OK I followed your advice and the advice in this thread. The trick is that you have to squeeze the handles on the bottle good to release the catches. You'll know it's working when the pins on the outside start to pop out. Thank you for this video!
I noticed those springs previously but didn't know you could push them back in. Thank you Gareth for this great and very important video and thanks TH-cam for making me a genius yet again.
Thanks Gareth, I didn't follow what you were trying to say at the beginning, but what you said at the end worked: Take the screw out, push the spring clips out of the way, while lifting the slider and push the slider up, ALL OF THE WAY. Then, put the screw back in. Worked great.
Thanks! This saved me 40 bucks for a new one. I already had two backup worms for it that would have gone to waste. I oiled the shaft with sewing machine oil which got all into the pins too, and it worked like a charm after that. Of course it's supposed to click into those springs when you operate it, because that piece that gets stuck is supposed to click in to pull the cork off the worm on the second pass.
Squeezing the handles pulls in latches to allow a main piece to lift up with the corkscrew locked in place. If the latches are not working every time or at all then lubricate the latches and the pins on the other side if your model has them and it will work like new.
This video was helpful, thanks, but I had to adapt it slightly for my model. I have the barcraft lever bottle opener that is very similar but slightly different than the model shown. I had both issues shown in the video and both were important to fix. The small black cylinder of plastic shown at the beginning had slowly worked its way out of its housing. I needed to centralise the pin in the hole and replace the black cylinder. It wouldn't go all the way in to flush, but I got it about 2/3rds in. Then... Follow the second bit in the video to release the lower part of the mechanism, but as you're applying pressure to the retaining clip with a screwdriver or similar, press the black plastic cylinder home as far as you can. I got it to within 1mm of flush at that point. Now you should find that the arms grip the neck of a bottle properly and both silver rods protrude from the sides, allowing the lower part of the mechanism to move to the top as you work the lever. Tried to make that as accurate and clear as possible, but you may need to read it a couple of times as you work through it.
Thanks, it worked beautifully ! One more thing - in order for the pins to travel in their enclosures i added a drop of WD40 (use other grease that will not smell too much) on both sides of each pin. Back in business. I guess I will celebrate with a glass of a red...
My problem was the device not sitting well at all in its stand! Your issue is not an issue at all... The two lock springs are there for that very reason... To hold the screw in that position until you squeeze the grip handles which releases the screw so it will draw upwards without turning... This is key. You want the screw to turn on the downwards lever action, but NOT turn on the upwards movement, to pull the cork out. Similarly, if the screw is not turning on the downwards trip, it will just push the cork into the bottle!! But at least I now know this and why you must use the full lever action travel, which means punching all the way through the cork... Something I normally avoid doing.
Gareth, you totally miss the point. At 0:25 you see the problem. The cap that holds the pin in place is missing. "Think of this as nothing more than a device to keep the handles in place". No! Think of this as the most important part of the whole corkscrew that makes the magic happen! Without that cap the pin can't push the levers to free the block to go up. See the video that kohjb posted for a perfect explanation of how it works.
I noticed a lot of confusion in using these openers, so I made a 3 part video series trying to explain the engineering side of how they work. Hope it helps some of you! th-cam.com/video/7c9dyI4oeTg/w-d-xo.html
I am a little confused here. I have had my opener for at least 15 years without any problems. On the last bottle I heard a funny noise and when I pulled the cork out I noticed that the gear and the track had slipped about 4 teeth. I know about all the springs and latches but I cannot figure out how to reposition the rack on the teeth. I got a replacement gift set on craigslist and I have been comparing the two. Same model size and construction. I see no way to ratchet the rack into a different position. A few more experiments and then perhaps a destructive video to release the secret sauce! I may even post a TH-cam video.
My lever screws down into the cork and the unscrews [reverse of the original action] back out leaving the cork in the bottle. IIs there anything I can do other than throw it away?
The issue is that the handle when forced closed should release floating slider to go back up again. It seems because of the poor manufacturing tolerances this does not always happen and gets worse with age.The sprung loaded clips that hold it down need to be lubricated and made less tight. Then its a file and hammer job to adjust the tolerances.
I had your exact problem. The screw would go down into the cork and just unscrew again. The "slider" (for lack of a better term), would not get released from the spring clips that Gareth pointed out. I took the screw out, released the two spring clips with a thin flat screwdriver and pushed the slider up. Then put the screw back in and tighten the top. Now it works fine. I DON'T know why... All I know for sure is that the two spring clips were not retracting and allowing the slider to come up (which STOPS the screw from "unscrewing). It needs to pull STRAIGHT UP. The slider has a metal pin "crossways" in it, which prevents the screw from turning. Please let me know if this works for you (it did for me...). I SUPPOSE I should make my OWN video... But Gareth helped me fix mine, so he should get the credit (and views...)
Hi Garth The piece is supposed to remain at the bottom. The problem is what you actually addressed at the beginning of the video i.e the pins at the bottom which hold the handles. These pins should be gently seated with a punch the same diameter as the pins themselves. These pins hold a spring which disables the corkscrew mechanism from turning when the cork is withdrawn. Under no circumstance should anyone do what is suggested in the video. The result would stop the corkscrew from turning forcing the cork into the bottle. I know because I tried it. Hope this is helpful
My problem is the corkscrew turns it way into the cork but when you lift the handle it will lift the cork the cork screw just turns its way back out of the cork
Most useful but as mine is a "screwpull" not exactly the same as a "Rabbit". The pins you refer to are actually "pistons" instead of pins on the screwpull which can jam. These pistons, as well as jamming, can also rotate so that the locking chamfer is pointed downwards instead of upward facing. Thanks for your video, however, an explanation as to how the screwpull mechanism works would be very useful. Le Cruset, the manufacturers apparently do not believe in "owner repair"!
Gareth, it is supposed to lodge this way! You have to queeze the two lower levers firmly around the bottle neck while pulling out the cork. Then the two springs will release the stuck piece. That‘s the whole idea of the rabbit corkscrew.
When I first used this corkscrew I also thought mine is broken, because the two springs did not release the piece and the cork was not pulled out. Until I realized that I have to queeze the two levers much more firmly aournd the bottle neck while pulling out the cork. Then the two springs will release the stuck piece and it will work.
To Dalton Griffiths: What releases the two spring clips is the downward force of the lever handle. If it doesn't go "all the way down", it doesn't push the clips out of the way, and allow the slider to come up, which stops the screw from turning, and pulls the cork out... See my comments above and below.
To acrobaticflying (cool name BTW): I had your exact problem. The screw would go down into the cork and just unscrew again. The "slider" (for lack of a better term), would not get released from the spring clips that Gareth pointed out. I took the screw out, released the two spring clips with a thin flat screwdriver and pushed the slider up. Then put the screw back in and tighten the top. Now it works fine. I DON'T know why... All I know for sure is that the two spring clips were not retracting and allowing the slider to come up (which STOPS the screw from "unscrewing). It needs to pull STRAIGHT UP. The slider has a metal pin "crossways" in it, which prevents the screw from turning. Please let me know if this works for you (it did for me...). I SUPPOSE I should make my OWN video... But Gareth helped me fix mine, so he should get the credit (and views...)
Didn't work for me because that's not the problem with my opener. The small lug that holds the cork to retract it or remove the cork from the screw, broke off. I think I could probably fix it, but would need either a new replacement part or and arc welder. Any suggestions?
Thanks Gareth. How do you prevent that piece from getting lodged again? My 2 handles don't release the clamps when they are held together. I can only release 1 clamp at a time by bending 1 handle past the mid-way point. Is there some way to tighten the springs that connect the handles to the clamps?
Hi … I was able to get the piece back up in place, but when I tested it on an empty bottle it’s landing in the lower position again. Any advice? My Rabbit is old, so maybe it’s time has come, but I hate to ditch it if there’s a fix.
The black plastic part near the top of the corkscrew on mine broke. I took the little pin out to remove it. Anywhere to get parts? I may have to jbweld it together.
have exactly this opener, used to work like magic. it appears to function smoothly, but when i try and pull out a cork it reverses the corkscrew right back out of the cork, leaving it in the bottle, unmoved. is the corkscrew supposed to turn in both directions? thanks
It's not supposed to turn in both directions. When the corkscrew is empty, the mechanism is supposed to be locked between the springs. That makes the corkscrew spin. Once the worm is in the cork the mechanism is supposed to ride up with the cork so that the worm doesn't spin. Then when you swing the arm back, it is supposed to lock in again and let the worm spin out of the cork again. It probably needs lubricating oil if it's not behaving. WD-40 is not lubricating oil, it's penetrant.
The rabbit is pretty but it has a lot of mechanical issues. The issue you're describing isn't 100% accurate. The rabbit can stop operating correctly when the pins on the side become disconnected from the handles. The handles tell the pins on the side to come out. I just threw mine away - I'm going back to the trusted simple opener.
This thing is just a BAD JOKE. The model I have is at 95% same physical. The spring pushing the 2 tooth to block the "bottom part" are ridiculously strong that part is just stuck there. That thing was never intended to be used by the "creator" or was made after they got drunk and not before... These are just to be put as decoration. If not give it to your brother so your wine will be safe for sometime....
I am afraid an important detail was missed. In fact, the point about pushing the pin back up above the rabbit-ear handle is only part of the solution. The pins actually go up through the rabbit-ear handles, up thrugh the frame and into the latching teeth. Here, I refer to the two symetrical plungers that Gareth points out at exactly 1:00 minute in the video as the latching teeth. It is imperative that the pin be pushed up into the the latching tooth. The challenge is getting the pin and the latching tooth perfectly aligned while (whilst for my British-English friends) the rabbit-ear handle is spring-loaded and pushing the pin to one side. It may take two pair of hands. I used a bench-mounted vice to hold the the entire device steady (rabbit-ear handles pointing straight up, lever arm fully 'down' wirh the corkscrew removed as Gareth suggests; gear-arm horizontal in the vice) and a small clamp to pull the rabbit-ear handles together at their pivot points, but without bringing the rabbit-ears fully togetheraas would be the case when opening a bottle of your favorite wine. Bringing the rabbit-ear handles together at their respective outer ends defeats the purpose of clamping them at their pivot points. I then used a small tool to press and align the latching tooth so the pin will insert through it. When you are finished, the pin should be well recessed into the void at the bottom. Mine originally came with plastic inserts that centers the pins in their chambers; however, one disappeared. I suspect those centering inserts help improve proper functionality. Good luck! And thank you Gareth for pointing me in the right direction.
OK I followed your advice and the advice in this thread. The trick is that you have to squeeze the handles on the bottle good to release the catches. You'll know it's working when the pins on the outside start to pop out. Thank you for this video!
I noticed those springs previously but didn't know you could push them back in. Thank you Gareth for this great and very important video and thanks TH-cam for making me a genius yet again.
Thanks so much! I'm not mechanically oriented in the least, but your instruction helped me fix my corkscrew.
Many thanks Gareth. I very much appreciate you sharing your experience and expertise.
Thanks Gareth, I didn't follow what you were trying to say at the beginning, but what you said at the end worked:
Take the screw out, push the spring clips out of the way, while lifting the slider and push the slider up, ALL OF THE WAY.
Then, put the screw back in.
Worked great.
Thanks! This saved me 40 bucks for a new one. I already had two backup worms for it that would have gone to waste. I oiled the shaft with sewing machine oil which got all into the pins too, and it worked like a charm after that. Of course it's supposed to click into those springs when you operate it, because that piece that gets stuck is supposed to click in to pull the cork off the worm on the second pass.
Brilliant! It was destined for the garbage bin.
Now get the cork screen and part of the plastic ON the sleeve part THAMKS!!
Squeezing the handles pulls in latches to allow a main piece to lift up with the corkscrew locked in place. If the latches are not working every time or at all then lubricate the latches and the pins on the other side if your model has them and it will work like new.
This video was helpful, thanks, but I had to adapt it slightly for my model. I have the barcraft lever bottle opener that is very similar but slightly different than the model shown.
I had both issues shown in the video and both were important to fix.
The small black cylinder of plastic shown at the beginning had slowly worked its way out of its housing. I needed to centralise the pin in the hole and replace the black cylinder. It wouldn't go all the way in to flush, but I got it about 2/3rds in. Then...
Follow the second bit in the video to release the lower part of the mechanism, but as you're applying pressure to the retaining clip with a screwdriver or similar, press the black plastic cylinder home as far as you can. I got it to within 1mm of flush at that point.
Now you should find that the arms grip the neck of a bottle properly and both silver rods protrude from the sides, allowing the lower part of the mechanism to move to the top as you work the lever.
Tried to make that as accurate and clear as possible, but you may need to read it a couple of times as you work through it.
I'm so happy ! Thank you - you fixed my favorite wine opener !!!
Thanks, it worked beautifully ! One more thing - in order for the pins to travel in their enclosures i added a drop of WD40 (use other grease that will not smell too much) on both sides of each pin. Back in business. I guess I will celebrate with a glass of a red...
My problem was the device not sitting well at all in its stand! Your issue is not an issue at all... The two lock springs are there for that very reason... To hold the screw in that position until you squeeze the grip handles which releases the screw so it will draw upwards without turning... This is key. You want the screw to turn on the downwards lever action, but NOT turn on the upwards movement, to pull the cork out. Similarly, if the screw is not turning on the downwards trip, it will just push the cork into the bottle!!
But at least I now know this and why you must use the full lever action travel, which means punching all the way through the cork... Something I normally avoid doing.
Gareth, you totally miss the point. At 0:25 you see the problem. The cap that holds the pin in place is missing.
"Think of this as nothing more than a device to keep the handles in place".
No! Think of this as the most important part of the whole corkscrew that makes the magic happen! Without that cap the pin can't push the levers to free the block to go up.
See the video that kohjb posted for a perfect explanation of how it works.
I noticed a lot of confusion in using these openers, so I made a 3 part video series trying to explain the engineering side of how they work. Hope it helps some of you! th-cam.com/video/7c9dyI4oeTg/w-d-xo.html
Those videos actually explain how it works. Thanks!
This one has it completely wrong.
I am a little confused here. I have had my opener for at least 15 years without any problems. On the last bottle I heard a funny noise and when I pulled the cork out I noticed that the gear and the track had slipped about 4 teeth. I know about all the springs and latches but I cannot figure out how to reposition the rack on the teeth. I got a replacement gift set on craigslist and I have been comparing the two. Same model size and construction. I see no way to ratchet the rack into a different position. A few more experiments and then perhaps a destructive video to release the secret sauce! I may even post a TH-cam video.
Had the same problem. Any solutions?
Same problem here - would love a tutorial on how to fix if you’ve managed to!
Thank you! This was exactly the video I needed.
Thanks so much for your advice, it worked perfectly, really appreciate it.❤️
My lever screws down into the cork and the unscrews [reverse of the original action] back out leaving the cork in the bottle. IIs there anything I can do other than throw it away?
Thank you from California. Our Rabbit malfunctioned last night and this video helped me repair it. What's your favorite varietal?
Thank you!!!
The issue is that the handle when forced closed should release floating slider to go back up again. It seems because of the poor manufacturing tolerances this does not always happen and gets worse with age.The sprung loaded clips that hold it down need to be lubricated and made less tight. Then its a file and hammer job to adjust the tolerances.
I had your exact problem. The screw would go down into the cork and just unscrew again. The "slider" (for lack of a better term), would not get released from the spring clips that Gareth pointed out.
I took the screw out, released the two spring clips with a thin flat screwdriver and pushed the slider up. Then put the screw back in and tighten the top. Now it works fine.
I DON'T know why...
All I know for sure is that the two spring clips were not retracting and allowing the slider to come up (which STOPS the screw from "unscrewing). It needs to pull STRAIGHT UP. The slider has a metal pin "crossways" in it, which prevents the screw from turning.
Please let me know if this works for you (it did for me...). I SUPPOSE I should make my OWN video...
But Gareth helped me fix mine, so he should get the credit (and views...)
Thanks !!! ❤
Hi Garth The piece is supposed to remain at the bottom. The problem is what you actually addressed at the beginning of the video i.e the pins at the bottom which hold the handles. These pins should be gently seated with a punch the same diameter as the pins themselves. These pins hold a spring which disables the corkscrew mechanism from turning when the cork is withdrawn. Under no circumstance should anyone do what is suggested in the video. The result would stop the corkscrew from turning forcing the cork into the bottle. I know because I tried it. Hope this is helpful
It was really useful, Thank you
No. What you said is completely incorrect. Read my comments above and below.
Lubrication at the sides so that the clamps move properly is all that is required.
Genius explanation!! Thank you!!
Great video Gareth ! I still need help. How to remove the lateral bolts to pull out the mais lever ?
My problem is the corkscrew turns it way into the cork but when you lift the handle it will lift the cork the cork screw just turns its way back out of the cork
Brilliant! Thanks!!
Most useful but as mine is a "screwpull" not exactly the same as a "Rabbit". The pins you refer to are actually "pistons" instead of pins on the screwpull which can jam. These pistons, as well as jamming, can also rotate so that the locking chamfer is pointed downwards instead of upward facing. Thanks for your video, however, an explanation as to how the screwpull mechanism works would be very useful. Le Cruset, the manufacturers apparently do not believe in "owner repair"!
Gareth, it is supposed to lodge this way! You have to queeze the two lower levers firmly around the bottle neck while pulling out the cork. Then the two springs will release the stuck piece. That‘s the whole idea of the rabbit corkscrew.
So how does one fix it if it is going into but not pulling the cork out?
When I first used this corkscrew I also thought mine is broken, because the two springs did not release the piece and the cork was not pulled out. Until I realized that I have to queeze the two levers much more firmly aournd the bottle neck while pulling out the cork. Then the two springs will release the stuck piece and it will work.
To Dalton Griffiths: What releases the two spring clips is the downward force of the lever handle.
If it doesn't go "all the way down", it doesn't push the clips out of the way, and allow the slider to come up, which stops the screw from turning, and pulls the cork out... See my comments above and below.
To acrobaticflying (cool name BTW): I had your exact problem. The screw would go down into the cork and just unscrew again. The "slider" (for lack of a better term), would not get released from the spring clips that Gareth pointed out.
I took the screw out, released the two spring clips with a thin flat screwdriver and pushed the slider up. Then put the screw back in and tighten the top. Now it works fine.
I DON'T know why...
All I know for sure is that the two spring clips were not retracting and allowing the slider to come up (which STOPS the screw from "unscrewing). It needs to pull STRAIGHT UP. The slider has a metal pin "crossways" in it, which prevents the screw from turning.
Please let me know if this works for you (it did for me...). I SUPPOSE I should make my OWN video...
But Gareth helped me fix mine, so he should get the credit (and views...)
Didn't work for me because that's not the problem with my opener. The small lug that holds the cork to retract it or remove the cork from the screw, broke off. I think I could probably fix it, but would need either a new replacement part or and arc welder. Any suggestions?
Thanks. Works until it lodges again. I am going to try a few things to keep mine from getting stuck.
Thanks Gareth. How do you prevent that piece from getting lodged again? My 2 handles don't release the clamps when they are held together. I can only release 1 clamp at a time by bending 1 handle past the mid-way point. Is there some way to tighten the springs that connect the handles to the clamps?
Did you ever figure it out? I have the same problem!
@@StepMania02 Not for the rabbit. I bought a waiter's corkscrew from Trader Joes and learned to use it instead!
Hi … I was able to get the piece back up in place, but when I tested it on an empty bottle it’s landing in the lower position again. Any advice? My Rabbit is old, so maybe it’s time has come, but I hate to ditch it if there’s a fix.
The black plastic part near the top of the corkscrew on mine broke. I took the little pin out to remove it. Anywhere to get parts? I may have to jbweld it together.
Squeeze the handles harder, this pulls the 2 locks inward releasing the slider piece... Do not take it apart!!!
This! wrap it around the bottle, squeeze handles, it will unlock, then you can pull !
My lever somehow is reversed in the gears! I can't figure out how to reverse the lever back to its original position. Can you help?
Same problem. The lever is stuck and won’t go back
nice and thank you
have exactly this opener, used to work like magic. it appears to function smoothly, but when i try and pull out a cork it reverses the corkscrew right back out of the cork, leaving it in the bottle, unmoved. is the corkscrew supposed to turn in both directions? thanks
It's not supposed to turn in both directions. When the corkscrew is empty, the mechanism is supposed to be locked between the springs. That makes the corkscrew spin. Once the worm is in the cork the mechanism is supposed to ride up with the cork so that the worm doesn't spin. Then when you swing the arm back, it is supposed to lock in again and let the worm spin out of the cork again. It probably needs lubricating oil if it's not behaving. WD-40 is not lubricating oil, it's penetrant.
The rabbit is pretty but it has a lot of mechanical issues. The issue you're describing isn't 100% accurate. The rabbit can stop operating correctly when the pins on the side become disconnected from the handles. The handles tell the pins on the side to come out.
I just threw mine away - I'm going back to the trusted simple opener.
Gareth i skiped a few teeths. Different problem
How do I fix the tracks?
This thing is just a BAD JOKE. The model I have is at 95% same physical. The spring pushing the 2 tooth to block the "bottom part" are ridiculously strong that part is just stuck there. That thing was never intended to be used by the "creator" or was made after they got drunk and not before... These are just to be put as decoration. If not give it to your brother so your wine will be safe for sometime....
Vertical? En serio?
I am afraid an important detail was missed. In fact, the point about pushing the pin back up above the rabbit-ear handle is only part of the solution. The pins actually go up through the rabbit-ear handles, up thrugh the frame and into the latching teeth. Here, I refer to the two symetrical plungers that Gareth points out at exactly 1:00 minute in the video as the latching teeth. It is imperative that the pin be pushed up into the the latching tooth. The challenge is getting the pin and the latching tooth perfectly aligned while (whilst for my British-English friends) the rabbit-ear handle is spring-loaded and pushing the pin to one side. It may take two pair of hands. I used a bench-mounted vice to hold the the entire device steady (rabbit-ear handles pointing straight up, lever arm fully 'down' wirh the corkscrew removed as Gareth suggests; gear-arm horizontal in the vice) and a small clamp to pull the rabbit-ear handles together at their pivot points, but without bringing the rabbit-ears fully togetheraas would be the case when opening a bottle of your favorite wine. Bringing the rabbit-ear handles together at their respective outer ends defeats the purpose of clamping them at their pivot points. I then used a small tool to press and align the latching tooth so the pin will insert through it. When you are finished, the pin should be well recessed into the void at the bottom. Mine originally came with plastic inserts that centers the pins in their chambers; however, one disappeared. I suspect those centering inserts help improve proper functionality. Good luck! And thank you Gareth for pointing me in the right direction.
great, thank you!