[Piscesgirl]

Here's my bottle making recipe:

Go to Lowes Hardware, and look for drawers of plumbing stuff - find the A-86 PB226 (WATTS brand) 1/8" x 1/4" I.D. HOSE BARB to FIP ADAPTER (or the very similar A-85). I'm sure other brands/types will do, but that's the one I'm familiar with and use. Anyway, it is brass, I believe. Buy a handful, as they are pretty cheap and great to have around.

Here is the hose barb thingie:

Then, get your juice bottle cap, and drill a hole smaller than the barb of the hose barb adapter, then shove the hose barb adapter through the bottle cap from the underside, so the barbed end goes through. Make sure to press hard so it is flush. The big base of the adapter will prevent leaks and the pressure of the Co2 will keep it pushed up and flush (but you may want to remove the bottle cap to attach airline so as not to push it down). Bingo! you are ALL done! finito! No silicone, no 24 hours to dry, nothing! Ready to use!
I suggest the big, heavy juice bottles, or the Dannon 1 gallon water bottles if you can find them. They are not like normal one gallon water bottles, but clear and much stronger. They have a little handle (see last photo) on the cap/neck as well for easy carrying. (forgive me please that the bottle cap is dirty, I grabbed one just for illustration, it isn't one I had been using).

I also use T barbs to connect two bottles together. This produces A LOT of Co2. I have found, however, that it is best to change them both at the same time when you renew.

 

[chubasco]

Very nice, Piscesgirl. In part 2, will you be covering the contents of these
bottles? Thanks for sharing!

Bill

 

[S]

Thanks for sharing this idea. I used a bulkhead intended for RC airplane engines but the concept is similar and yours is easier to find and probably cheaper. I had to call several hobby shops before I found mine.

 

[titan97]

If your bulkhead-style fittings are still having problems sealing, you may want to check out the Stat-O-Seals or Dowty Seals seen here

http://www.mpsracing.com/products/Earls/PA_Seals.asp

They are relatively cheap and they work great. I used some when I added another fuel tank to my truck. They not only seal between the cap and the fitting, but along the shank as well, giving a better seal than a regular rubber or copper washer.

-Dustin

 

[Piscesgirl]

I tried the bulkheads but they didn't work well for me. These things work much better, for me anyway. The bulkheads didn't work for all types of tubing, they were too small.

Bill, I use the Co2 recipe created by Tarah Nyberg -- it's great. Add protein powder, molasses, and a bit of yeast nutrient. I'm not much into measuring so I eyeball it. A tad bit of oceanspray juice makes the end result smell a lot better too - lol!

 

[dwhite645]

good idea and thanks for sharing. What would be nice is to find that brass fitting with the 1/4" barb that's the exact size and thread of a 2 liter bottle. What I do, instead of using silicone, is to drill a 3/16" hole in the cap, then fold the hose over onto itself and gently work it in. Once it's in, pull it through to the inside of the cap, then back out from the outside of the cap. This then releases the fold over onto itself and forms a perfect seal. They've been on there for 2+ years with no leaks.

 

[Piscesgirl]

Sounds interesting dwhite -- although I can't picture it in my mind...do you have pictures?

 

[Wö£fëñxXx1]

Drill hole in cap a size or so smaller than airline being used, cut end of line at 45degree angle, pull it through the hole with plier's, snip off once again at 45 degree angle 1/2" from inside capbase..wah lah
Note, when removing cap's from bottle, "Turn the Bottle" not the cap

 

[Piscesgirl]

I've tried that method with the smaller hole, etc. but I've always had leaks until I tried the adapters. I find the wide base covers up the hole and the pressure of the gas keeps it sealed. My method is for the DIY disabled folks like me. I'm not much of a DIY person, so perhaps the holes I drill are not perfectly round -- lol! I'm not into details! If there is a hole, there is a hole! hehe.

 

[Jdinh04]

Nice DIY, I'd would like to find that piece at my hardware store.

 

[Gomer]

I think a big factor in whether or not this will work for another person is if there is a soft seal for the brass fitting to seal against. I am probably not very clear on what I am saying, but look at the 3rdphoto. I am refering to the "blue seal".

 

[PlantsAndMe]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=57010&item=3812290728&rd=1&ssPageName=WD1V

10 Barbs ( 1/4 1/8 FIP)

Only ship to USA
Total cost to USA: About $5.00 USD i believe

 

[Deon Graf]

:smile: I've had trouble sealing my bottles to, I went with a "3" liter soda bottle (found at buymart) because of the large cap size. Use a 1/8" pipe threaded nipple and a pipe nut. With the original cap seal you don't need to use silicon.

 

[bopper20]

I had trouble sealing too, until I got some aquarium sealant (100% silicon rubber)
works great now. i try not to handle the bottles too much so as not to agitate the seals.