We love creating guides that help our customers to use our products effectively. In the past we've created guides on so many topics which we know you have loved.
These types of blogs are always our most popular. Which got us thinking. What are we always asked by our customers? The top question that comes to mind (that we haven't already covered) is how do you apply the shrink capsules to your bottles and jars? Or how do your shrink capsules work?
To help with this very question we have created our latest guide! Sen5es guide on how to apply heat shrink capsules to glass bottles and glass jars. In it we will teach you 4 techniques to apply shrink capsules to your glass bottles or jars.
Thank you to Steve at The Lazy Scientist for letting us crash his latest bottling session to help get some pictures for this blog!
What Is a Heat Shrink Capsule
The clue is in the name really. It's a capsule that fits over the top of your bottle which is then heated and it shrinks! This creates the perfect finishing touch to any product and creates a tamper evident seal.
The most common place that heat shrink capsules are seen is with wine bottles. Chances are you will have had to remove one at least once when you've been opening a bottle of wine. Wine bottle capsules were introduced to create a tamper evident seal over a wine bottle cork.
We stock a range of different colours and sizes. Including black heat shrink capsules, coloured heat shrink capsules and clear heat shrink capsules
Why Use A Shrink Capsule
The main purpose of a heat shrink capsule is to create a tamper evident seal for your bottle. This gives your customer the peace of mind when they purchase your product. They know it has not be tampered with between the manufacturing process and them purchasing it.
If the tamper seal were broken they would know not to trust the product. Just think. If you were to buy a bottle of coke from the shops and the little ring seal on the lid was already broken. Would you trust it to be safe?
By giving your customers proof that your product hasn't been tampered with before purchase you are more likely to make the sale and create repeat custom. If your product is trustworthy you are more likely to get sales.
The secondary purpose is for aesthetics. By matching your heat shrink capsule colour or design with your label design you can add the finishing touch to your product. We offer the majority of our shrink capsules in black as we feel this will go with most labels and branding.
4 Methods For Applying Heat Shrink Capsules to Glass Jars and Glass Bottles
All of our methods below use the same principal. Just apply heat evenly around the capsule and allow it to shrink. To avoid creases make sure the heat isn't too strong and is applied evenly.
When working with heat and steam be careful of your fingers and hands and make sure you don't burn yourself.
Using Steam
The steam from a boiling pan is a great way to shrink the capsules without any special tools or equipment. We've found this technique works best with smaller and thinner capsules. The bigger ones need a bit more heat to shrink. So this technique won't work with them.
Dip In Boiling Water
You can hold the capsule on to the bottle dip it in boiling water upside down. This creates a nice even seal around the bottle but may mean there is some water in the shrink capsules. It's also important to keep your fingers out of the boiling water! So be careful.
Using A Heat Gun
This is the best way to shrink your capsules if you are just starting out. You can get a fairly decent heat gun for around £20-30 and use it to apply your capsules. The best way to do it is to turn your bottle upside down and spin it while applying heat evenly round the capsule.
Using A Heat Shrinker Machine
These machines are great for when you are sealing a large number of bottles. They are designed to work perfectly with glass bottles and heat shrink capsules. They apply an even heat consistently around the bottles. We do sell these machines but there can be a lead time of a month or two. Contact us for pricing.
What do you think of our latest guide? How do you apply your heat shrink capsules to your bottles? Let us know if you have another technique in the comments below!
If you are interested in any of our previous guides you can check out our past guides below
Is there a topic you'd love to see us cover? Maybe you're just starting a hot sauce business and you need to know how to fill your bottles? Or are you a home brewer looking to scale up. Let us know what topic you'd love us to cover next and we will get our researching hats on!
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All the Best
The Team at Sen5es