At Chrislan, we manufacture all of our products in house. This allows us to customize each tap handle to suit the specific needs of our clients. Our state of the art production line carries the tap handles through a number of processes beginning with a liquid slip mixture and finishing with a solid, durable ceramic structure.

Vitrification

The strength of our finished product is attributed to the quality of our clay and the high firing temperatures of our kilns. The process of turning clay into ceramic is called vitrification. It makes the tap handles incredibly durable, more resistant to impact and increases leverage strength. The more vitrified a ceramic handle is, the stronger it becomes. We do not use Earthenware clay in any of our products. Earthenware is fired to a maximum temperature of 1800 F. It is a low quality clay, prone to breakage. All Chrislan products are made with Stoneware clay. It allows for a firing temperature of up to 2200 F. making our handles superior in strength and quality compared to any of our competitors Earthenware products. Our unique virtification process is one of the reasons our tap handles are the strongest in the market today.

Decorating

After kiln firing, the handles are decorated with either a low fire decal or a vinyl label. We produce both types of decals in house, again allowing us to customize the artwork to meet the needs of our clients and accurately portray their brewery’s image. Chrislan is known world-wide for our printing capabilities and techniques. We can actually place real 22k gold into the decal, adding a high quality, rich looking finish to your brand. We also offer metallic base colors which are becoming very popular in the market place.

Foaming Process

In the finishing stages of production, light weight foam is inserted into the handle. It is a type of liquid foam which immediately transforms into a solid, making the handle incredibly durable. In the event of a sever impact, the foam works to absorb a portion of the shock and acts as an adhesive helping to hold the handle together. If a severe impact were to occur, the foam would help to reduce the effects of ceramic shards. This foaming process is protected under Canadian and foreign patents pending. US patent no. 7,137,535.

Pouring Machine

Our pouring machine is the newest addition to our warehouse. It allows us to produce 1600 units per day greatly increasing our production capabilities. The quality of the handles produced by our machine, allows us to continue offering strong, durable tap handles that can be delivered in a timely manner and shipped world wide.