How to remove plastic bungs from firkins?

[Brew Chef]

Getting into cask beers...haven't figured out how to best remove plastic bungs and keystones....do tell

[Ted Briggs]

Screw a drywall nail into it so you have something to pull on. Pull on nail while prying with screwdriver.

[BonedaleBeer]

The ones we used had a small tab that you could pry on with a big flathead screwdriver. I have used the drywall screw method on the wood bungs as well.

[porter]

Slide Hammer

I had a slide hammer built by my local blacksmith. It has a large screw tip with heavy duty threads and works like a charm on plastic and wood bungs.
It also prevents any damage to the keg or firkin.

[Jephro]

I had a slide hammer built by my local blacksmith. It has a large screw tip with heavy duty threads and works like a charm on plastic and wood bungs.
It also prevents any damage to the keg or firkin.

Trying to visualize this thing, mind posting a pic of it?

[porter]

Here you go.



Here's the slide hammer I was talking about.

The cylinder slides up and down. After screwing it in, you slide the cylinder up the shaft quickly and forcefully. I can usually get bungs out in one shot. I do have to get new screw tips made from time to time, but they're only $5.

[Jephro]

Slide Hammer

Cool

Thanks Porter, looks much easier (and safer) that my rubber mallet and a flathead screwdriver method.

[Rosie]

Shive Extractor

Hi guys,

Man, I remember how hard it was to get the shives and keystones out with a screwdriver, it just doesn't work and you can end up scoring the most important parts of your firkins.

Check out the pictures, this is a shive extractor that we use and that I've seen in many breweries here in the UK.

Basically, insert the tip of the unit into the hole left by the spile, just to the little notch, then simply (totally painlessly), lever out the shive. In the picture, just force the extractor to the right. With a keystone, you use the same principle, just getting the tip of this thing to dig into the sidewall of the keystone and it levers right out.

Please note that I think the slight bend in the end of our extractor is probably from using it for something other than it was designed for. The key really is the little notch and the leverage you gain.

Cheers,
Jeff

[Guest]

Just to prove the adage about there being multiple ways to de-fur a feline, we have a shive extractor identical to Rosie's (Hi Jeff ) but rarely use it, as a flat blade screwdriver & rubber mallet do the job quicker & better for us.

I think we're using Rankin Bros' plastic shives & rubber keystones, which unlike wooden ones *always* come out in one piece (wooden shives & keystones IME often break into pieces that then end up inside the cask - grrr!). Our shives also have a lip that sits proud of the shive-hole, so it's easy to hammer the screwdriver into it (& not the cask!) & then pop it out by tapping the handle of the screwdriver with the mallet, normally all out in 2 or 3 strokes.

Whichever way you do it, as Rosie says, be careful not to damage either the shive or keystone when removing the closure, as the cask will leak or it will create a point for infection.

With careful use though, SS casks just keep on going, we've got some from 1978 still in weekly use!
cheers
MikeMcG
Wirral nr Liverpool, UK.