Fermenting.

[sdambr]

Worth, those look great, but are you going to ferment in them, or just store in them.

And thanks, one I saw your picks up I figured I could easily do that. I am lame with power tools. The hole on top with a hammer and nail, grommet, cut hose to a diagonal so I could thread it through, then trimmed on the under side.

Putting the hole in the plastic top will require a drill (which is now charging), but I don't really need that top.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by sdambr

Worth, those look great, but are you going to ferment in them, or just store in them.

And thanks, one I saw your picks up I figured I could easily do that. I am lame with power tools. The hole on top with a hammer and nail, grommet, cut hose to a diagnol so I could thread it through, then trimmed on the under side.

Putting the hole in the plastic top will require a drill (which is now charging), but I don't really need that top.

I'm going to ferment in them but I will have to turn a wooden plug at a really slight angle so it will fit snugly inside the jars and the bail latch over the top.
I will also take the wires off and soak them in citric acid to remove the rust.

Old school.

Worth

[Rairdog]

I started off drilling the metal Ball lids. They rusted and turned very nasty. I used the rubber grommets and they left black rubber residue as if they melted to the underside (white coating)of the lid. I only use the plastic lids now. I have multiple grommets, airlocks and tubing which are all interchangeable with my quart, 1 gallon and 5 gal plastic lids.

[Worth1]

Here you go I'm back and not from the store.
One homemade white oak tapered stopper and a shiny clean once rusty bail.

The white oak has been sealed with tung oil so it won't swell.
Worth
IMG_20151214_10615.jpg

IMG_20151214_58937.jpg

[sdambr]

Nice, your place is going to start looking like a chemistry lab. The bottles, the bright lights, all very innocent stuff, but try explaining the carrots burping to the DEA.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by sdambr

Nice, your place is going to start looking like a chemistry lab. The bottles, the bright lights, all very innocent stuff, but try explaining the carrots burping to the DEA.

If someone that knows me comes over they will just think is is another one of my wild things I have going on.
Most of them just say, "what the blank have you got going on now".
I spun the wood stopper out with the drill press and a huge right angle sander.
Stuck a bolt through the middle of a square piece of wood chucked it up turned the drill press on high speed and started sanding.

I can also do it by putting a wood chisel in a vice and running the drill press up and down with the wood spinning.
The second way is more accurate by far.

If my ball lid rusts I have a remedy for that too.

Worth

[Worth1]

Double post.

[Rairdog]

There is a reason why wood barrels are chosen for whiskey and rum. They can add certain flavors. Those same barrels can be later used to flavor and age beer.

Just talking out loud here. Wood is considered a natural defense to bacteria when allowed to dry OUT. That's why it has been successful for 10's of thousands of years as a staple cutting board. It has also been used to cure and hold wine, whiskey and rum. As I said, those flavors can be passed onto the beer. Now they have sour beers which rely on lactobacillius absorbed in those same wooden containers. Each wooden container can hold a different lacto that puts a different flavor in sour beer.

IMO wood in a cutting board can dry out and sterilize itself. Wood under constant moisture will hold different bacteria and lacto's that can change the outcome of your ferment.

Like I said, I'm just thinking out loud and wonder how wood in contact with lacto will react. Say you take a wet homemade wood top and transfer it from one ferment to another.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by Rairdog

There is a reason why wood barrels are chosen for whiskey and rum. They can add certain flavors. Those same barrels can be later used to flavor and age beer.

Just talking out loud here. Wood is considered a natural defense to bacteria when allowed to dry OUT. That's why it has been successful for 10's of thousands of years as a staple cutting board. It has also been used to cure and hold wine, whiskey and rum. As I said, those flavors can be passed onto the beer. Now they have sour beers which rely on lactobacillius absorbed in those same wooden containers. Each wooden container can hold a different lacto that puts a different flavor in sour beer.

IMO wood in a cutting board can dry out and sterilize itself. Wood under constant moisture will hold different bacteria and lacto's that can change the outcome of your ferment.

Like I said, I'm just thinking out loud and wonder how wood in contact with lacto will react. Say you take a wet homemade wood top and transfer it from one ferment to another.

The wood is sealed and that is why they make plastic wrap.

Worth

[Worth1]

Here are some wood sauerkraut boards people put rocks on top of them.
Worth.
http://non-electric.lehmans.com/sear...core&view=list

[Worth1]

USGS KROKATOA REPORT.

Krokatoa slowed down bubbling the night before last because temps got to low in the house as the temperature got back to 70 degrees it started to bubble again when I went to bed.
I turned the thermostat back down to 65 last night and the moat was full of water.
This morning I saw the moat was almost dry so I added more brine water to it.
Then a few hours later I looked and the moat was about to over flow so I sponged up some of the water.
The team will keep a close eye on Krokatoa and will update any changes.

Worth

[sdambr]

Thanks for the updates. Krokotoa has been an educational experience for me.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by sdambr

Thanks for the updates. Krokotoa has been an educational experience for me.

Thanks.
The other day out of stupid curiosity and against my better judgement I opens it up to see.
At that time I had no idea you wasn't supposed to do this.
To my shock the stones were pushed up out of the brine and almost to the top and very foamy.
I put the lid back on and hoped for the best and it started burping again and has ever since so I know it has pushed the oxygen back out.

This is a good indicator that you are not supposed to ever fill the thing.
You really need to leave at least four inches of space from the top and dont add a bunch of water.
The bottom of the little handles is as far as you want to go.
I hope I dont open it in a few weeks and see a monster.
There is so much conflicting information about these things on line.

Worth

[Worth1]

I couldn't help myself I tasted the carrots.
They tasted like salty sour carrots.It threw me off for a minute but then started to taste good and slightly addictive.
The peppers have just now pushed the water out of the tube and is starting to bubble.
The big half gallon jar has rice water sugar and yeast in it to make an experimental slug bait.
It is really going to town.
I did this last year because I didn't want to pour good beer out to attract slugs and it worked.
Worth

[whistech]

Worth, you are going to have saki before long.