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dover157 said:
(first time using a corker...... ugly but sealed)
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Keep in mind that it's easy to practice with a corker, and getting them pushed in to just the right level does wonders for the looks of your finished product. Make sure you fill the practice wine bottle with water to the appropriate level to ensure you're adjusting your corker correctly.

I used to have corks sticking 1/4 of the way out of the bottle sometimes. :eek:
 
You may also have to adjust your corker depending on the corks, I've had some that slide right in and some that I practically had to jump up and down on the corker to get them in and often they'd leave up to half an inch sticking out when the corker puts them right where they belong when I use the other corks... needless to say I don't get the PITA corks anymore!
 
Very true; you must adjust the corker each time you switch cork varieties.

One other thing worth noting: corks that have been soaked for awhile (30-60 min) do seem to go in a little easier than those that have not. Keep this in mind, and practice with corks that have been soaked, since you should ALWAYS be soaking your corks at bottling time, with some sort of sanitizing element involved. A crushed campden tablet does the trick nicely, as does boiling, etc etc.
 
icedmetal said:
Keep this in mind, and practice with corks that have been soaked, since you should ALWAYS be soaking your corks at bottling time, with some sort of sanitizing element involved.
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Actually the manufacturers generally recommend that you put them in dry. They have a thin coating to help them go in and stay secure which can be removed by soaking or boiling. This can also cause corks to swell and make them more difficult to go in. It is also possible that boiling or soaking may lead to premature decay of the cork for long aging.

When the manufacturers deliver a bag (of 1,000) they are sealed in with SO2 to keep them sanitary. Since we usually buy them in smaller lots that have been repackaged, I can understand wanting to give them some treatment 'cause you don't know where those corks have been. :o

What I will do (most of the time) is dip them in sanitizer for a quick rinse just before I put them in the corker. I can say that batches where I just put them in dry have had not spoilage issues or any problem that I have seen.

If you find the corks aren't compressing easily, you probably should be purchasing corks that are "fresher". Also, a floor corker will make all the difference in the world. If you don't want to buy one, you may be able to rent or borrow one from a LHBS. If I didn't have a floor corker, I'd use crown caps or Zorks.
 
I've got a floor corker, but I don't bother; never had much issue with the corks themselves, just with a badly-adjusted corker.

I guess I stand corrected on soaking them... but I'm sticking to my guns on the sanitizing! :P
 
icedmetal said:
I've got a floor corker, but I don't bother; never had much issue with the corks themselves, just with a badly-adjusted corker.

I guess I stand corrected on soaking them... but I'm sticking to my guns on the sanitizing! :P
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I used to boil mine (I'm told this is also bad, degrades the coatings) because softening them that way was the only way I could get the darned things in (even that didn't work with those damned rubber coated ones where I had to get my knees onto the corker handles so I could use my whole weight), but I recently discovered that this newer batch of corks go in just fine if I just rinse them in sulphite solution. And I totally agree, there's NO WAY I'm putting a repackaged cork into my bottle to touch my precious wine/mead without making sure it's been sanitized. Maybe if I'm the one that opened the factory package, but I don't trust anyone else's lab procedures.
 
Sorry to go back to the whole "using vodka in airlocks" thing...I was just curious to know if there is some way to prevent the vodka from evaporating by adding a thin layer of oil or something that would form a layer above the vodka, keeping it from evaporating? Anyone use a trick like this?
 
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