Pop a Wine Cork

I am a kinetic readymade sculpture and hobbyist woodworker. I wanted to combine these interests together into one project. Behold, “Pop A Wine Cork”. I wanted a wine bottle to magically pop its’ cork. In this Instructables, I'll show you how I did it. The woodworking skills needed are very basic and allow you to finish the project using your own creativity. Basic electrical wiring knowledge is required, so seek help as needed. Caution: You will need to cut the bottom of a wine bottle off. Safety first, PEP and assistance is strongly suggested.

Tools Required

1. Drill
2. Wood Saw
3. Glass Bottle Cutter
4. Glue Gun
5. Epoxy Glue
6. Ruler/pencil

Supplies:

1) Wine Box

1) Wine Bottle w/cork

1) Linear Actuator Motor (50mm stroke)

1) 5V - 24V Motor Forward/Reverse Controller Timing Delay Time Cycles Relay

2) AC/DC converters (12VDC & 5VDC)

1) DC AC Rocker Switch 2 pin SPST

Get your bottle and box.

Cut about 2” off the bottom of the bottle. Avoid the recess bubble inside the bottle. Sand down the rough edge.

Take the cork and sand it down so it slides smoothly thru the entire neck of the bottle.

Remove the slide top. Fit the lid around the bottle.

Attach the rod section arm to a notch in the cork and the motor end to the bottom of the box. This requires patience and trial and error. The cork must ride smoothly in the bottle neck. The bottle slips over from the top, to cover the motor and cork.

Install your control board (5V - 24V Motor Forward/Reverse Controller Timing Delay Time Cycles Relay). Follow the correct voltage ports. Linear actuator motor gets 12VDC. The module controller gets 5VDC. Install on/off switch. Set motor timing as desired. You could glue the bottle to the box as I did or friction fit it so it could be removed easily.

Do a final cut and shape the lid around the bottle.

1. There are a number of ways to cut a wine bottle. Internet videos are plentifully. Select a method that you feel confident in using. Practice makes perfect. Rest assured you will break a few in the process. Last strategy, is to find a glassworker to cut you one.
2. The most difficult part of the project was the alignment and height adjustment of the cork.
3. The cork needs to be trimmed down in order to slide smoothly in and out of the bottle. Use a file and sandpaper.
4. The bottom of the bottle must rest on a small raised wood platform attached securely to the wine box and bottle. Cut a slot into the platform to allows the motor wires to safely pass under the open cut bottle.
5. Test fit the motor/cork configuration inside the bottle. Secure the motor/cork to the wood base. Then position bottle over the motor/cork and secure.