A Beverage Dispenser

Greetings!!

For the lack of a better description, I decided to name this 'ible "A Beverage Dispenser". This is not an original idea as I've seen a similar one on a different site. This is just my version.

**Update#2: Adding a section explaining how to place a bottle into this contraption.

**Update #1: I got a message from 'ible member JordanB104 who has a different dispenser on his etsy. Please check out his original design. www.etsy.com/shop/manmadeformancave?ref=hdr_shop_...

There is really not that much to explain as to how to make one - the final product is self explanatory.

The BOM:

* a base - two wooden planks

* pipes -

***brass straight tee ( 3/4in),

***brass 1in to 3/4in reducer,

***steel 3/4in flange,

***3/4in brass female to female connector,

***5in long 3/4in threaded pipe

***3/4in garden hose faucet. (Update: the rubber in the faucet will react with alcohol turning your brew funky green. Use a stainless steal spigot).

* misc:

***wine cork and 4 screws

Step 1: The Base

For the base I used a piece of scrap wood that was cut in two. A 4in hole was drilled in one of the pieces, both were glued together, routed, and sanded.

Next I slightly torched it, sanded again and put 3-4 layers of Polycrylic finish.

Step 2: The Plumbing

As I used a combination of steel and brass hardware, I wanted them all to look the same. I used metallic Gold spray paint on a steel pipe and a flange to match the color.

To plug the lower section of the pipe I used a wine cork and a bit of silicone (not shown).

The bottle cap went into the 1in reducer on the top.

Step 3: Attaching a Bottle

The question I've receive several times was 'how do you screw a bottle into a fitting?'.

As it turns out, a regular coke bottle cap can be screwed on various bottles, not just coke bottles. In my case, it worked fine with Jack, Royal, and Hennessi.

What I did was I dremmelled a hole in a bottle cap, and screwed it into a fitting. Then a bottle can easily go into a fitting.

Step 4: The Final Result

Screw all the pipes together and attach to the base.

Stick a bottle of your favorite beverage and enjoy. Please drink responsibly.

Thanks for reading!

Step 5: Troubleshooting

Based on the comments, there appears to be two issues with the design. I'd like to summarize them below.

I also would like to thank folks that contributed to the solutions by offering them in the comments section.

Problem 1 ( the biggest one): The drink will not pour.

The root cause: vacuum is created in the bottle and that prevents/restrict a liquid flow.

Solutions (there are several one of various degree of effectiveness, all are based on the premise of letting air into a bottle):

- Don't tighten the pipes, the fittings or the bottle too tight. That might cause some minor puddling of liquid around the points of contact, but it worked well for me.

- A drink pourer.

- A vacuum break. I did not work for me, but if you can get it working, please post it.

http://m.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-3-4-in-Hose-Bibb...

- Add a tube connected to the pour vent. Look for 'shakerj65' for explanations/pictures in the comment section

Problem 2. After several days of alcohol sitting in the bottle, the liquid comes out black/green.

The root cause: the alcohol deteriorates a rubber seal in the spigot.

Solutions

- Why would you let it sit for several days? Drink it all! That, of cause, is a terrible advise and you should ignore it. The truth is I use my dispenser for decorating purposes only and don't keep any liquid in it.

- Use a stainless steel spigot (Thanks for advice, RustyE4!)