26 replies to this topic

[Big Nake]

I had some custom tap handles made awhile back that came out very nicely, but they're a bit expensive so I started looking into ways to make some decent tap handles. I am not handy in the least and just have your standard tools around. I wanted something large & flat enough so I could affix my labels to the handle. I wandered through the decorative trim section of my local Menards (is Menards everywhere? If not, it's like a Home Depot) and found some nice looking trim pieces and some planks of poplar.I cut the trim pieces and place them back to back and glued them together. Then I cut the poplar blocks and the entire length of the "stem" and "top" is about 7". I drilled hole in the bottom of the block and the top of the stem and placed a wooden dowel in there along with some glue. I got the tap faucet adapter at my local hardware store... this is the tough part. It's got to be inserted very straight. I put them together and then put them on my faucets to make sure they spun like a top. I printed some of my labels out on photo paper and planned to put a different label on each side of the handle.Then I fastened some hardware to the top as a sort of "finial". These were just various drawer pulls that I found at the hardware store. Then I used some 3M "Super 77" spray mount and fastened the labels to the handles. They came out better than I envisioned. Voila! Do-it-yourself tap handles.

[Slainte]

Nice job! Those look quite good.

[RommelMagic]

I concur. I'm a little jealous

[Big Nake]

Thanks guys. Here are a few more I just finished. Camera conditions were not quite as good...

[BarelyBrews]

Nice job Ken, i wish i had that many kegs to worry about labeling.

[HVB]

Those look nice Ken, good work.

[3rd party JKor]

Hey, not too bad for someone with no skills!

[shaggaroo]

Ken,They turned out great! Nice job.Jeff

[ncbeerbrewer]

Nice tap handles Ken. Love the labels and the handles as well. Always good to go along with the good beer you brew. Thanks for sharing.

[passlaku]

Good work. You could also opt to prime and paint the flat wooden part with chalk board paint. You should submit this project to BYO.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

I like em - I think the black paint is the way to go out of the two you are showing there. If you had the ability to make a fake aged copper type look that would be pretty neat as well.

[Big Nake]

I like em - I think the black paint is the way to go out of the two you are showing there. If you had the ability to make a fake aged copper type look that would be pretty neat as well.

I've been using some paint I had around the house. The one that looks more silver is actually a hammered bronze and it looks better in person than in the photos. Maybe I'll look and see what else is out there in the world of paint. Cheers.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

I've been using some paint I had around the house. The one that looks more silver is actually a hammered bronze and it looks better in person than in the photos. Maybe I'll look and see what else is out there in the world of paint. Cheers.

yeah - it can be tough to tell in pictures sometimes.

[MakeMeHoppy]

Good work. You could also opt to prime and paint the flat wooden part with chalk board paint. You should submit this project to BYO.

I agree with this. These handles are great. If they don't run a small article they can certainly use something like this as a side bar for the annual label contest.

[Big Nake]

I have had a few issues of BYO, but I don't read it regularly... how would I submit it? Through their site?

[Deerslyr]

Ken,First off, let me say "job well done". Those are awesome. I think it's just the project I've been looking for. Detailed instructions and pick lists would be great.Second... I miss Menards in a big way. We do have Orchard Supply out here, but it's just not Menards.

[Big Nake]

Detailed instructions and pick lists would be great.

This can be done in a lot of ways. I wanted a spot for my labels and I didn't want the labels to be the size of a postage stamp, so I went with the larger "face". If I were handier, I could have taken the poplar blocks (which could be oak, pine or anything you like) and cut them down so I wouldn't have needed to make the stem out of trim pieces. But I'm not qualified to do that and have them look nice. The best thing to do is look through your local store for something that will make a "stem". Spindles are good, but expensive and usually VERY long. The shorter ones are nice and could easily be drilled out to accept a "face". Other than the wood, wooden dowels work well to hold the stem & face together and then you need the faucet adapter which I believe is a 3/8"-16 and can be drilled out with a 15/64" drill bit. One of the tricky parts for me was finding trim pieces that when faced back-to-back would be thick enough to drill out for the faucet adapter. When I first put the 2 pieces back to back, it wasn't thick enough. So I found a flat piece to sandwich between the trim pieces which gave me extra room to drill. If you need more info, let me know.

[MakeMeHoppy]

I think this is a good start to contact the magazine:https://www.byo.com/about/guidelinesWhere to send it Address queries and other submissions to: Brew Your Own Attn: Editor 5515 Main Street Manchester Center, VT 05255 Phone: (802) 362-3981 Fax: (802) 362-2377 E-mail: edit@byo.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need Javascript enabled to view it I just re-uped so I'll be looking for this in the future

[chadm75]

Lookin' great Ken! Great labels and handles! Thanks for sharing!

[Stout_fan]

nice job ken.