Sam Adams Label Removal Question
Bob Crelco
I am having great success soaking my bottles in a tub filled with powdered
laundry soap, but for some reason Sam Adams bottles will not submit like
the others. Has anyone else experienced this? Any other ideas on how to
remove labels without using dangerous chemicals?
Please e-mail your response.
Thanks,
Bob
"Just because I wrote this doesn't mean I exist."
-Dr. Pulver Nack Ulara Roma
Bob Crelco :)
bobc...@earthlink.net
bobc...@earthlink.net
NEal Musmanno
Take your bottles and fill them with water. Then
place the bottles standing up in a large cooler. dump in about two
scoopfuls of "Tide" detergent, dont get any inside the bottles. Now boil
about 2 gallons of water and pour into the cooler. fill the rest of the
cooler with cool water till the level is above the labels. Close the
cooler and let sit for a few hours. The labels should just float off.
I use this method with all my bottles and found it to work really well.
It even removes the tough foil type labels similar to Sam Adams. At the
very worst performance I've only had to do some light rubbing to get the
labels off. Don't get any of the soap into the bottles because it's
really hard to rinse them out. Good luck and I hope this helps.
Gene Browning
I havent tried this yet but , it sounds pretty good, let me know how it
turns out..
NEal
--
**=====================================================================**
** NEal Musmanno I BREW, THEREFORE I AM **
** Beer Page @ http://www.geocities.com/BourbonStreet/2709/beer.html
**
**=====================================================================**
Geoffry Larsen
NEal Musmanno (musm...@ix.netcom.com) wrote:
<snip>
: This is my method:
: Take your bottles and fill them with water. Then
: place the bottles standing up in a large cooler. dump in about two
: scoopfuls of "Tide" detergent, dont get any inside the bottles. Now boil
: about 2 gallons of water and pour into the cooler. fill the rest of the
: cooler with cool water till the level is above the labels. Close the
: cooler and let sit for a few hours. The labels should just float off.
<snip>
: I havent tried this yet but , it sounds pretty good, let me know how it
: turns out..
Works great, Neal. I do the same thing with one small change. I use ALL
dishwashing detergent (the version advertised as free of perfumes and
dyes). If you look at the ingredients list on the box, it appears to be
the same as B-Brite with the addition of bleach. I usually let it sit
overnight for convenience.
--
Geoff Larsen | gla...@freenet.columbus.oh.us
"Good idea, Chuck. But, syrup won't stop them!" - Firesign Theatre
pete brunelli
bobc...@earthlink.net (Bob Crelco) wrote:
>I am having great success soaking my bottles in a tub filled with powdered
>laundry soap, but for some reason Sam Adams bottles will not submit like
>the others. Has anyone else experienced this? Any other ideas on how to
>remove labels without using dangerous chemicals?
These labels are a major pain in the tuckus! I soak them for 48 hours
in a weak oneshot cleaner solution, then peel the outer metallic label
off. then soak for another day and the paper and glue comes off. I
have pretty hard tap water, but I don't think it matters.
Sam's secret conspiracy against homebrewers?
gal...@sperry-sun.com
bobc...@earthlink.net (Bob Crelco) wrote:
>I am having great success soaking my bottles in a tub filled with powdered
>laundry soap, but for some reason Sam Adams bottles will not submit like
>the others. Has anyone else experienced this? Any other ideas on how to
>remove labels without using dangerous chemicals?
Tri Sodium Phosphate - TSP. I can clean 120 bottles in preparation
for a 10-11 gallon batch bottling session with little effort
(relatively speaking -that's still one hell of a lot of bottles).
Procedure: Fill your bathtub full of hot water, stirring in one cup
of TSP (or so - I just WAG it). Sink 120 bottles; it'll pretty much
FILL your tub. Sprinkle another 3/4 cup or so of TSP over the water
surface. Walk away. After 12 hours, wipe whatever remains off with a
nylon kitchen scrubber. Rinse thoroughly with your jet bottle washer.
Then I dip in Iodophor and drain till dry (I know - overkill). My 10
year old stepson is quite useful on bottling day....
Most labels float right off. Even the Sam Smith's gold foil will come
right off this way. And 90% of the Sam Adams slide off. The
occassional Sam Adams label is stubborn; the outer foil peals right
off, but a thin layer of paper remains behind. I just drop those back
for another 15 minutes, and then they slide right off. The only
really stubborn labels, in my experience are the Longshot labels.
Well, actually the label slides right off; it's the glue that stays
behind. They're the only ones that need a bit of elbow grease.
The good news is that the tub comes out nice and clean....
Tom
Rozanski
To help remove try slitting them with a razor blade horizontally and
laterally a few times. This helps whatever your soaking the bottles
in to get under the label and soften the ahdesive.
I found that after soaking them for 48 hrs. a scraper or chore boy
usually removes the labels easily.
Phil
Roy Funderburk
In article
<bobcrelco-270...@cust57.max11.santa-clara.ca.ms.uu.net>,
bobc...@earthlink.net (Bob Crelco) wrote:
> I am having great success soaking my bottles in a tub filled with powdered
> laundry soap, but for some reason Sam Adams bottles will not submit like
> the others. Has anyone else experienced this? Any other ideas on how to
> remove labels without using dangerous chemicals?
Unfortunately, I do not have an answer, but the culprit is the foil-like
outer label, which defies soaking. I have found that I have to peel this
outer layer away (usually easier after a short soak in water) and then
soak at least a few more hours ( I do overnight) to get the rest off. The
"peeling" is fairly easy if you are careful.
I consider it a small price to pay for the privelege of emptying them. 8-)
BTW, if you do find a solution, let us all know. Thanks.
--
_____________________________________________________________________
Roy Funderburk ro...@groupz.net
DMicha3595
Sam Adams lables are some of the most difficult to get off.
I soak them in extremely hot soapy water (I have the hot water
heater cranked up) for about 1 to 2 hours. I peel the top layer
of the lable off by hand and then use a plastic scrub ball to
remove the remaining paper/glue (it takes about 1/2 minute a
bottle).
Dan
David Whitwell
Bob Crelco <bobc...@earthlink.net> wrote in article
<bobcrelco-270...@cust57.max11.santa-clara.ca.ms.uu.net>...
> I am having great success soaking my bottles in a tub filled with
powdered
> laundry soap, but for some reason Sam Adams bottles will not submit like
> the others. Has anyone else experienced this? Any other ideas on how to
> remove labels without using dangerous chemicals?
I read of all sorts of solutions. Me, I'm a patient man. I soak 'em in a
plastic tub with weak bleach water. I just wait til they peel off easily.
Sometimes takes a couple weeks, but I've never had a problem.
Stick with simplicity.
--
Brew On!
David Whitwell
Home of the Half-Whit Brewery, Tacoma, Washington
(When replying, remove the obvious insertion from the address)
Nick Baaten-Gargan
I've had great success using chlorinated TSP. I know, I know, it's not
an environmentally sound product but, when I bought the container I got it
from a homebrew shop with knowledgeable salespeople. They suggested
chlorinated TSP as a great cleaning/sanitizing agent as well. I use it double
strength and, after using it to clean my stuff with, leave it in a 6.5 gal.
bucket and soak bottles overnight. In the morning, I just "clean the dishes"
with latex gloves on. Works great.
In article <19970301052...@ladder02.news.aol.com>, dmich...@aol.com
Nick Baaten-Gargan
ni...@2020sys.com
Steve Garrett
In Colorado, Left Hand Brewing uses a non-water soluble glue
and a label ink that acts like enamel. After struggling with them
several times, I've just stopped trying. After at least a dozen uses
(I rinse with a jet bottle washer then run thru the dishwasher using
temperature boost) the labels still look like new.
Cheers!
Steve Garrett
sdg...@prodigy.com
Bernie / James
If you thought SA was tough you should try Anchor Steam bottles. I swear
(litterally) there has got to be some kind of molecular fusion between the
glass and paper. I've found any efforts are worth it however, as Anchors are
one of the best designed homebrew bottles. They decant very well with no
"glug". Amsel, and most half litter imports are also of similar design
(conical neck).
Any others?
James
Brew well and often.
gal...@sperry-sun.com
bm...@helix.net (Bernie / James) wrote:
>If you thought SA was tough you should try Anchor Steam bottles. I swear
>(litterally) there has got to be some kind of molecular fusion between the
>glass and paper. I've found any efforts are worth it however, as Anchors are
>one of the best designed homebrew bottles. They decant very well with no
>"glug". Amsel, and most half litter imports are also of similar design
Actually Anchor Steam labels are floating in the morning using TSP.
Absolutely no problem at all, unless there is a batch to batch
variation or something. See my previous post on TSP use.
Tom
Eric Lorenzo
In article <5fdibo$v...@van1s03.cyberion.com>,
Bernie / James <bm...@helix.net> wrote:
>If you thought SA was tough you should try Anchor Steam bottles. I swear
>(litterally) there has got to be some kind of molecular fusion between the
>glass and paper. I've found any efforts are worth it however, as Anchors are
>one of the best designed homebrew bottles. They decant very well with no
>"glug".
Ammonia in water will cause Anchor Steam labels to come off fairly
easily - let them soak a couple hours, then do an initial peel that
will remove the glossy outer layer of the label. A few more hours,
and the rest of the label comes loose. Anchor Porter and OSA bottles
don't even require the initial peel - the labels slide right off after
a few hours. When I'm accumulating bottles for homebrew use, I just
keep a bucket full of ammonia water around and drop bottles in as I
empty them. I bottle almost exclusively in Anchor-style bottles.
Eric
Scott Murman
Eh, you guys got something against a little elbow grease?
SM
Bradley W. De Bruler
Most of the bottles I have were once Sam Adams bottles, I used a solution
of "sudsy ammonia" about 1/2 cup in 4 gal of water... but that's an
estimate... I don't actually measure it. I soak them and then peel off what
comes off easily and then soak them again to finish them off.
--
bw...@csufresno.edu
http:\\lennon.pub.csufresno.edu\~bwd10\
gal...@sperry-sun.com
smu...@best.com (Scott Murman) wrote:
>Eh, you guys got something against a little elbow grease?
For 120 bottles for a ten gallon batch?
Yes.
Lee Winnige
>
> Dave Whitman wrote:
> > Sam Adam's bottles *are* good, but the labels are a pain to remove.
> > About half my bottles are SA, fished out of recycling dumpsters.
> > [snip..]
>
> Yeah, they are a pain to get off but I've found if you soak then in hot
> water and let them set overnight they come off pretty easy with a little
> scraping (just a bit). I then give them a rub with some steel wool.
Soaking bottles for 2 days in a mixture of 3 tablespoons of TSP
(trisodium phoshate) per gallon of water will remove almost any label, or
anything else as far as that goes.
Jonathan Acey Albert
Try ammonia...fill a keg tub (or whatever will hold all the bottles) with a
VERY strong mixture of ammonia and water and soak the bottles overnight,
maybe a couple of days. This was the only way I could get the SA labels
off, and I still needed a razor blade for some of them (there is a product
called a "Widget" for scraping stickers and the like off of glass. They are
an excellent investment). By thew way, do this outside, as the fumes can be
unbearable.
Mark Schaffroth
. . .
> Works great, Neal. I do the same thing with one small change. I use ALL
> dishwashing detergent (the version advertised as free of perfumes and
> dyes). If you look at the ingredients list on the box, it appears to be
> the same as B-Brite with the addition of bleach. I usually let it sit
> overnight for convenience.
I use Cascade dish washer detergent and soak them overnight. The labels
usually fall off in one day. I have a piece of plexiglass (2"x12") to help
scrape off the stubborn labels.
One idea that I came up with to dry them is to wrap a loose bungie cord
around your bottling bucket and stick your bottles upside down between
the cord and bucket.
Cheers!
Mark S.
Lee
Soak your bottles in a solution of 3 tablespoons of TSP (Tri-sodium
Phosphate) for every gallon of water. TSP can be bought at just about any
hardware store. It usualy used for removing wall paper.
Larry Ladutke
I find soaking in bleach water works well on most bottles,
including Sammies.
Mike Uchima
Washing soda (available in the laundry detergent section) works very
well.
It's best to try and keep the soak solution from getting inside the
bottles; that way, you don't end up with any glue residue or bits of
label stuck in there. What I usually do is to fill the bottles with
plain hot water, then stand them upright in a plastic tub of hot washing
soda solution. Couple hours of soaking, and the labels come off very
easily. Any remaining residue can be removed with a scouring pad (e.g.
Scotch Brite).
--
== Mike Uchima == uch...@mcs.net ==
Eric Scheidler
WGB...@prodigy.com (Steve Garrett) writes:
>In Colorado, Left Hand Brewing uses a non-water soluble glue
>and a label ink that acts like enamel. After struggling with them
>several times, I've just stopped trying.
I've used paint thinner to burn off that glue (after scraping off the
labels with much effort), but you want to take very good care not to get
any into the bottle.
--
| Eric J. Scheidler || "In much wisdom is much vexation, and he who in- |
| uesc...@neiu.edu || creases knowledge increases sorrow." Eccles 1:18 |
Eric Scheidler
bm...@helix.net (Bernie / James) writes:
>I've found any efforts are worth it however, as Anchors are
>one of the best designed homebrew bottles.
Not if you're using a butterfly style capper. Those narrow lips are prone
to cracking. I've lost one too many brews to an Anchor bottle, and I no
longer use them. (Still love the beer, though!)
Eric Scheidler
This discussion of using ammonia for get labels off leads me to wonder:
What about the dangers of mixing ammonia and chlorine? What do you do to
ensure that you've gotten all traces of ammonia off your bottles before
sanitizing them with chlorine, or do you eschew chlorine sanitation when
using ammonia for label removal?
Greg
I was told there is an aerosol spray that one can buy at art supply
stores that can be sprayed over inkjet lables to coat them and make them
waterproof. I have just heard about it and have not yet tried it. Does
anyone else know about this product? My Epson inkjet smears with the
slightest moisture and have been makeing lables with my B&W laser.
Color would sure be nice if this product works.
Greg
Mike Uchima
Eric Scheidler wrote:
>
> bm...@helix.net (Bernie / James) writes:
>
> >I've found any efforts are worth it however, as Anchors are
> >one of the best designed homebrew bottles.
>
> Not if you're using a butterfly style capper. Those narrow lips are prone
> to cracking. I've lost one too many brews to an Anchor bottle, and I no
> longer use them. (Still love the beer, though!)
Some butterfly cappers seem to be harder on the lips of the bottles than
others. I know someone who has a butterfly capper with rubber pads on
the jaws; it seems like that capper will cap almost anything. I've got a
metal one (unpadded) which will crack Sam Adams bottles if you push down
too hard.
As far as bottles of the gods go -- my vote would have to be 1 pint
Paulaner bottles. Nice heavy glass, the labels slip right off with a
short soak, they have a wide lip (works good with my butterfly capper),
and I get a full pint in each bottle. Beer's pretty good too... mmmm,
Paulaner Doppelbock. :-)
arne thormodsen
Eric Scheidler (uesc...@uxa.ecn.bgu.edu) wrote:
: This discussion of using ammonia for get labels off leads me to wonder:
: What about the dangers of mixing ammonia and chlorine? What do you do to
: ensure that you've gotten all traces of ammonia off your bottles before
: sanitizing them with chlorine, or do you eschew chlorine sanitation when
: using ammonia for label removal?
It's not necessary to remove "all traces" of ammonia. If you can't smell it
you've removed enough. Generally speaking the "ammonia/bleach" warning
is for people who want to dump a gallon of each into their toilet bowl or
something.
--arne
: --
Roy Lewis
I also was told this. I have been recently Ironing my sheets of
lables to cure the ink and expect it to help. There is also a non
water soluable Ink refill kit that you might try. I can not find any
of the spray I live in the Dallas, TX area but have tried all of the
copy shops and such but not an art supply yet.
Greg <prog...@connect.ab.ca> wrote:
>Greg
------------------
Roy Lewis http://rampages.onramp.net/~rcl/
r...@onramp.net
------------------
Gary Eckhardt
Greg wrote:
>
> I was told there is an aerosol spray that one can buy at art supply
> stores that can be sprayed over inkjet lables to coat them and make them
> waterproof. I have just heard about it and have not yet tried it. Does
> anyone else know about this product? My Epson inkjet smears with the
> slightest moisture and have been makeing lables with my B&W laser.
> Color would sure be nice if this product works.
>
> Greg
Why not take your label stock and a proof sheet of your beer label
to your local copy place that has a color copier? The toner on
the color copiers is waterproof as well. True, it's not as inexpensive
as a can of aerosol sealer, but it might be a little less messy.
I've done this with lots of labels, although I did have to convice
the copy shop that the label stock would not mess up their machine.
--
---------------------------+----------------------------------------------
Gary Eckhardt | "in this day & age...music performed by
Database Consultants, Inc. | humans...hum!?" --wilde silas tomkyn
ga...@dci-ltd.com | R,DW,HAHB!
gary_e...@dci-ltd.com | R^3 = "Real World. Real Smart. Real
Quick."
(210)344-6566 |
Greg
Gary Eckhardt wrote:
>
> Greg wrote:
> >
> > I was told there is an aerosol spray that one can buy at art supply
> > stores that can be sprayed over inkjet lables to coat them and make them
> > waterproof. I have just heard about it and have not yet tried it. Does
> > anyone else know about this product? My Epson inkjet smears with the
> > slightest moisture and have been makeing lables with my B&W laser.
> > Color would sure be nice if this product works.
> >
> > Greg
>
> Why not take your label stock and a proof sheet of your beer label
> to your local copy place that has a color copier? The toner on
> the color copiers is waterproof as well. True, it's not as inexpensive
> as a can of aerosol sealer, but it might be a little less messy.
> I've done this with lots of labels, although I did have to convice
> the copy shop that the label stock would not mess up their machine.
>
I believe there was a guy a few days ago who posted that Idea but then
said he could not find a shop that would allow him to do this on their
copier. It sounds great. I will search around. What type of lables do
you use? Avery? Gum or self adhesive backing?
Thanks Greg
davep
In article <3324CA...@connect.ab.ca>, prog...@connect.ab.ca says...
>
>I was told there is an aerosol spray that one can buy at art supply
>stores that can be sprayed over inkjet lables to coat them and make them
>waterproof. I have just heard about it and have not yet tried it. Does
>anyone else know about this product? My Epson inkjet smears with the
>slightest moisture and have been makeing lables with my B&W laser.
>Color would sure be nice if this product works.
>
>Greg
It's called workable fixative and works great. It is rather pricey
though. Months ago there was a post suggesting cheap hairspray would do
the same. Haven't tried it though.
Herdy
Greg (prog...@connect.ab.ca) wrote:
: I was told there is an aerosol spray that one can buy at art supply
: stores that can be sprayed over inkjet lables to coat them and make them
: waterproof. I have just heard about it and have not yet tried it. Does
: anyone else know about this product? My Epson inkjet smears with the
: slightest moisture and have been makeing lables with my B&W laser.
: Color would sure be nice if this product works.
:
: Greg
Now, i'm not a hundred percent sure (age dims memory etc) but I think it
is ordinary everyday hairspray.
let it dry and away you go.
try a sample first though, because, as I said, I ain't 100% sure.
--
Cheers,
Herdy.
==============================================================================
Herd, Jon Herd "Twas a Woman who drove me to drink
Newcastle NSW Australia and I never had the decency to write
c940...@alinga.newcastle.edu.au and thank her" W C Fields, 1929
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Though Aviators have their ups and downs, the only hard part about flying
is the ground"
"The only time that you can have too much fuel on an aircraft is when
the bastard's on fire!" Sir Charles Edward Kingsford Smith, 1928
==============================================================================
Zeuss
You could also try a can of clear aerosol urethane. Spray the sheets flat
before you cut them to put them on the bottles.
If you make the same beer repeatedly, just make a batch of colour
photocopies of the labels.
-cheers
davep <da...@pacificrim.net> wrote
> >I was told there is an aerosol spray that one can buy at art supply
> >stores that can be sprayed over inkjet lables to coat them and make them
> >waterproof.
Todd J. Pavek
Greg wrote:
>
> I was told there is an aerosol spray that one can buy at art supply
> stores that can be sprayed over inkjet lables to coat them and make them
> anyone else know about this product? My Epson inkjet smears with the
> slightest moisture and have been makeing lables with my B&W laser.
> Color would sure be nice if this product works.
>
> Greg
another matter. After all, it's on paper, right?
James Sowers
Spray Fixatif will work, its original purpose is to spray on your
artwork (like pencil drawings) so you can work on top of it without
smudging it. I don't know about its worthiness as a waterproof. A
better choice might be Krylon Crystal Clear spray, which is an Acrylic
coating. Also Shellac will work too.
Jim Sowers
Dave and Suzanne
> >stores that can be sprayed over inkjet lables to coat them and make them
> >waterproof. I have just heard about it and have not yet tried it. Does
> >anyone else know about this product? My Epson inkjet smears with the
> >slightest moisture and have been makeing lables with my B&W laser.
> >Color would sure be nice if this product works.
> >
> >Greg
>
> though. Months ago there was a post suggesting cheap hairspray would do
> the same. Haven't tried it though.
I tried the cheap hairspray thing. I didn't notice any improvement over my previous
method of not doing anything.
I don't worry about it. The labels make the appropriate impression when I first show
the bottles to my friends. Once the bottle is opened, the label just doesn't matter
anymore. Even a great label pales in comparison to good homebrew.
Dave
--
-----------------------------------------------------
Dave, Suzanne, & Meggie Reid dsr...@centuryinter.net
-----------------------------------------------------
rcr...@aol.com
>I've done this with lots of labels, although I did have to convice
>the copy shop that the label stock would not mess up their machine.
Tell that to the office manager in my old office whose copier I ROYALLY jammed up using Avery labels. Personally, I wouldn't put them in my copier.
Ric
Jane...@compuserve.com
In article <5g2nh9$s...@newnews.onramp.net>,
r...@onramp.net (Roy Lewis) wrote:
>
> I also was told this. I have been recently Ironing my sheets of
> lables to cure the ink and expect it to help. There is also a non
> water soluable Ink refill kit that you might try. I can not find any
> of the spray I live in the Dallas, TX area but have tried all of the
> copy shops and such but not an art supply yet.
>
> Greg <prog...@connect.ab.ca> wrote:
>
> >stores that can be sprayed over inkjet lables to coat them and make them
> >waterproof. I have just heard about it and have not yet tried it. Does
> >anyone else know about this product? My Epson inkjet smears with the
> >slightest moisture and have been makeing lables with my B&W laser.
> >Color would sure be nice if this product works.
What you gentlemen are seeking is a fixative spray normally used for
charcoal drawings or similar artworks. It should be effective for
waterproofing labels but to what degree I don't know. There may be
different types available. Check your local artist supply shop.
--Peter Atwood
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/fermentations <<Peter's Beer
Obsessions-Homebrew tips, product reviews, gadgets and more!>>
-------------------==== Posted via Deja News ====-----------------------
http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Post to Usenet
David C. Ringle
I have your answer. Don't bother with costly art supply stores.
Go to Wal-Mart or some other discount store and buy Aqua-Net hairspray.
Get the extra strong hold or original hold type. Place labels on a
flat surface and saturate with the Aqua-Net. Careful not to wet at
first, several thin coats are better than one usually. Once dry the
labels will be as waterproof as you can get. You can do front and back
if you want and you can even wet the backs with the spray and stick them
on the bottles to dry ultra tight.
Hope this is the nugget of wisdom
you were looking for :)
David C. Ringle,
Life Sciences
Kansas State University
Jim James
A can of spray polyurethane. After the ink is dry, spray with a couple
of coats, making sure to "soak" the paper on both sides (it will become
almost transparent). However, I have found nothing that will resist
soaking in ice water which degrades the label, but the polyurethane
protects the label from condensation, etc.
Rick Poleshuck
Eric Lorenzo (lor...@cc.gatech.edu) wrote:
:
: Ammonia in water will cause Anchor Steam labels to come off fairly
: easily - let them soak a couple hours, then do an initial peel that
: will remove the glossy outer layer of the label. A few more hours,
: and the rest of the label comes loose. Anchor Porter and OSA bottles
: don't even require the initial peel - the labels slide right off after
: a few hours. When I'm accumulating bottles for homebrew use, I just
: keep a bucket full of ammonia water around and drop bottles in as I
: empty them. I bottle almost exclusively in Anchor-style bottles.
: Eric
Most homebrewers that I know also make heavy use of bleach.
BE CAREFUL of the lethal combination of ammonia and bleach.
I had to write.
--
| Email - pl...@cnj.digex.net
Rick Poleshuck | Voice - (908) 653-1070
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| - 308 Elizabeth Avenue, Cranford, New Jersey 07016