Oktober SL1 Homebrewer User manual

SL1
OKTOBER CAN SEAMERS
Operator’s Manual.
SL1 Homebrewer
Can Seamer
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The SL1 Homebrewer Can Seamer

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Setup
To get started, assemble the Seaming Lever into the Pivot
Block. Use a 7/16in wrench to lightly tighten the lever as
shown. If the lever backs out during seaming, it can bend the
threads and break!
The SL1 comes set up for 16oz cans. To seam 12oz cans, place
the 12oz lower adapter (white plastic cylinder) onto the 16oz
lower adapter and press it into place.
You seamer comes PRE-CALIBRATED, so you don’t need to make any
adjustments before getting started.

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Make sure to locate your seamer in a position
that has enough space to move around it
easily. Also, make sure to pay attention to
things like long hair, loose clothing, etc.
as the can will be spinning and can cause
injury if anything gets caught on or around
it. Be careful to not reach into the machine
or remove the cover at any time while it is
plugged in! Canning is done in a wet envi-
ronment, so always plug the seamer into a
GFCI outlet to avoid shocking hazards.
Safety First!
Seaming
Seaming is simple, and after a few practice cans it should be a
smooth, continuous process. It helps to go through the steps
without a can a few times to get a feel for it. The force
required to actually seam a can is not much more than it takes
to run the seamer without a can.
POSITION 0
POSITION 1
POSITION 2

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1. Rotate the Seaming Lever to position 0 as shown. The black
knob should be somewhere near centerline of the seamer.
2. Place an end (can top) onto the can to be seamed.
3. Set the can onto the lower adapter, and lean the can back
against the Can Guide.
4. Raise the Base Lever until it is locked into place. Note:
the lever will not lock in-place without a can placed on the
lower adapter.
5. Turn the Power Switch to “on”
6. Rotate the Seaming Lever to the right until the first
operation Seaming Roller contacts the rim of the can end, then
continue rotating the lever until it contacts the hard-stop.
It should take about 2sec to rotate from first contact to the
stop. Hold the lever against the stop for a second or two,
then rotate the lever back to position 0. Note: it doesn’t
take much force to seam the can; as soon as the lever stops,
it has gone far enough.
7. Rotate the Seaming Lever toward position 2 until the second
operation Seaming Roller contacts the rim of the can end.
Continue rotating the lever to until it contacts the hard-stop.
It should take about 2sec to rotate from first contact to the
stop. Hold the lever against the stop for a second or two,
then immediately rotate the lever back to position 0.
8. Turn the Power Switch to “off”
9. Rotate the Base Lever down to release the sealed can.
If the can stops spinning during the seaming cycle, its likely
that the lever is being rotated too quickly.
Make sure to not hold the lever against the stops at position 1
and 2 for too long; eventually the seaming rollers will create
a rough surface on the edges of the can.

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After Every Use
Keeping your seamer clean from sticky beer residue is key to
keeping everything working properly. Warm water and a rag is
all that is needed to keep residues from building up. Make
sure to dry everything off after wiping it down.
The upper chuck and rollers are made of hardened steel. After
every use, clean them with a wet rag and dry them thoroughly.
Use a dry rag to rub a thin layer of food-safe grease or oil
onto those surfaces to minimize surface rust.
Lift the 16oz lower adapter off the Lower Bearing and use a rag
to clean the Wave Spring (looks like a curved/bent washer) and
Washer with water. Dry them and apply some grease. Apply a
small amount of grease to the bearing as well before re-assem-
bling them in the same order (bearing-washer-spring-adapter).

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Remove the Quick-Release Pin from the Base Lever and pull the
Base Shaft up and out of the housing. Clean the bore and
shaft, and apply a layer of grease to the shaft. If the shaft
becomes jammed due sticky residue or lack of grease, the Base
Adjuster can bend and break.

Seam Inspection
Inspecting seams periodically will ensure the quality of your
seams over time. It’s a good idea to inspect a seam after
every 500 cans or so. If they remain in-specification, you can
inspect them less often.
Our method of seam inspection requires a “tear down tool”, some
nippers or wire cutters, and a set of calipers. The tear-down
tool and calipers are available on the Oktober website.
When measuring the seam thicknesses, the calipers should be
parallel to the inside taper of the can (as shown below),
rather than the straight sides of the can. If the calipers are
parallel to the sides of the can, the measurements will be in-
correctly large.
Make sure to not squeeze the calipers too tightly when measur-
ing. Use the lightest pressure possible to allow the calipers
to close against the seam. If too much pressure is used, the
seam will appear smaller than reality.
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1. Complete the first seaming opera-
tion ONLY, and remove the can from the
seamer.
2. Using calipers, measure the thick-
ness of the seam as shown. The first
operation seam thickness should be be-
tween .074 and .078in
3. Complete the second operation ONLY,
and measure that thickness as shown.
The second operation seam thickness
should be between .046in and .048in.
4. Using a tear-down tool, cut the top
of the can off.

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5. Using nippers or wire cutters, cut all
the way through the remaining seam
6. Pull the seam down and out of the can
body as shown.
7. Measure the “body hook” and “cover
hook” as shown in at least 3 places
around the perimeter of the seam. The
Cover hook should be .053in-.065in, and
the body hook should be between .055in
and .075in

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Calibration
1. Start by measuring the 1st operation
seam thickness as described in the seam
inspection steps.
2. Always start adjustments from a thick-
ness measurement that is too large (For
instance, .080in for the 1st operation).
Going too far in with adjustments can
damage the seaming rollers.
3. Loosen the first operation adjusting
nut. To adjust the seam thickness,
rotate the adjusting screw OUT (counter
clockwise) approx. 1 turn for every
.001in the thickness is too large, then
re-tighten the nut. For instance, if the
measurement was .080in, rotate the screw
OUT 2 rotations to get down to approx.
.078in
4. Run the 1st operation again, and
re-measure the 1st operation seam thick-
ness. Continue adjusting the screw posi-
tion until the 1st operation thickness is
within specification.
5. Calibration of the 2nd operation is
the same steps as for the 1st operation.
Run the operation, measure, and adjust
the screw as necessary.
Infeed Adjustment

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Vertical Adjustment
1. To reset the vertical roller posi-
tions, rotate the seaming lever to posi-
tion 1
2. Loosen the 1st operation locking screw
as shown
3. The roller should now be free to move
up and down. Hold the roller up against
the pivot block, then rotate the pivot
block to locate that roller over the top
of the upper chuck
4. Pull the roller down to contact the
upper chuck, and re-tighten the locking
screw.
5. Repeat the same procedure for the
second operation roller

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Base Force
2. With a can engaged in the chucks and the base lever held
up by hand (it should not stay up on its own at this point)
loosen the bottom nut, and tighten the top nut in sequence
until the base lever no longer has any "play". The lever
should stay up on its own at this point, but just barely.
3. Loosen the bottom nut 2 full turns (12 “flats” on the
nut), then rotate the upper nut approx. 1 3/4 rotations
clockwise to raise the adjuster to the correct position.
4. Finally, adjust the lower nut so that it creates a light
resistance when rotating the lever horizontally.
5. Load a can and confirm a solid clamp when locking the
base lever into place.
Seam a can, and confirm the hook lengths are sufficient. If
they are still low, adjust the nuts ¼ turn or so, and
re-check. If the cans are crushing, the force is too high.
The base force is critical to a good seam, and can have a
strong effect on the hook lengths, particularly the body
hook length. Generally, a short hook length, particularly
body hook, can be caused by insufficient base force. Note
that a broken or missing lower chuck spring can also cause
deficient lower lifter force..
1. To adjust the base force, first
loosen (counterclockwise rotate) the
"upper" Base Adjustment nut until
there is no clamping force when
raising the lever with a can loaded
onto the lower chuck (the handle
will no longer stay up on its own).
You will need to snug up the lower
nut before checking to make sure
there is no clamping force.

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Maintenence/Troubleshooting
Greasing Roller Axels
be greased. Remove the seaming roller retaining nuts and
remove the rollers and washers from their axles. Clean the
rollers and axles with warm water, dry them, and apply a thin
layer of grease to the axle shafts. Reassemble the rollers,
washers, and retaining nuts in the order they were removed.
Tighten the retaining nuts only enough to take up the
vertical play, but also allow free rotation of the seaming
rollers. For further cleaning, it may help to remove the
seaming roller axles from the pivot block by loosening the
locking screws and pulling them down and out of the block.
Motor Won’t Turn On
If the motor does not turn, it is likely that the thermal
overload switch has tripped. It can be reset by pushing the
red button located under the motor.
After every 500 cans or so, the seaming roller axles need to

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Rough Sound/Clicking
If the seamer makes a loud clicking noise during the seaming
operations, it is likely that the timing belt is slipping.
Remove the belt cover retaining screw and pull the belt cover
off the machine. Loosen the (4) screws located on each side
of the frame (8 screws total). Slide the motor back to
tighten the belt and re-tighten the screws. The belt only
needs to be tight enough to take up the slack.
Belt Slips Off
You may need to re-align the small driver pulley after tight-
ening the belt, or if the motor becomes out of alignment
during shipping. To do that, loosen the set screw located on
the side of the pulley and raise or lower the pulley to
center it relative to the main driven pulley and re-tighten
the set screw. To make sure the pulley is properly aligned,
you will need to turn the motor “on”. Be careful when turn-
ing it on, as the belt and pulleys will be spinning and are
hazardous.

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Loose Seaming Assembly
Over time, the roller assembly pivot block may need to be
tightened up. Basically, there should be minimum “play”
between the rotating assembly and the housing and a light
friction drag. Use a 3/16in allen key and a 1/2in wrench to
snug up the seaming assembly retaining nut. The lever should
still rotate freely, but with as little play as possible.
There should be a light drag on the lever when rotated.
Contact Us
Feel free to contact us if you have any other questions! Our
team is always happy to help.
@OKTOBERDESIGN
[e-mail]
oktoberdesign.com