wine corks and electric drills

[Kelly Bell]

My girlfriend bought a nice bottle of Shiraz to go with some steaks she made and I could not, for the life of me get the d--n cork out.

So, I went out to my shop and tried to knock the cork back into the bottle, but the air pressure would not allow it. Frustrated (and thirsty) I decided to bore a hole in the cork with my drill.

I mounted a 1/2 inch bit into my cordless drill and went at it, with the vigor of the best of alcoholics. The cork (a synthetic one) was so tightly packed into the bottle that the bit got snagged and bogged down.

"Fine" I said, as I plugged in my corded drill. "I'll fix this....". So I went to town with my corded drill and eventually got it out and am now enjoying it.

Just a note in case this happens to you........

[john walker's workshop]

i open the shop wine by drilling or poking a hole with an awl, and use air pressure into the hole from my otherwise worthless OSHA approved air gun to gently pop the cork. just like one of those high dollar CO2 cork poppers. door strikers work well for beer caps.

[Kelly Bell]

Interesting. I didnt think of that. Have you ever exploded one?

[porschenut]

I think you're supposed to chop the whole top off with your sword.

[Kelly Bell]

LOL, I am the modern equivalent of a prince on a mighty steed. I have traded my sword in for an electric drill, and my horse for a speedy Porsche!

[Nitrometano]

Mec. Herodes wine method!!!

[Kelly Bell]

¡Lo fijaría de todos modos!

[masraum]

Originally posted by porschenut
I think you're supposed to chop the whole top off with your sword.

Or just bust it off on the nearest wall, work bench, bumper, rock, etc...

What's a little glass among friends?

[audi2.7t]

If you drilled a 1/8 hole first then you would have been able to push the cork in.......

[john walker's workshop]

hard to chug with the cork in there. never blew one up yet. the cork will pop before the glass will fail, hopefully. just go easy on the trigger. i hear that you shouldn't heat lava lamps on the stove though. some guy recently removed himself from the gene pool when one exploded and a shard of glass got him in his heart.

[sammyg2]

Why didn't you just twist off the cap? The only time that doesn't work for me is if I can't get the box open.

[djmcmath]

Originally posted by porschenut
I think you're supposed to chop the whole top off with your sword.

lol -- that's definitely the funniest thing I've read all day!

Last time I found myself at a girl's place with a bottle of wine and no opener, I asked her if she had a big screw, a screwdriver, and a pair of pliers. While she went to call a neighbor to borrow their corkscrew, I put the screw in (very carefully), then jiggled it slowly out with the pliers. I'm not just any old engineer, mind you -- I'm a classy engineer!

[randywebb]

They actually did long ago - had special swords for it. I think it was Champagne & before the cork puller was invented.

I once put a bottle of wine in a hot springs to warm it up - guess what happened....

[howie944]

I have an "idiot proof" cork screw made in Europe by a company called Brabantia. The thing is really a mechanical marvel. All you do is put the thing over the bottle top and turn the key (looks like a windup key). The cork comes out without a fuss. No jerking, no pulling, just a twist of the key. To remove the cork from the "screw" just turn key in the opposite direction. Never had it fail or tear up the cork. I think if you do a Google search they are available in the US.

[Kelly Bell]

The last time I asked a girl if "she had a big screw" I got slapped............

[Paul Franssen]

Well, seems you guys are all masters in mechanical engineering which seems reasonable enough.

But it would appear that you have failed to recognize that famous German contraption called the "Ah So".

It is one of many different models of corkscrews available on today's marketplace, the particularity of this model being that it is based upon the fact that the friction between metal and glass is less than between metal and cork...it consists of a handle with two slim knifelike blades, which have to be inserted over the outside surface of ze cork and the inside of the bottle neck. Once the knives are properly positioned, all you have to do is wriggle ze cork out of ze bottle and thereafter sniff the bottom of the cork...

This type of corkscrew works very well for young, tight-fitting corks. It does NOT work well with old rotten corks, which have a tendency of (during the insertion phase of the corkscrew) being pushed down into the bottle , resulting in splashing your face with expensive (insert name of wine) being strongly expelled from the bottle neck by the compression caused by the downcoming cork "piston"...

[daka]

Don't you just poke open the corner of the box to expose the little spiggot...wine in a box?
Seriously, this is why I always have my SWISS ARMY KNIFE handy, plus an assortment of wind cork pullers, screwers, and poppers.
Beer is just so much easier, just pull the little tab.

[stefang]

Originally posted by randywebb
They actually did long ago - had special swords for it. I think it was Champagne & before the cork puller was invented.

They still do - you just need to know what you're doing. The sword is actually dull and you just slide it up the bottle hard, hit the glass ring and the top will pop off. Pretty cool. has to be real champagne - others don't have the necessary pressure in the bottle. Don't try it at home - YMMV!!!

As to wine - Screwpull works really well.

Great, now I'm thirsty and it's not even 9am yet

Stef

[vash]

anything threaded in your garage would work. i used one of those hooks you use to hang your bike up in the rafters.

what is up with the synthetic corks? running out of cork trees?

[stefang]

Originally posted by vash

what is up with the synthetic corks? running out of cork trees?

Cheaper and better. You get a very high percentage of "corked" wines with the real thing, which is caused by bacteria in the cork. The new versions even let a slight amount of air through, like the real thing, so wines can ege properly. Also yes, I do believer there is somewhat of a shortage of real cork. You can only harvest the bark every 10 years.

Now, how do we get Porsche content back into this?

Stef