The Spud gun (bottling from a keg on a budget)

[Spud395]

Ok so as some of you may know I'm a miserable bastard and hate parting with cash 

Been kegging everything lately and am going to continue to as it's so easy, but there are times you need bottles, meet-up, partys, yada, yada.

No original ideas here, but here we go

Here's the list of ingredients


Corney beer out, length of hose connected to a picnic tap.
Length of beer line about a foot long
Drilled bung that will fit a beer bottle.

Got the picnic tap, bung and disconnect from this seller on ebay, he does good deals on combined postage. I've used him a few times with good results every time.

Cut a splay on half of one end of the length of beer line. This is so when its pushed up against the end of a bottle beer can still get out



Then a few hours work later everything is assembled


Beer line fits snug into the picnic tap and the bung slips nicely up the line

Then place in bottle, adjust so as the beer line is down at the end of bottle


When you fix it to your keg make sure the bung is nice and tight in the bottle. Open tap fully, as the beer pours into the bottle pressure will build up in the bottle stopping the flow. Let some pressure off by loosning the bung and flow starts again.

It foams very little, just a thin ring on top of the beer. We'll see how it holds carbonation next sat at the south-east meet, but so far I'm very happy with this.

I know if you plan on storing the beer you really need to purge with co2 but I only really bottle for almost immediate consumption.

Anyway I report back on how we progress with this project

[rukkus]

Nice, I tried to make similar before and just ended up with a broken tap and bottling stick as when I pushed the stick up into the tap it split the mouth of the tap. Just something to watch out for if anyone else is trying to put one of these together

[Jacob]

@Spud395: where did u got that bung from and what's the size of it?

Also just to tweak your setup, check out this video.
Interesting usage of basket ball needle ...
Going to try that before getting some serious & expensive piece of equipment.

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuG9NvFkQI4[/media]

[Will_D]

That seems a complicated bit of kit just to connect a tube to the end of the tap!! ( All machined SS and O-rings and grease and btw: If you have too much pressure it'll blow out!! ) Why not just a larger piece of tubing that will fit over the tap and the wand tube pushes into.

I like the idea of the inflator needle. Here they are called "friends" you get them at alll sports shops for a couple of euro. Rugby/Soccer/Gaa clubs get through loads of these as they get lost.

If you are worried about not purging the bottles with CO2, here a thought:

CO2 is much heavier than air, so if you fill your bottles with CO2 then it tends to stay put. Its like filling them with a liquid. If using swing tops then just resting the rubber on the bottle top will keep the CO2 in there for ages. Likewise for crown caps just rest a cap on tap.

So, purge a set of bottles and then start to fill

Simples!!

So all we need are the bungs (@spud ) and some ss tubing, and a friend and we are good to go

Will

[Jacob]

Yep, connector wont work with the taps I have, but trick with the needle is cool. Btw. just ordered 5 needles on ebay - 1.53e for a set

[Spud395]

Love the idea of the "Will's friend"

Here's the link to the bung http://www.ebay.com/itm/Drilled-Rubber-Stopper-Size-2-/150770133088?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item231a99a860

It's a size #2 pre drilled and all, I linked to the seller above as I got my disconects and party tap and a few other bits off him as well.
Good guy and does a good deal on combined shipping if you contact him before buying

[Jacob]

Thanks Spud for the link!
Going to order few of them.
Who's interested in getting some?
Please let me know and I'll order them 2morrow.

[DEMPSEY]

I will take 12 when your ordering.

[DEMPSEY]

Just remembered that I bought some of these including the one on the CP bottler from hop and grape,

[Jacob]

Good to know that we can source them hop&grape as well.
Unfortunately wont be able to get you any cause mine order was processed already :/

[DEMPSEY]

No problem

[johnrm]

@Dempsey, are you starting a bottling plant? ;-)

[Will_D]

@Dempsey, are you starting a bottling plant? ;-)

Sounds like!!

[nigel_c]

This works well for me

http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s180/nigerford/IMG_0332.jpg

[DEMPSEY]

@Dempsey, are you starting a bottling plant? ;-)

Sounds like!!

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