Floor corker maintenance
June, 2003 Filed in: Wine making
Pity the poor floor corker. Watching all that great wine being made and yet it gets used so seldom. And after it does its job it is pushed to a dark lonely corner. It gets little recognition and even less attention.
So, how should you properly maintain your floor corker and insure it will cork thousands of bottles in its lifetime. Here are a few suggestions:
Water is the floor corker’s worst enemy. Never pour Sterilant on the plastic jaws (the things that wrap around the cork). Don’t over-soak your corks as they absorb excess water which will come out when corking. Always dry your corker with a dry towel after using it.
Never put WD 40 or similar solvents on the plastic jaws as it will corrode them and shorten the life of your corker. Besides these materials are toxic and obviously not recommended in your diet.
Use a small amount of petroleum jelly (aka Vaseline) on the jaws as a lubricant.
If the spring shaft sticks, lubricate it with WD 40.
If you have problems with the plastic jaws or inner workings be extremely careful if you open it up. The plastic jaws are held in place with powerful springs that can leap out when the cover is removed. Re-positioning the springs can also be an exercise in futility.
If the bottle platform fails to return when the corking arm is returned to the top position, tightening the two small screws on the bottom of the front leg can increase platform tension. Adjust them clockwise one turn at a time.
Recently we have a couple of customers who have been finding they have leaky corks. Close examination of the plastic jaws has found ridges or sharp edges which have been causing channels on the outside of the cork. This is more pronounced with synthetic corks than natural corks. Filing these sharp edges has corrected the problem. Or, it might be time to retire that floor corker and get a new one.
If you have any questions on your floor corker be sure to bring them up on your next store visit.
So, how should you properly maintain your floor corker and insure it will cork thousands of bottles in its lifetime. Here are a few suggestions:
Water is the floor corker’s worst enemy. Never pour Sterilant on the plastic jaws (the things that wrap around the cork). Don’t over-soak your corks as they absorb excess water which will come out when corking. Always dry your corker with a dry towel after using it.
Never put WD 40 or similar solvents on the plastic jaws as it will corrode them and shorten the life of your corker. Besides these materials are toxic and obviously not recommended in your diet.
Use a small amount of petroleum jelly (aka Vaseline) on the jaws as a lubricant.
If the spring shaft sticks, lubricate it with WD 40.
If you have problems with the plastic jaws or inner workings be extremely careful if you open it up. The plastic jaws are held in place with powerful springs that can leap out when the cover is removed. Re-positioning the springs can also be an exercise in futility.
If the bottle platform fails to return when the corking arm is returned to the top position, tightening the two small screws on the bottom of the front leg can increase platform tension. Adjust them clockwise one turn at a time.
Recently we have a couple of customers who have been finding they have leaky corks. Close examination of the plastic jaws has found ridges or sharp edges which have been causing channels on the outside of the cork. This is more pronounced with synthetic corks than natural corks. Filing these sharp edges has corrected the problem. Or, it might be time to retire that floor corker and get a new one.
If you have any questions on your floor corker be sure to bring them up on your next store visit.