Custom Cast Tap Handles

Few things make your homebrew look more professional than custom clear tap handles with your own label embedded inside. You can use the taps on a keg system by displaying them on a refrigerator door, jockey box, or tower.

Making your own custom tap handles is easy, inexpensive, and relatively fast using a clear polyester casting resin found in many craft stores. Clear casting resin is often used by hobbyists to make paperweights and other desktop knickknacks. It dries hard and clear, allows you to embed your own label and other desired materials into the casting, and can be drilled and tapped so it will screw onto beer faucets. The resin is more brittle than the resin used in commercial clear acrylic beer tap handles, but for home use it works fine. The materials are easy to find, the process is simple, and such handles are affordable for homebrewers to make.

Making a cast tap handle requires three separate steps:

1. Preparing the mold master
2. Making the one-piece mold using the mold master
3. Actually casting the tap handles. A mold can be used repeatedly, so unless you want to make several different sizes or patterns of handles, you will only need to do the first two steps a single time. Once the mold is finished, you can use it to make one tap handle a day. Your brewing will probably be hard pressed to keep pace with your tap-handle production.

Materials for the mold master and mold cost around $10, and each casting uses about $3 worth of resin and catalyst.

1. Preparing the Mold Master
The mold master is the original tap handle that you will be replicating each time you use the mold. You can embed different labels and items every time you use the finished mold, but all handles made with that mold will have the same shape.

You can select any outline shape you want for your master tap handle, but make sure it (and thus later castings made with the mold) can be removed from the mold easily. Flat sides are best because they have no projections that can get caught in the mold. In addition it is easiest for both the front or back of the handle to be flat so the mold will sit squarely during casting. Make sure your master tap handle is at least three-fourths of an inch thick to allow cast copies to be drilled, tapped, and screwed onto your beer faucet.

Materials:

• Wood for a tap-handle model
• Scrap Masonite or other smooth board
• Spray paint

Tools:

• Saw
• Sandpaper

Putting it Together:
For my master tap handle I took a piece of one- by two- by six-inch small-grained hardwood and cut it into a tap handle shape with a saber saw (a jig saw or scroll saw works better). A little careful sanding to smooth the edges, front, and back completed it.

If you don’t want to make your own master tap handle, you can use a commercial clear acrylic tap handle that you already own. Just make sure that it has no difficult-to-remove
projections. Take care when making the master; any imperfections will be repeated in each handle made with the mold.

When your master tap handle is finished, carefully glue it flat side down to a scrap piece of Masonite or other smooth board that is at least three inches bigger than your master on all sides. The sides of the master tap handle must lie flat on the board all around. Otherwise the liquid latex rubber used to make the mold will seep beneath it, making removing the mold from the master difficult. Using this larger-than-your-mold scrap allows you to have a lip on the mold around the casting, which makes handling easier.

The board (and the master if it is made of wood or other porous material) needs to be sealed so the liquid latex rubber will not be absorbed into the wood’s pores, marring the finished mold. A coat or two of spray paint over both master tap handle and board easily does this without leaving paint marks that will be unintentionally recreated on each casting.

To give the mold master time to dry, don’t use it for several days after sealing.

2. Making the Mold

Materials:

• Liquid latex rubber

Tools:

• Cheap bristle paintbrush

Putting it Together:
Liquid latex rubber is available in many craft stores. When brushed on the mold, it dries into a flexible rubber coat. The first coat or two put on the mold are the most important because later they will be in direct contact with the castings. Any air bubbles or other imperfections will be replicated on each of the handles you cast. Brush the first several coats directly but thinly on the master tap handle. Also brush these coats onto the surrounding board in a radius of at least two inches around the mold. Make sure each coat dries thoroughly before you add another new coat. I generally let a coat sit overnight to make sure it is thoroughly dry.

After each coat rinse the brush in water to keep latex from solidifying in it. Later coats can be thicker, but be careful not to make them too thick. The surface of a thick layer will dry before the bottom of the layer, trapping liquid latex and preventing it from drying completely.

Liquid latex should not ruin your mold master. If somehow you make a mistake when applying the coats, you can just peel the latex off the master and start over. You can also use the same master to make several identical molds to give to friends or homebrew-club members.

Once about 10 or 12 coats have been applied and the mold is looking fairly thick, let the mold dry an extra day or two. Then carefully peel the mold away from the mold master. The inside should look like a mirror image of your master.

The mold can be rinsed out, but do not leave water standing in it and let it air dry before use. The finished mold is fairly durable, but treat it with care. Store it face down to avoid dirt and dust falling in it, and do not fold it or stack items on it. It should provide you with many castings.

3. Casting a Tap Handle
The tap handles are made with polyester casting resin (such as Castin’ Craft Clear Liquid Plastic Casting Resin) and the resin’s catalyst, both of which are available through many craft stores. Design and make the label you want embedded in your handle (I print mine on a computer printer), and collect everything else you want to embed. Almost anything can be embedded in a handle, provided it will not be distorted by high heat (during the curing stage after pouring, the resin briefly gets fairly hot). I have made handles that included flies from trout fishing and burnt matches along with the labels. Do not embed anything of value, because items later cannot be removed from a casting.

Prior to casting, paper labels need to be sealed with a coat or two of clear acrylic spray, such as Krylon, or they may absorb the resin and darken.

Materials:

• Polyester casting resin
• Catalyst
• Labels and other items to be embedded
• Clear acrylic spray
• Rubbing alcohol (for clean-up)

Tools:

• Unwaxed paper cups
• Wooden tongue depressors
• Sandpaper (100, 240, 400, 600 grit)
• 3/8-16 tap-and-drill set (3/8 inch diameter, 16 grooves)

Putting It Together:
The resin remains liquid until it is mixed with its catalyst, after which it gels within 15 minutes. Do not pour catalyst into your can of resin unless you want the entire jar to set. Unwaxed paper cups and wooden tongue depressors work well for mixing because both are disposable. Do not use foam cups or plastic cups for mixing because they will melt when in contact with catalyzed resin. Mix only what you will be using at that moment.

Be aware that polyester casting resin and catalyst are hazardous materials that need to be handled carefully. Keep both out of the reach of children, and use them in a very well ventilated space. Avoid getting either on your hands because they can be absorbed through the skin, and be sure to read and follow the instructions and warnings on their containers. If liquid resin needs to be cleaned up before it hardens, you can use acetone or
rubbing alcohol.

The tap handles are cast in two parts. Half of the handle is poured and allowed to set for 15 to 20 minutes. After the resin has started to firm up, place the label and any other embedded objects in the handle and pour the final amount of resin on top of the label. Allowing the first layer to start to cure makes it strong enough to keep the label and other objects in place. If you want to layer embedded objects or have multilayered labels to give an impression of depth, pour additional layers.

You can make your castings face up (the side of the mold facing you is the front) or face down (the bottom of the mold will be the front). Both have their benefits. Face up makes it easier to avoid air bubbles in front of the label and allows you to see exactly what the handle will look like when you place the embedded objects, allowing you to adjust them exactly. The drawback is that the top surface of castings is, unavoidably, slightly wavy. To make them perfectly smooth you need to sand and polish them. Making castings face down avoids the need to sand, because the handle face will be smooth like the bottom of your mold. Often when I tried this, however, I would get air bubbles trapped against the label face, ruining the casting.

Depending on which way you intend to face the casting, you will need to divide the total estimated volume of resin needed between the first and second pouring. Use about two-thirds of the total resin in the first layer and one-third in the second to make face-up castings. A thinner coat over the label looks better than a thicker coat.

It is helpful to pre-calibrate your mold to make sure you mix just the right amount of resin each time. Fill your mold with water and then pour that water into a measuring cup to see how many fluid ounces of resin you will need in total from the two pourings. This prevents wasting resin and also ensures that you use the correct amount of catalyst.

Too much catalyst and the handle will set too quickly and be distorted; too little and it may never harden completely. The amount of catalyst also will vary depending upon which layer you are pouring. Check the recommendations of the resin you are using. Castin’ Craft recommends four to five drops of catalyst for each fluid ounce of its resin in the first pouring and three to four drops for each ounce of resin in the second pouring. If the room temperature is warmer than 70° to 75° F, decrease the catalyst by a drop per ounce. For cooler temperatures increase the catalyst by a drop per ounce.

When you are ready to make a casting, place the mold in a well-ventilated area where it will not be disturbed overnight. You can, for example, set it on a board laid across two saw horses. Make sure the mold is level. You may want to keep the sides of the mold from bending outward from the weight of the resin by butting a few small pieces of wood against them.

Measure the resin you need for your first pouring into an unwaxed paper mixing cup and add the required number of drops of catalyst. Do not get any catalyst on your hands. Vigorously stir the resin and catalyst for about 60 seconds, thoroughly scraping the sides and bottom of the cup to ensure even mixing. Gently pour the resin into the mold, taking care to avoid making air bubbles.

After 15 to 20 minutes the layer you just poured should have gelled enough to support the label and any other objects you want in the handle. Measure the resin you need for the second layer into a new, unwaxed paper cup, and add the required number of drops of catalyst. Stir for 60 seconds, mixing carefully as with the first layer. Just before pouring this second layer into the mold, carefully place your label into the mold. If you are placing other objects in the handle, it is a good idea to briefly dunk them into the paper cup of mixed resin. This ensures they will become coated with resin while minimizing air bubbles.

When the label and items are in place, carefully pour the mixed resin into the mold. You can use the wooden tongue depressor to gently move them and make final adjustments in their placement.

Let the casting harden in the mold overnight. When you check it in the morning, it should click when tapped with a wooden tongue depressor. When it is no longer tacky, carefully remove the tap handle from the mold by gently peeling the mold away. Do this over a piece of kitchen plastic wrap. The edges that were against the mold likely still will be a little tacky, and the plastic wrap helps keep it from sticking to things. Do not handle the casting too much at this stage, either, or you might leave fingerprints on it. Let the handle sit for several days until all the tackiness is gone.

Surface blemishes can be sanded away as needed to give the handle a more polished appearance. Use 100-grit sandpaper to flatten the surfaces, progressing to wet sanding with 240-, 400-, and 600-grit sandpapers. Finish with a coat or two of clear acrylic spray, such as that made by Krylon.

To be used the handle must be threaded so it can be screwed onto your beer faucet. You will need a tap-and-drill set from your local hardware or home supply center. To be sure your tap will fit your faucet, bring the faucet into the hardware store and have them measure it. A 3/8-16 set worked for me. Carefully drill a hole three-fourths of an inch deep with the drill bit from the tap kit (the bit in the kit I had was 5/16 inch), making sure it is centered through the tap handle. Gently thread the three-eighths of an inch tap into the hole, cutting the thread. Back the tap out and shake any loose pieces of plastic out of the hole. Your new handle is now ready for use.

Pouring Your Pint
The completed tap handle will work well for most homebrewing applications. The polyester resin is more brittle than the acrylic used in commercial handles, so the home-made handles need to be treated a little more carefully than commercial handles. In other words if your beer faucet is stuck shut (such as can happen if you have not drawn any beer for several days), do not use the handle to try to torque the faucet open. For ordinary home use and special events (such as my brother-in-law’s wedding), however, they have worked fine for me.

I am still experimenting with my methods and materials for making these tap handles but have found them fun, useful, and fairly inexpensive. Being able to make and use my own custom tap handles adds another dimension of creativity to home brewing.