Method and apparatus for bottle capping

Abstract

A torque wrench for manually applying a screw cap on a threaded opening of a container. The torque wrench includes a handle portion which engages a dome s that releasably receives a neck ring insert. The insert engages the cap and applies a consistent amount of torque thereto by the use of a draft angle or curved portion on an inner surface which tightly engages the curved top edge of the cap. The insert may be sized to accommodate different sized caps.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A torque wrench for applying a screw-on cap to a threaded opening of a container, comprising: a handle for turning the torque wrench;   a dome having at one end a continuous outwardly extending wall, the wall defining a recess located within the dome; and   an annular neck ring insert fixedly received in the recess of the dome, the neck ring insert comprising an inner surface having ribs therein for releasably engaging the screw-on cap whereby torque applied to the handle is transmitted through the dome and annular neck ring insert to the cap to screw the cap onto the threaded opening of the container, the inner surface of the annular neck ring insert having an inwardly extending portion for tightly engaging an upper curved portion of the cap.