Single Bead Wine Stoppers?

flamesofglass · #1 2008-02-06, 10:14pm

I'm looking for a wine stopper with a smaller bead stem (proper term?) so that I can just put a single round bead on. The only two I have either take multiple beads or a longer bead. I just want to use a simple 3/4" round bead. Is anyone familiar with a stopper that has a shorter bead stem?

Thanks in advance!

Robert

jaci · #2 2008-02-07, 1:03am

you can cut your long ones down, I've heard. I have never done it, but I have heard people talk about it. I'm not sure if they epoxy the end on again or cut the other end ad glue it back in, either way t its shorter! Look for someone who sells them and ask. I know they talk about custom lengths alot.

categ50 · #3 2008-02-07, 7:28am

You can cut them down. Then, if you go to Home Depot or Loew's to the tool department, you can get a device to thread the end of the rod to screw the ball back on (you have to get the proper size for the rod). Very easy.
Cate

maddog1050 · #4 2008-02-07, 7:52am

I have two lengths of wine stoppers. The shorter ones have a threaded top where the ball screws on but the longer ones don't have threads and the end ball just fits on the end. So I'm guessing these longer ones are meant to be cut to size then epoxy the ball to the end. I plan to use a two part one hour epoxy. That's pretty strong. I got the longer ones from either Howaco or Karen Thomas--can't remember which. You might want to first contact the company to make sure you're ordering an unthreaded type.

Emily · #5 2008-02-07, 12:28pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by categ50

You can cut them down. Then, if you go to Home Depot or Loew's to the tool department, you can get a device to thread the end of the rod to screw the ball back on (you have to get the proper size for the rod). Very easy.
Cate

You mean a tool that cuts threads in the rod? Do you know what the tool is called, and where in Home Depot or Lowe's it's sold? (What department?) I think a "tap and die" set is what you use to cut screw threads into something and onto something, but I don't know which part cuts the male side and which part cuts the female side, and I obviously don't know how to go about buying one (or what they cost).

I know that Penn State Industries sells wine stoppers that don't have a mandrel that goes the whole way through. Does anybody else sell a wine stopper that doesn't have the mandrel going the whole way through? I'd like to be able to make a bead off the end of a mandrel (well, I guess it might not technically be a bead if it doesn't have a hole going the whole way, but you know what I mean). I'm getting frustrated with having my beads be not-quite-exactly-perfectly the right size for the stoppers that have the screw-on ball on the top, even when I use calipers to measure as I'm making the bead. The Penn State Industries stoppers look nice, except that it looks like you'd have to use such a thick mandrel -- they want a 7mm hole. I know some people say they just epoxy the bead on without anything sticking up into it, but that makes me a little nervous.

Penn State Industries

Bobby · #6 2008-02-07, 2:09pm

Emily

I made these about 5 years ago and they are still holding up. I bought the stoppers that had a threaded rod and just took that out. I put the glass right onto the mandrel and they are still attached. On the later ones that I made I flattened the mandrel at one end to make sure the glass had a place to lock onto. I also flattened the other end after I cut the mandrel to size. My thought was that it would make a lock in the epoxy that I filled the rod hole up with. I used an o-ring between the glass and the stopper. So far so good ! ! !

Bobby

Elegance_1 · #7 2008-02-07, 2:34pm

Paula from flamedame.com sells them. They are acutally made for wood toppers but with a thick mandrel like the hollow ones you can make a bead that would fit if you didn't want to remove the threads as Bobby had done.

btw Bobby, those are awesome!

flamesofglass · #8 2008-02-07, 6:25pm

Thanks to everyone... I think that answers my question in that nobody really makes one as small/short as I am looking for currently. I'm looking for an easy transition so I might tackle this later when I can cut, re-thread, epoxy, etc.

If anyone IS familiar with a shorter version please feel free to chime in