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Hadn't thought about it but I guess I'm lucky it didn't ignite.

Ever seen a scortched puss Fritz? Not a pretty site!
Ga

Seen a shaved one or two... but never a scortched one....

No fires at this point... please don't become the exception to the rule...

so,... about this shaved puss?

here ya go couple of photo's

Besides being funny, that puss is creepy in a beyond the Science Fiction channel kind of way.

I wouldn't drink with those bastards again either.

If we remember back to when this thread first began it was recommended that we heated in 1 min. increments until we reached 160 deg. I have continued to do this throughout the entire time of Nuking without issue. If you are watching the microwave you can see the bubbles if the liquid begins to boil and shut it down before the super heating begins.

As has been stated any aspect of this hobby can become unsafe if we become complacent. We have to remember that more isn't better in this hobby and trying to save time can sometimes become reckless and unsafe.

Be safe and enjoy the nuked spirits, don't become one.

Before I started nuking it I used an old microwave I had in storage and microwaved a 55 proof rye in a mason jar for 15 minutes non-stop, just to see what kind of danger we were looking at. I did it 3 times in a row until the microwave overheated and shut down for about 10 minutes. The first round the booze was superheated, it started boiling away as soon as I stuck the thermometer in. You have to be careful when that happens that it doesn't boil over, but the likelihood of it making any sort of "boom" is ridiculous. There's no pressure, so it's not going to explode. You might boil over, but that's only if it's near the top. Once you've pulled it out of the microwave there's no risk of it igniting unless you are setting it next to a candle. Autoignition temp is well over 300 degrees. The flash point may be closer to 60, but that danger is inside your microwave - where you're not going to get a reaction from the super heated liquid anyway. You do, of course, have to be careful of the steam - but you'd have to do that no matter which liquid you were superheating.

I was nervous about the whole process too, which is why I stress tested it in an open mason jar multiple times. I lost about 1/8 of my liquid due to evaporation and had one rapid boil once I broke the surface tension of the liquor, but that's it. At one point it must have boiled over a little too because I had alcohol all over the microwave tray. After that test I felt confident enough to try it with my regular microwave. I've been putting 5 mason jars in at a time, covered with a plastic microwave cover, and microwaving for 13 minutes (that's what it takes to get them all up to 140 - 150 degrees). My latest batch was 10 gallons run through 3 times, pretty much non-stop throughout an entire saturday. Turned out great!

mealstrom wrote:Before I started nuking it I used an old microwave I had in storage and microwaved a 55 proof rye in a mason jar for 15 minutes non-stop, just to see what kind of danger we were looking at. I did it 3 times in a row until the microwave overheated and shut down for about 10 minutes. The first round the booze was superheated, it started boiling away as soon as I stuck the thermometer in. You have to be careful when that happens that it doesn't boil over, but the likelihood of it making any sort of "boom" is ridiculous. There's no pressure, so it's not going to explode. You might boil over, but that's only if it's near the top. Once you've pulled it out of the microwave there's no risk of it igniting unless you are setting it next to a candle. Autoignition temp is well over 300 degrees. The flash point may be closer to 60, but that danger is inside your microwave - where you're not going to get a reaction from the super heated liquid anyway. You do, of course, have to be careful of the steam - but you'd have to do that no matter which liquid you were superheating.

I was nervous about the whole process too, which is why I stress tested it in an open mason jar multiple times. I lost about 1/8 of my liquid due to evaporation and had one rapid boil once I broke the surface tension of the liquor, but that's it. At one point it must have boiled over a little too because I had alcohol all over the microwave tray. After that test I felt confident enough to try it with my regular microwave. I've been putting 5 mason jars in at a time, covered with a plastic microwave cover, and microwaving for 13 minutes (that's what it takes to get them all up to 140 - 150 degrees). My latest batch was 10 gallons run through 3 times, pretty much non-stop throughout an entire saturday. Turned out great!

You're wrong bub. It did explode and it boomed loud enough to scare the shit out of the dogs in the next room. Try this, fill a pint mason jar with 185 proof straight from the still. Put it in a 1200 watt microwave for 2 minutes then shake it a little and tell me how ridiculous it is.

Ok After reading 90% of this thread I had to try this.

50% 3rd gen Sweet Feed on new deeply charred oak

Wifey declared it Very Very drinkable even if it was
only 10 days old.

But here is my question and I have not seen it addressed
here so far.

I generally work in gallons so nuking in quarts is a bit of a
pain. Dies anyone know of a reason NOT to turn my shop microwave
over 90 degrees so it will take a gallon jar?
I understand having the controls and the magnetron on top
but I can find an answer as too will a microwave work turned on
its end?
Thoughts? Jump in to the pool guys and girls

Coyote

give her a whirl with a quart jar first to compare.... hell if i know for sure... its mostly electronics and a fan or two...unless yours has a turntable in it

FS

That's my thought also but I would hate to run my
old shop friend Hell we've been together for 20 years
or more - Old girl works better than our kids do

Coyote

Fritz The Cat wrote:You're wrong bub. It did explode and it boomed loud enough to scare the shit out of the dogs in the next room. Try this, fill a pint mason jar with 185 proof straight from the still. Put it in a 1200 watt microwave for 2 minutes then shake it a little and tell me how ridiculous it is.

Well, stranger things have happened. But if it boomed you would have had to put the lid on then shake it. I'm not sure why you'd do that? But even so, that's pressure from sealing the container. Flash points require an ignition source, and you're not going to get that with the lid on. You MAY get it inside the microwave, but as the thousands of runs in this thread without a single explosion prove, it's not very likely. You're DEFINITELY not going to get autoignition, so unless you have an open flame next to your microwave you just aren't going to get a vapor explosion.

The safety attitude on this sight is really good, and should be commended. But that doesn't mean we should assume good practices are bad just because it worries some folks.

Coyote wrote: Does anyone know of a reason NOT to turn my shop microwave
over 90 degrees so it will take a gallon jar?
Coyote

Posts like this ? wow.

I was searching CL for a larger microwave as the half gallon mason jars I bought are about 10" tall and don't fit. It is not easy to find tall microwaves.
Mine has a turntable but I can remove it so I am definitely going to try this soon. I don't have an emotional attachment to this particular machine so if it dies I won't mourn it's passing.
Just to be safe I'll try it with plain water first.

Thanks for thinking outside of the box...err microwave, Coyote!

I ain't too sure about turning the box on it's side . Larger volume takes more time to heat and has larger potential danger if there is a container failure . I'll accept being called a coward for confining myself to quarts . I have also noticed a difference between pieces of wood from the same lots vs heating levels and differing lid seals when sealing for vacuum . My microwave has a turntable . I have to remove it to fit in single quarts . I don't think jars heat as evenly as they would if they would fit on the turn table .

Coyote wrote: Dies anyone know of a reason NOT to turn my shop microwave
over 90 degrees so it will take a gallon jar?
I understand having the controls and the magnetron on top
but I can find an answer as too will a microwave work turned on
its end?Coyote

Make sure that all of the vents have a free flow of air around the outside if you are going to tip it arse over tit.

Interesting idea though; i'll watch with interest

post pictures please. Gotta be good for a chuckle. Them magnetrons dont give a shite what orientation they run in, as long as the vents are not blocked as stated by others below.

i think the heat opens up the grain in the wood and lets the the flavor out.i like the idea but i don't think i will use the microwave to do so.i used a crock pot with the jars sealed tight.i get good results but mine comes out a little cloudy.

any experiments been done to determine whether it is the heat and vacuum combination or just the vacuum that is doing the work?

the hot liquid and subsequent cooling creates the vacuum but do you need the heat for anything other than creating the vacuum or does the heat help in creating the desired result?

if you marinate meat under a vacuum, the marinade is pulled into the meat and the time it takes to get the desired result is minutes instead of overnight

Has anyone tried placing spirit and chips/dominoes in a vacuum container to see how the result is without the microwave/heat?

Cleveland Whiskey is using both i think its worth watching their video's


http://www.forbes.com/sites/alexknapp/2 ... -one-week/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtdg2u1YSkQ" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Nice video thanks for the link FS.

I love it. Thanks for the links.

I'm only interested in the effects of microwave on reactions in white spirit. I personally believe aging in oak requires time no matter what. I have mentioned this before - Alcohol is like a sponge - it can absorb and hold compounds that water tends to push away. Many of these are trace volatile compounds that float in the air from thousands of reactions that occur in nature. American oak barrels are used in Scotch. American oak is known partly for being less dense than French oak. In Coastal scotland, you can bet the beaches smell strongly of the ocean, and you can definitely bet that as alcohol escapes from oak casks, trace compounds are naturally brang in over time. Over a period of 15 or 20 years, that can add an extremely significant contribution to the profile of a spirit.

As I also said previously when mentioning this topic, I have a large collection of miniature spirit bottles in an antique cabinet in my living room. Also in the cabinet are some older tins and other vintage items, which were all medical. Every single bottle I opened that had experienced some evaporation definitely had a woody, talcum-powder like aroma... Fascinating.

I am working on a recipe list of Nuked Products ... any and all are welcome

IF you have something special you've made by nuking it please post it, even if it has been posted before....

or if you have a specific method that's working well for you.... like a recipe using x number of grams of chips/toasted oak per liter and the process is working well please share it again with the forum.

When i get em all collected in one pile i will post all the different recipes...

Happy Stillin,

FS

Even oak barreling has it's "tweaks" too - for example, I have some very nice rum I am aging in an oak barrel - however, unlike the commercial distillers, I do not have the ability to quickly fill a 220L oak barrel - but I can fill a 10L one - so I bought one. The info I have been given that, due to increased surface area in a smaller barrel, the aging process is roughly 1 month in a 10L = 1 year in a 220L barrel. Now, I dunno if it is true, but a month into the aging process, I am getting some very good colour and flavors.

Point is - every process has it's tweak - microwaving with chips *may* simulate the aging process over a shorter period of time, in the exact way a smaller barrel simulates a longer soak.

@FS - my main successes have been in the fruit nukins department. I have used the process to heat and reheat the likker with fruit stage of the SPD. The usual one week initial soak is now down to 2 days, and the sugar afterstep(s) take half a day. Specifically, my Blue Diamond (Blueberry) mix is my most produced variant

And after 30ish out of 30ish women have tried it, I have only heard one thing from all of them - "Can I have more?"

FullySilenced wrote:Cleveland Whiskey is using both i think its worth watching their video's


http://www.forbes.com/sites/alexknapp/2 ... -one-week/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtdg2u1YSkQ" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

I wonder if you put your white dog in a fixed container with the wood and ran it through a chamber vac a bunch of times? Would have to work around the low boiling point of alcohol as things boil in the chamber vac due to the reduced pressure.

The vacuum may not be great.... i think more pressure to get it in and then vacuum it out..... probably a closed system to prevent loss... not a vacuum pump Keep thinking it though...


FS

Maxximus Flavius was the original poster of this thread - http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... =2&t=42414 . From the principle he uses, I got the idea of using a "wine keeper" to create a vacuum in a bottle to accomplish something similar to the nuke technique. The idea being, to fill a wine or liquor bottle 3/4 full of white high proof, cut up some JD chips small enough to fit into the bottle and then use the wine keeper and a wine keeper stopper to create a vacuum in the bottle and repeat the process a number of times as in the nuke process. Could also use a mason jar similar to what Maxx does with his filter, except with only one hole in the lid.

Anyway, this could be a simple and easy way to test the theory that it only requires pressure to accomplish the aging process - that is, takes the heat element out of the equation.

Just sayin',
S-C

About 650 ml of 65% rum made with Pintoshine's Rapid Fermenting Molasses wash made with fancy molasses.
To which I have added 75 grams of JD chips, 1 allspice berry and 1/4 of a rather sad dried out vanilla pod that I rescued from a bottle of vanilla sugar.
After 3 cycles in the microwave.
Strained off the chips.
Now diluted down to about 45% - very tasty stuff.