Home Distiller

Ok, did the research, found very informative stuff, but all a bit specific to the original posts, so asking.

Background: I have oyster shell. I've used it successfully in several ways (open container, water bottle with holes, free ballin' it), never used a bag or sock. I have a 50# bag, so I don't mind experimenting.

I've also been saving egg shells. I have about 5# saved. I rinse and dry them, and they crush to <1/16" or so. I plan to try them as above.

I'm curious as to your experience, and your recommendations. How much (I mash 5-7 gal at a time)? What's your preferred method? Maybe more importantly, what hasn't worked for you?

https://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/e ... ition.html

https://www.scientificamerican.com/arti ... s-created/

30xs wrote: ↑Fri Mar 19, 2021 12:04 pm https://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/e ... ition.html

https://www.scientificamerican.com/arti ... s-created/

I literally don't know how this helps. Neither of these links addresses what are your experiences, nor do they have to do with shining. Is there a point being made here? Mine was a serious inquiry.

I've never used egg shell, just feed store oyster grit, so I can't give you an opinion based on experience.

They are both primarily calcium carbonate, so I suspect they will perform essentially the same. The egg shell is thinner, so per unit mass will have a greater surface area, which suggests they may react faster then oyster grit. As they are used prophylacticly the speed of the reaction is moot so long as it is fast enough to prevent a pH crash.

I like the convenience of oyster grit and just use it without concern. I bought a 50lb bag which gives me a long term supply.

zed255 wrote: ↑Fri Mar 19, 2021 2:10 pm I've never used egg shell, just feed store oyster grit, so I can't give you an opinion based on experience.

They are both primarily calcium carbonate, so I suspect they will perform essentially the same. The egg shell is thinner, so per unit mass will have a greater surface area, which suggests they may react faster then oyster grit. As they are used prophylacticly the speed of the reaction is moot so long as it is fast enough to prevent a pH crash.

I like the convenience of oyster grit and just use it without concern. I bought a 50lb bag which gives me a long term supply.

That's helpful information! I've used oyster as a preventive myself, I don't really know how long it would take to reverse a crash. Being lighter, my thought is that egg may react faster, but really don't have any basis (which is why I was asking for others experiences).

I've seen threads talk about both of them, but never a clear comparison. I'm sure someone out there has actually done it, and measured the results. I'm hoping they'll see fit to post them.

Hey wpkluck,

If you really need to raise the pH, as in...you’ve already had a pH “nosedive”, then a stronger base to raise it is better and quicker. You can use calcium hydroxide (pickling lime) which is available in the grocery store with your canning (and pickling) supplies. But be careful to add a little at a time (hydrated in water) and gently stir it into the acidic ferment.

Calcium carbonate is not soluable in water so it needs the acid to break the carbonate bond. It works great as a gentle buffer during a crash, but if you’re trying to “raise the dead” back to life, the the hydroxide is a better solution.
ss

I keep calcium hydroxide around too. It is known by a number of names depending on application. I got mine from the local building supply store where it is called hydrated lime or slaked lime, same stuff as pickling lime just not sold for food.

Like SS sez, it is way more potent and can be used to correct a crash quickly. Strong solutions are almost as base as lye, so if you keep this around use appropriate precautions.

To be clear, I’ve never had a pH crash. I thought I did once, but it turned out it was just slow to start. I know certain types of mash/wash may be prone, but I am finding that there’s a lot more hype than there is actual problem there.

I’m just doing research, and asking for other people’s experiences. You guys are great.

wpkluck wrote: ↑Fri Mar 19, 2021 1:38 pm

30xs wrote: ↑Fri Mar 19, 2021 12:04 pm https://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/e ... ition.html

https://www.scientificamerican.com/arti ... s-created/

I literally don't know how this helps. Neither of these links addresses what are your experiences, nor do they have to do with shining. Is there a point being made here? Mine was a serious inquiry.

The point is they are both essentially the same, calcium carbonate. Thirty seconds of google tells me the same material from either source would produce the same results, if used in equal quantities.

i've just updated my results on my little oyster shell experiment (aka pet store chicken grit)
https://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtop ... 01&t=82552

30xs wrote: ↑Fri Mar 19, 2021 6:11 pm The point is they are both essentially the same, calcium carbonate. Thirty seconds of google tells me the same material from either source would produce the same results, if used in equal quantities.

They have different concentrations, do while chemically the same, they are physically different. I doubt they work the same.

Saltbush Bill wrote: ↑Sat Feb 27, 2021 4:18 am This is becoming a real problem ..because we have just a few people who are obsessed with PH control all Newbs are beginning to be trained to think that it is a "must do" for all wash types .......that is far from the truth.
Sugar washes may benefit depending on water type/ recipe ingredients/ Wash temperatures and a heap of other factors, Having said that many of us never worried about PH years ago and still had healthy ferments that made great booze..
Have you ever noticed that in the original Tried and True recipes that there is no mention of PH control by the original Authors of those recipes ......Why would that be ?
Grain based washes like UJSSM and Molasses washes should need no PH adjustment to ferment happily as long as you use the correct amount of dunder or backset.
Unfortunately there are some long term distillers who just don't seem to understand that.

I believe saltbush Bill. pH is way overrated, by those who think they’re scientists instead of hobbyists. Popcorn just threw a horse turd in. Go figure.

To be honest I have both oyster shells and egg shells, and best i can tell anyone is "if" you need something for pH issues, use oyster shells for that and save your egg shells for your coffee maker.

"save your egg shells for your coffee maker."

Huh?

Geoff

Some put a pinch of salt in their hot chocolate and some eggshells in their coffee? Never heard about that, but Google helped out... https://www.cooksillustrated.com/how_to ... re-brewing

Offtopic.
I prefer RO water for coffee and tea, not only because our tap water is not tasty and at the limit of being drinkable. Groundwater pollution all around. Farmer here like to spray their vineyards with lot‘s of fancy stuff to keep their plants healthy.

In my experience:
Do nothing unless you have to.
If you do have to, use the best you've got.
Keep good records of what you do because they are far more valuable than other distiller's opinions.

Research should be to understand the science behind what you are doing, not canvassing the web for opinions as fermentation is more related to science than politics.

Research should tell you enough about the differences in the various forms of CaCO3 for you to be able to come up with a workable plan using whatever you have available, if you need one, which you say you haven't so far.

IMO the biggest difference between egg shells and ouster shell grit is convenience otherwise it’s a wash. Oyster shell grit tied up in a piece of muslin or some similar cloth. Rinse well before and after use. Refill as needed.

How many eggs does it take to save up 5# of egg shells?

Cheers,
Jonny

I believe that the pH problem can be mainly with sugar washes. I used bits of marble as a swab, maybe a little more "lenses" of the shells but they do their job .... maybe other guys use them ..... .

NZChris wrote: ↑Fri Mar 19, 2021 10:29 pm Research should be to understand the science behind what you are doing, not canvassing the web for opinions as fermentation is more related to science than politics.

While there is certainly science, there is plenty of room fir opinion. And opinion varies widely, which is helpful.

Demy wrote: ↑Sat Mar 20, 2021 8:51 am I believe that the pH problem can be mainly with sugar washes. I used bits of marble as a swab, maybe a little more "lenses" of the shells but they do their job .... maybe other guys use them ..... .

Or is opinion only for a limited few?

Opinion is great for pointing you in a direction to research, but I wouldn't call reading a variety of varying opinions to try find a majority, or a 'consensus', research. That's why my cloud is loaded with backed copies of research documents and books that I found due to surfing forums, archives and the net.

NZChris wrote: ↑Sat Mar 20, 2021 3:25 pm Opinion is great for pointing you in a direction to research, but I wouldn't call reading a variety of varying opinions to try find a majority, or a 'consensus', research. That's why my cloud is loaded with backed copies of research documents and books that I found due to surfing forums, archives and the net.

That’s why I stated I was looking for opinion. Opinion can also provide clarification. I would never just go with the majority/consensus. I’m currently running my own experiments, and now I see others are also doing so.

jonnys_spirit wrote: ↑Sat Mar 20, 2021 7:37 am How many eggs does it take to save up 5# of egg shells?

I don’t know, Jonny, but I think Chris has the research on that. I eat a lot of eggs, and they add up fast!

My egg shells go into the compost to keep it sweet. My research told me that were betters ways of dealing with problematic washes than using egg shells. If I was having pH stalls doing washes in the Jailhouse kitchen, I'd use eggs shells, but I'm not, so I have better choices.

NZChris wrote: ↑Sat Mar 20, 2021 4:18 pm My egg shells go into the compost to keep it sweet. My research told me that were betters ways of dealing with problematic washes than using egg shells. If I was having pH stalls doing washes in the Jailhouse kitchen, I'd use eggs shells, but I'm not, so I have better choices.

I appreciate your opinion.

I had a stuck fermentation, a sugar wash made with Birdwatcher's recipe.
I had to raise the pH which went very low, 3,21 pH, that's very very low.
I read that sodium bicarbonate is not adviceable in a sugar wash because it can make a compound with the yeast nutrients, ammonia, which will in turn react with the copper in the still and make some toxic compound that you don't want in your product.

The substances to be used are either pickling lime, which I don't have and find very difficult to find in Italy, or calcium carbonate.
I had neither.

But I did have eggs in my fridge.
I first made a 1-egg treatment to my 28 litres wash. I washed the shell, I peeled away the pellicle, made it into little fragments, and threw it in the fermenter. After one or two days, nothing happened.
So I did the same with three more eggs, and in a few hours the fermentation started again. I don't know whether it's the first eggshell which took some day to act (very possible) or the three additional eggshells (possible but not likely because the effect was very fast).

Lesson to bring home:
a) Birdwatcher's can get stuck very seriously, some buffer should be added at the beginning;
b) Eggshells work also after the fact, from a low pH, although you need to wait and be patient.

I bought 1 kg calcium carbonate with the recent homebrewing purchase and now I have calcium carbonate for the next two or three incarnations.

sorry a little late to the discussion. I exclusively use eggshells, for a 5 gal wash about 1/4 cup seems to do the trick. They will dissolve as needed in a sugar wash they are almost completely used up for grain washes about half.

This subject jumps into one of the many hobbies I have…. My wife says I have an illness with so many.

I have been reef keeping for decades, I have auto dosers that add specific amounts of calcium chloride and soda ash through the day. Combining both is essentially calcium carbonate.

It might be worth a look at the bulk reef supply website. All their chemicals branded BRS are pharmaceutical grade and very inexpensive, they also have the best water filtration systems I have used. My current system can produce 250 gallons of RODI water a day with zero TDS.

Can we use the shells of boiled eggs?

habaz wrote: ↑Fri Apr 01, 2022 11:04 am Can we use the shells of boiled eggs?

Is there a difference between a boiled egg shell and any other egg shell ?
I suspect that the main difference is that one is cleaner than the other.

Saltbush Bill wrote:

habaz wrote: ↑Fri Apr 01, 2022 11:04 am Can we use the shells of boiled eggs?

Is there a difference between a boiled egg shell and any other egg shell ?
I suspect that the main difference is that one is cleaner than the other.

I am not sure whether the calcium carbonate dissolves in water while boiling the egg. If it's so maybe nothing left for mash. So i wanted to be sure

if it dissolved, you wouldn't have a shell to put in your wash.