. This obviously
> increases the risk of a bottle flying out of the corker and/or not
> getting good corking results. Have others run into this problem? If
> so, how do you cork halves or smaller with the Portuguese floor
> corker?

My Italian floor corker has enough travel to the pedestal that half
bottles work without any shims at all.

HTH, Mike MTM

JJC wrote:
> I have a floor corker and use quite a few half bottles. The corker is
> designed for 750ml+ bottles and to make it work for the halves I have
> to use a variety of items (towels, potholders, etc.) under the bottle
> to make up for the lost height of the bottle. This obviously
> increases the risk of a bottle flying out of the corker and/or not
> getting good corking results. Have others run into this problem? If
> so, how do you cork halves or smaller with the Portuguese floor
> corker?

The 375 ml bottles I have use the same corks as 750's.

Ed

"RC" > wrote in message
. ..
> Do the bottles take standard corks? I'm tempted to bottle part of my
> next batch in half-size bottles next Summer.

"Ed Marks" > wrote in message >...
> I've put a piece of 2x4 under the bottles with no problems.
>
> Ed
>

I do the same.

I only have problems with the really short 375 ml bottles. The ones
shaped like a Bordeaux bottle. The German/Canadian style half bottles
work ok without the 2x4.

Andy

> I've put a piece of 2x4 under the bottles with no problems.
>
> Ed

Ditto. I used to use a can of water chestnuts as a shim (it was the
perfect size), but after several years of pressure exerted by the
bottles the top weakened and caved it. It was quite a mess....

Jack Keller, The Winemaking Home Page
http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/

On 1/8/04 6:21 PM, in article
, "Jack Keller"
> wrote:

>> I've put a piece of 2x4 under the bottles with no problems.
>>
>> Ed
>
> Ditto. I used to use a can of water chestnuts as a shim (it was the
> perfect size), but after several years of pressure exerted by the
> bottles the top weakened and caved it. It was quite a mess....
>
> Jack Keller, The Winemaking Home Page
> http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/

Hmmm --- Now I'm curious - did you then make water chestnut wine?




--
Greg Cook
http://homepage.mac.com/gregcook/Wine

(remove spamblocker from my email)

On 7 Jan 2004 07:38:10 -0800, (JJC) wrote:

>I have a floor corker and use quite a few half bottles. The corker is
>designed for 750ml+ bottles and to make it work for the halves I have
>to use a variety of items (towels, potholders, etc.) under the bottle
>to make up for the lost height of the bottle. This obviously
>increases the risk of a bottle flying out of the corker and/or not
>getting good corking results. Have others run into this problem? If
>so, how do you cork halves or smaller with the Portuguese floor
>corker?

Hmmm...2x4, water chesnut can. All good ideas.

Try a hockey puck. Available in several team designs <grin>. Won't
collapse like water chesnuts. Might be tough for some
geographically-challenged folks to locate though.

Steve

> Hmmm --- Now I'm curious - did you then make water chestnut wine?

Greg, the though occurred to me, but my wife put her foot down. Some
things, I guess, are sacred.

Jack

I use a flat plastic cap from a 5 gallon carboy, it makes up the
distance nicely. I don't know if they make that style anymore though.
I'm sure I will be resorting to one of these other methods when it
finally snaps in half... )
Regards,
Joe

Steve Waller > wrote in message >. ..
> On 7 Jan 2004 07:38:10 -0800, (JJC) wrote:
>
> >I have a floor corker and use quite a few half bottles. The corker is
> >designed for 750ml+ bottles and to make it work for the halves I have
> >to use a variety of items (towels, potholders, etc.) under the bottle
> >to make up for the lost height of the bottle. This obviously
> >increases the risk of a bottle flying out of the corker and/or not
> >getting good corking results. Have others run into this problem? If
> >so, how do you cork halves or smaller with the Portuguese floor
> >corker?
>
> Hmmm...2x4, water chesnut can. All good ideas.
>
> Try a hockey puck. Available in several team designs <grin>. Won't
> collapse like water chesnuts. Might be tough for some
> geographically-challenged folks to locate though.
>
> Steve