Admired Mark's bottle stoppers...

Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
See more from TellicoTurning

TellicoTurning

TellicoTurning

Member
Joined
Sep 24, 2006
Messages
8,208
Location
Tellico Plains, Tennessee, USA.
Thought would show a couple or so of mine.... I like to use cabochons on top when I can... a lady at the local Museum Marketplace does glass cabo's and I bought a supply of them... still have a dozen or so to put on stoppers, but evidently Tennessee people don't buy wine stoppers so much, may have to rename them as moon shine stoppers... :D

374112 (4).JPG
374113 (1).JPG
374109 (4).JPG
374109 (1).JPG


I use scrap wood from bowl blank cut offs and some times from segmented pepper mills blanks... I think these are both Walnut -- don't have them here as they're at the Museum Marketplace.... I also don't use Ruth Niles stoppers... I get mine from a company in Seattle at about half the price of Ruth's... it is a business and I do watch costs. Same 304 SS and same quality, and many of the same designs. I don't use a mandrel, they are all turned on a pin chuck set in a Beale collet.
 
Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
"Same 304 SS and same quality, and many of the same designs."

Glad that you found a stopper design that meets you budget but you should take care not to make unqualified statements such as those. I am not a Ruth Niles groupie but just completed a study of types of bottle stoppers by purchasing about $300 worth of different stoppers.

For the most part, 304SS is 304SS. The quality of the metallurgy for something like this is irrelevant. The differences being between 304SS, chrome plated, aluminum and plastic.

Among 304SS the difference is in the quantity of metal used. For example, Niles stoppers of the closest comparable design to Stainlessbottleatoppers have at least 20% more stainless steel in them.

While stainless overall finish was very comparable both on the visible and not visible areas, relief and edge bevels were more generous on the Niles stoppers than others.

The differences in overall design are significant. Again, the Niles stoppers use more O-rings than other O-ring designs and the O-rings are at least a size larger in diameter, about 20% more material. I did not check the durometer.

Another design difference, and the biggest overall difference, is stopper taper and contact area.

In the end you are getting more in a Niles stopper than any of the ones I checked. Whether or not what you get is worth the price difference is a decision you have to make. The variety of designs was also significant with none exactly like the existing Niles line-up.

Once I begin making stoppers I will have some Niles designs as my highest end and higher cost units. I will also use some other brand stainless designs that are not offered by Niles and are lower cost. I am also considering a lower cost line of Aluminum stoppers preferably with O-rings.

A lot of words to help explain that your statement:
"I also don't use Ruth Niles stoppers... I get mine from a company in Seattle at about half the price of Ruth's... it is a business and I do watch costs. Same 304 SS and same quality, and many of the same designs."
You should have left off the last sentence.
 
Nice bottle stoppers!

I have turned a few bottle stoppers, but not many. I like the Niles designs and keep a small number on hand, ready when I want to turn one. They have great design and great quality.

I have yet to find a bottle stopper design that I like. Maybe it is because my spouse uses them for wine that goes in the refrigerator and not hard liquor bottles that can sit out on display. The problem with bottle stopper designs is that they are too big for us. When the bottle stopper is on the bottle, it makes the bottle too tall to stand up in the refrigerator. We don't like to leave previously opened bottles on their sides. If you make a low bottle stopper, then there isn't much wood to display the handcrafted work of the turning.

Anyway, a good "low" bottle stopper design is a minor problem that I keep thinking about. I haven't come up with one that I like yet.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom