Collecting Tap Handles

[jjpm74]

i have a few basic questions for all you breweriana collectors regarding tap handles:

1. How do you display your tap handles? I was thinking of building a display out of woood, but wanted to explore other alternatives first.

2. Is there a good resource for tap hanlde out there that is relatively inexpensive other than Ebay? I'm mainly interested in vintage taps handles and interesting looking tap handles from smaller brewers. Macrobrewers like Anheuser Busch, Miller, Coors, Becks, Heinekken and InBev don't interest me.

[newportstorm]

Some interesting ones mixed in on this page -worth searching through:

http://www.brewerianazone.com/page2.html

Cheers!

[Beer Monkey]

Tap handles have been my choice of beer collectable since I got my Kegerator a year or so ago. I've gotten a few different displays and need to make one up this weekend to get the 10 or so off my desk.

I've got a few different displays. one I got off ebay and payed too much for it, but it's very nice. and 2 I've made. (3rd one this weekend)

the first I made sits on the top of my desk and is a piece of floor molding spray painted with Fleck Stone paint to give it some style/color, with 3/8" bolts 3/4" long evenly spaced along it. The bolts are countersunk into the board so it sits flat. whole thing cost me under 10$ and holds 15 handles.

the second is still in progress but mainly cause I'm having issues and worries about mounting it. It's a shelf that is almost 9 feet long with the tap handles mounted upside down so the shelf is near the ceiling and the handles hang upside down. I used a maple wood with a cherry stain and a simple edge routed onto it. it can hold 40ish handles. my worry is mounting that with all that weight may be an issue.

the one I'm gonna do this weekend is just like the 2nd but it will sit on the back of my desk so I want it elevated a bit. what I'm planning on using is the same molding with it mounded to some 6" long 3x3 boards. the raisers will largely be hidden by the other stuff on the desk, and this is really a temporary fix till I can work on a more permanent home bar.

hope this helps.

[neelyjr1]

I have several tap handles, a coworker are in a bit of an informal competition of who has more. At any rate, we have been using granite lamp bases and a bolt and washer. They are nice and easy to use, and really do look nice. All that being said however, I just did a quick search online and couldn't find what I am looking for. I would think that if you went into your local home depot however they should be able to help you out.

[chazwicke]

Try one of those trophy shops. They make bases that work pretty well and they are painted to look like granite.

There is a huge collection of tap handles on Ebay right now. 38 of them. Pretty low starting bid too.

look under:

Lot of 38 Draft Beer Tap Handles Vintage Collection Bud
Item number: 6252828210

http://cgi.ebay.com/Lot-of-38-Draft-Beer-Tap-Handles-Vintage-Collection-Bud_W0QQitemZ6252828210QQcategoryZ571QQrdZ1QQcmdZV iewItem

[zoom6zoom]

We did a nice display for a former neighbor of mine. Got a section of nice handrail (like for stairs) and mounted it to the wall at a nice height (like chair rail) using the same hardware as for using it on the stairs.

We drilled up through the bottom (before putting it on the wall) so we could insert bolts that would screw right into the handles. Looked pretty nice, and you could add additional levels as needed or drill more holes and put them closer together. Sorry I don't have any pics...

[jjpm74]

Thanks for the replies, all. You gave me some great ideas on how to display these.

[jjpm74]

Just an update on this. My basement bar is winter themed, so what I ended up doing is buying a cheap pair of wooden children's skis, drilling holes for the bolts then attaching the tap handles to the top of the ski. I'm still figuring out how to mount the skis to the wall. Does anyone have any suggestions for mounts into field stone or concrete?

[zoom6zoom]

Well, gallowd7 just got a new nailgun.... ;)

[Beer Monkey]

Originally posted by zoom6zoom
Well, gallowd7 just got a new nailgun.... ;)

lucky guy, my wife won't let me have any fun toys, just cause of one little incident when I kept chasing her around with a leaf blower, granted it was inside at the time, but still....

[jjpm74]

Still working on mounting ideas, but for now I attached it to the ceiling and put some counterweights on the bottom to stabilize it. While the mount is still not finished, here's what the almost complete stand looks like. I still have to touch up the nails and add two taps to it that are still on their way:

[O2 Mash]

Easy...... here's what I do. Every time you go into a bar, ask if they have any tap handles that they are not using anymore. You will be amazed at how many you will score!! I have upwards of 100 handles, and all are free. You'll find that all of these bars have a box with "obsolete" tap handles that they don't use anymore. Sometimes the manager is gone, so the bartender can't give you any handles, but make sure you call back the next day and ask the manager. Let me know how you do!

[Beer Monkey]

Originally posted by jjpm74
Still working on mounting ideas, but for now I attached it to the ceiling and put some counterweights on the bottom to stabilize it. While the mount is still not finished, here's what the almost complete stand looks like. I still have to touch up the nails and add two taps to it that are still on their way:

that looks really nice, well done.

[chazwicke]

Beer Monkey, Did you add any Tap Handles to your collection at the Blue Gray?

[ClockworkOrange]

Just wondering what the height of the tallest handles in your collections are(approx.). I'm interested in starting a collection myself and the ideal location that I would like to display them is about 18 inches high.

[jjpm74]

You should be fine in most instances.

[Beer Monkey]

Originally posted by chazwicke
Beer Monkey, Did you add any Tap Handles to your collection at the Blue Gray?

yeah got a few new ones, didn't go down with anything specific in mind, still walked away with a few that were on my mental to buy list.

all the good ones that I saw had been purchased already, more reason to head down earlier. now I just need to follow through and build another display to get them off my desk

[KegeratorKing]

Another small collection: http://www.kegerators.net/directory/170.html