rosemarybeetle

Hi, thanks - you should always use cleaned equipment, bottles, airlocks etc. If washed well in soapy water and rinsed thoroughly then you can risk not sterilising them as well but it's always best to sterilise everything. I use sodium metabisulphite in water for this. It's very cheap.If you only wash and rinse things, then you won't get any sulphur dioxide in it, which is commonly added in lots of wine for preserving it, but harmless. the trade off is that there is more of a risk that any airborne microbes that get into your cider will spoil it if you don't use it. It's a choice. BUT everything must be at least clean : )

The cider will be "live" when you bottle it. That is, there will be traces of living yeast in it. By adding a small amount of sugar, once bottled, the yeast will slowly ferment that last bit of sugar and this will give off carbob dioxide which dissolves in the cider. This is how you give the cider its fizz. You will notice a tiny amount of sediment forms in the cider. This is the dead yeast once it has fermented all the available sugarThis is called bottle conditioning and is how champagne fizz is created. In that case, there is an additional process for getting rid of the yeast sediment, but that is not straightforward. It involves special corks, turning the bottles upside down and freezing the bottle neck etc. That is beyond a beginner's guide : )But anyway, that's what the ...

The cider will be "live" when you bottle it. That is, there will be traces of living yeast in it. By adding a small amount of sugar, once bottled, the yeast will slowly ferment that last bit of sugar and this will give off carbob dioxide which dissolves in the cider. This is how you give the cider its fizz. You will notice a tiny amount of sediment forms in the cider. This is the dead yeast once it has fermented all the available sugarThis is called bottle conditioning and is how champagne fizz is created. In that case, there is an additional process for getting rid of the yeast sediment, but that is not straightforward. It involves special corks, turning the bottles upside down and freezing the bottle neck etc. That is beyond a beginner's guide : )But anyway, that's what the sugar is for. Adding it is called "priming" the bottles .If you don't want it fizzy (i.e. you like still cider), then don't add any sugar. I hope that makes sense

apologies, I never answered this. That looks great by the way. If the juice is still as sweet as when you started, then it probably hasn't fermented and may actually just still be juice! Try drinking some on a Friday : )

Hi, there's a whole load of argument about what the difference is between beer and ale, but basically they are more or less the same thing. There can be bottom fermenting yeasts and yop-fermenting yeasts; with hops and historically without hops (hop-free beer is pretty much non-existent now), but it is best to not care too much about that. I learned how to make beer originally by using a kit, then by reading various books etc. Older books used to have a lot more of the chemistry than newer books do, but it is not that important. I wouldn't start by getting into malting barley grains etc. That needs quite precise temperature control etc. Just buy a standard kit that uses malt extract and try adjust it by adding different barleys and/or hops.I used to have a copy of this bookhttps://www.a...

Hi, there's a whole load of argument about what the difference is between beer and ale, but basically they are more or less the same thing. There can be bottom fermenting yeasts and yop-fermenting yeasts; with hops and historically without hops (hop-free beer is pretty much non-existent now), but it is best to not care too much about that. I learned how to make beer originally by using a kit, then by reading various books etc. Older books used to have a lot more of the chemistry than newer books do, but it is not that important. I wouldn't start by getting into malting barley grains etc. That needs quite precise temperature control etc. Just buy a standard kit that uses malt extract and try adjust it by adding different barleys and/or hops.I used to have a copy of this bookhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Brewing-Beers-Those-Amate...It is quite technical in places, but it does go into what makes beers taste like they do.Pretty much though, I'd just suggest going to a shop that sells beer-making kit and seeing what books they have etcHappy brewing!

Hi, ha ha - yes. I am definitely not a purist. A juicer is likely to be more efficient. Also doing it by hand is a pretty hard workout. It is really tiring! Using a juicer MAY release a bit more pectin, but if you are adding pectin-destroying enzyme that's not an issue. (Essentially, if you don't use pectin-destroying enzyme, you just get cloudy cider. That is even more "traditional". In the UK, rough farm-made cloudy cider made with just juice is known as Scrumpy.)

Thanks - I had fun doing this one. It's not a bad run down. With all power carving stuff, be careful and wear the protective stuff, especially eye protection!

I'm not sure if I'd replied, but first, thanks it was a bit of personal favourite of things I've baked. With the eggs, they are quite well contained so their moisture doesn't escape easily. I've never had a problem doing this. It's quite a traditional pie and has been done loads by others before me, so I wouldn't worry about it. Getting the pastry cooked is usually trickier. You sometimes need to remove the mould and turn it upside down to crisp the base, for example

Go for it. It can vary depending on apples, conditions, etc, but as long as you do the initial sterilisation of the juice, it should work fine. If you make it, post some pics later of what it looked like. It's always great to see people riff on an idea :)

I try to only just hard boil them, to be on the safe side. Having said that, I've made this quite a few times and never had a problem. The meat kind of insulates them for most of the bake.That pie was quite hard to bake. I would recommend using a rectangular tin. You can use a bread loaf tin, but they are tapered. A straight-sided cake tin with removable base is better, because you can turn it upside down and bake the base a bit to avoid it getting too soggy

Always covered. The vinegar forming bacteria acetobacter is in the air everywhere and the tiny fruit flies that appear are covered in it too. If you let that in, your alcohol will be turned int vinegar!

It is best in an airlock, to avoid allowing bad micro-organisms getting into to it. In particular, acetobacter which is a bacteria that will turn all the alcohol into vinegar - bad!You can leave in a fermenting bucket, if you have either a closed lid with a fermentation lock or a lid that is on sufficient to stop air getting in, but not actually completely sealed. Because the carbon diaxide produced will create pressure inside the bucket, you can't close the seal, but if the lid is on, then no air will get in because the same carbon dioxide will be seeping out all the time. This gets less reliable though as the fermentation slows down

Those look excellent - so glad you made them. Hope you liked them

Hey, I was really happy reading this. I'm glad you tried it and really glad you liked it so much. Pork pies are a guilty pleasure. I love them, even if they are a tad naughty. If you make them again, do take a pic first. I'd love to see that. You should also consider gala pie, which is a picnic pork pie with eggs in the middle.This epic bake was the largest I've attempted:https://makingweirdstuff.blogspot.com/2017/08/whal...Thanks again. It made me laugh reading your comment. Get some English mustard from your son if you don't get it in the US. It's hot and goes great. American mustard is pretty good too, though, to be fair :)

Thanks for voting too. Appreciated.

Hey thanks. I made it for our new house we just moved into. We've already had some good meals at it, and it's especially good knowing you built it. It'll get scratched and dented and will swell or contract a bit over time, but I like that. I do love it but it is not an ornament. It's there to be used and lived in. In 20 years time, it'll be beautiful and linked to lots of good times, hopefully : )

It's mainly about just keeping an eye out for opportunities. Old furniture is thrown out all the time and can contain all sorts of good old woods that are not available now. The trick is to ignore the thing it is now and see what it is made from and the potential of that.I got lucky with the beech logs, but if you live near managed woods, logs can be found sometimes. The most luck I had was finding three large mantlepieces in a skip. These were thrown out by a company who do refurbishments.

Thanks - I wouldn't claim to be the expert on any of this, but I always like it when people just spell out exactly what they did (even the bodges), so I try to do the same!Often you find that something that someone has stumbled upon can help you do something that looks super hard in books.

It's certainly a risk, but to be honest, I predict it will be shrinkage not expansion that causes problems. The spalted beech is the least stable wood in here. The oak and red hardwood are very old and stable. I think that because the table was built outdoors in my not amazingly dry shed, once indoors, the centre panel will contract. It is contained in tongue and groove so some shrinkage will be fine. we'll see in ten years :)But anyway, I am not especially worried about a fair amount of distortion and shifts . I like a bit of character. The last table I made had a table top that was butt-jointed planks. It shifted and curled a little and a few gaps opened up, but given that my kids were young and drew all over it and gouged it with pens and what-not, it actually made it more appealing.

On the use of oils. I have only really used linseed oil on things like tool handles, which it is very good for, especially anything used outdoors like sledgehammers, pick axes etc. It dries slowly as well as making the wood water resistant, it also gives it a slight tack so the grip is better than a really smooth surface like varnish. French polish is good, although it can be affected by heat and it is a little brittle, so you can chip and scratch it. To be honest though, I like furnished to look lived in. If it gets dented or chipped, then it adds character over time when you polish it with wax or whatever.

Cheers for the kind words. I enjoyed doing this one. Lots of problems to solve : )

Thanks - yes, even when it works, something could always have been done better, so I reckon if people can just see how it all was done, they can nick the good bits and ignore the ropier stuff!

Thanks. I just got these logs when a tree had been felled. It's likely that it was felled because it was already found to rotting. Maybe keep a look out for tree surgeons and you might get lucky

Cheers, you are very kind. If you like the artier stuff, check out the Gargoyle Chair. It is quite amusingly creepyhttps://www.instructables.com/id/Freaky-Gargoyle-C...

Gadzooks - thou art right! I do feel shamed, but also quite impressed with thine gratuitous attention to detail. It's like that time when I mis-sp2.7182818284590452363602874713527lled Euler's number - I'll never live that down

Ha ha - yes. The expression is quite Dobby-like, although the ears are a tad too small. Dobby's are hugeAlso bizarrely, at a glance I first read this as "Debbie Harry", instead of "Dobby from Harry..."Definitely doesn't look like her

well spotted. I have missed a picture off. I'll add it in later.The answer is satisfyingly that that the tool is dual purpose! Using it on the baseYou can screw the mandrel into the based and lock it on with the washers and nut using a hex shaped "socket" on one end of the toolUsing it in the hand (pic to be added)The same tool is also threaded at the other end, so you can screw it directly on the mandrel and use it as A HAND TOOLI was rather proud of this bit of the design - quite an elegant fix I thought

Cheers, yes. This was a tricky one, because using reclaimed steel, I have no idea what type it is. I think it is not plain mild steel, but apart from that, gawd knows! I probably should try heat treating it, although I believe it will only get used on silver, so I suspect it doesn't matter too much. I did start off forging it, but wanted to explore the turning thing.Thanks, though. Food for thought!

When I make chisels, I mostly use old files which can be heat treated easily. Heat to red heat and quench, then temper to a light straw colour in the oven. I can't actually remember the temp, but I think it is 140C

Cheers. I am pretty pleased with it. It all feels lovely to the touch too, which was important. I wanted it to be sensual and so some of the finishing was judged by eye (colour, darkness, etc.) and and some was judged by touch (smoothness of the polish after each coat, the feel of the curve of the mandrel and the corners of the box etc)

Blimey, that is impressive. I've got plum wine up to about 16% before now, but some year's ago. Plums seem to be very good for yeast - acidic, whihc it needs and I think they must have lots of nutrients. Certainly, they naturally attract yeast blooms in the wild, so I suspect they do.The thing I find the hardest with cider and with some fruit wines is getting the acidity right. If you have really ripe apples, it's normally OK, as they tend to mellow out, but sometimes you can't tell when because the sweetness masks the acidity. It's only when you have fermented off all the sugar that you can taste it. I have never quite got into to accurate PH testing, but that is probably the way to go if you want to get it perfect

You can use heat to sterilise juice, but you might not want toBoiling does sterilise, but it affects flavourCooked apple juice is not as aromatic as uncooked juice. It may not matter too much to you, but the taste and aroma will be much more apple-y and subtle if you don't boil it.The other thing to be aware of, is that boiling apple juice will release pectin (like when you boil fruit to make jam). This will mean it won't clear. You can get round this by adding pectin-destroying enzyme before fermentation. Hope that helps!

If you just want to see as many pics as possible, it's worth checking out this Flickr album too. LOADS of shot here...https://www.flickr.com/photos/rosemarybeetle/album...

here is the post about designing and building the eyeballs!http://makingweirdstuff.blogspot.co.uk/2017/03/making-basic-eyeball-mount-and.html

thanks. I am enjoying making this one a lot

that uses some simple servo circuits cribbed off arduino.org and a bit of Processing code to harvest tweets and Google Docs RSS data to command it over the web. It also has a Skype powered eyeball so can see and hear!

Thanks - I have wondered about a name. what sprang to mind first was D'Edward Cranium (seeing as he is a head made from logs)

thanks - if you like creepy, check this one out too...https://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-a-remote-control-sentient-web-puppet-b/

Thanks. Lots of fun making this one

cheers - go for it. It took a while to make, but it was worth it.

Thanks very much. It is also pretty cool to sit in - I use it when I am drawing :)

Cheers - much appreciated!

Blimey, thanks! It was a mammoth build, but I had a load of fun making this.cheers.

Thanks. It took me about a month just to write it up!

Cheers. really kind words. I love this chair so much. Shame you can't touch it too, because it feels fantastic too

Cheers mate. I am pretty pleased with it. I wanted to feel like that when I sat in it and every time I relax in it, I do get a great urge to laugh. Can't be bad.If you have never tried carving with a router, then well checking that out!

Great look to this.Good to hear you used a draw knife too - one of my favourite tools ever!

Cheers - I am so pleased with this one. I spent ages on the chair so I really went for on the notes - It took me almost a month to just write the steps up! Thanks for the kind words. Appreciated :)

Thanks - yes reusable exploding heads. Always a winner!

great, I really enjoyed doing this. It is VERY satisfying making tools like this

Thanks. It was pretty unforgettable Xmas dinner entertainment. We laughed a lot. We decided wisely to let them off outside and this proved prudent - the highest one was shot up about about 10-12 feet in the air.

I love that you pushed it in various directions. Good stuff. Always happy to see pics of stuff made, so feel free to post some more in comments...

wow, that looks like it worked nice!

Sounds good, but possibly messy!For most pies, hot is best.This type of pork pie is a picnic pie and intended to be eaten cold. The jelly needs to cool to set

Thanks. Yes it was pretty simple. In the meantime, I realised that if you just want a decent hard steel blade and can't be bothered forging, you can use the steel from a disposable hand saw. Here's a cake slice I made: http://makingweirdstuff.blogspot.co.uk/2016/04/time-boxed-cake-slice.html

Hi, Thanks - hope it works for you.If you make some, post a pic in a comment. Always good to see.On metabisulphite, I normally only feel you need about 1/4 -1/2 teaspoon for 5 gallons. You don't need loadsYou can use Camden tablet which are 1 per gallon. Like a measured dose

Thanks - the first cider I made was actually juice that seeped out of apples I left in a bin and forgot. It fermented by itself. Was surprisingly just about drinkable. Next year just go for it. I'm sure you'll get something good out of it

The key thing to note now is how fast it is changing. If the SG doesn't change in a few days, it is so close to finished you should be OK to prime and bottleWhat I sometimes do in this case is to rack (siphon) the cider off the lees (the yeast sludge at the bottom). The remaining cider will still have enough yeast in to continue if it needs to, but it will be clearer when you bottle it.

Excellent - it will be about a week before it has got near to finishing, but it will slow down. Even if you haven't taken an original gravity reading, it is best to know the gravity is 1000 or below when you think about bottling. It's worth getting a hydrometer. They are cheap and can save the uncertainty.

yes, I agree with WillY7. the main thing is knowing it's finished fermenting so that adding priming sugar is the only way it will get more fermentation going. If you bottle it before it has stopped you can't be sure how much pressure will form in the bottle. Pretty much, let it stop, then filter off and leave settle to allow to clear a bit, then add some priming sugar

You can choose to neutralise some of the acidity if you know the juice is really acidic. Adding some chalk (calcium carbonate) will do this, but it is best to do before fermentation

Hi there,in one sense the metal is probably not a health concern unless they were dirty with something - if so you could wash them. The main concern would be in getting iron in contact with the acidic juice that might make it taste metallic. Iron is not that reactive, but apple juice is quite acidic, so there will be some risk.You could do something like putting plastic bags or clingfilm round the poles. or other metal surfaces. That would greatly reduce the contact while you do the pressing. Even if it didn't completely eliminate it, it would be much less risky

The sodium metabisulphate that releases sulphur dioxide is not something to ear, but is not anywhere near seriously poisonous for the sort of contact you make in cider making. The gas itself is irritant to your lungs (never try sniffing the powder - you'll get a nasty shock!)I don't worry to much. I use about a third of a teaspoon in 5 gallons. Don't use loads and loads or it will taste vileYou can get something called camden tablets that are mainly sodium metabislphate. the advantage is they are easy to use s you use one per gallon.

Hi, sorry for taking ages to reply. It is best to ferment in large amounts (like 10+ litres, preferably 25 litres) as the temperature is much more stable, BUT it works fine in smaller containers as long as you keep it somewhere consistently warm.If you have 5 litres, you could use a demi-john (about a gallon,/ 5 litres)If you use a container that is much bigger than the liquid in it, there is a risk of more air getting in. You might get some oxidisation where the liquid goes a deeper amber or reddy-brown. In the worst case, scenario, allowing too muich air in can let too much airborne yeasts and bacteria get in.You should be OK, as long you get it started woth a strong yeast. The CO2 it gives off will form a protective gas layer above the juice. Yeast needs some oxygen I beklieve to re...

Hi, sorry for taking ages to reply. It is best to ferment in large amounts (like 10+ litres, preferably 25 litres) as the temperature is much more stable, BUT it works fine in smaller containers as long as you keep it somewhere consistently warm.If you have 5 litres, you could use a demi-john (about a gallon,/ 5 litres)If you use a container that is much bigger than the liquid in it, there is a risk of more air getting in. You might get some oxidisation where the liquid goes a deeper amber or reddy-brown. In the worst case, scenario, allowing too muich air in can let too much airborne yeasts and bacteria get in.You should be OK, as long you get it started woth a strong yeast. The CO2 it gives off will form a protective gas layer above the juice. Yeast needs some oxygen I beklieve to reproduce at th e beginning too

that was meant to say not something to EAT, by the way!

Hi - good plan and yes the short answer is that you are right - the gap between cider surface and lid should be as small as possibleLong answer is:You should always be thinking about risk of spoilage (can ruin it) and oxidation (can change the taste and colour). The general air around us may have micro-organisms in it. and the juice you initially press will have loads of them in it. It will also have air in it. Fermentation gets rid of both.The initial sterilisation of the juice is all about killing off those potentially ruinous microbes. Yeast not only makes alcohol from sugar, it also crowds out and eliminates most other micro-organisms, stopping spoilage. Yeast breeding and fermenting also uses up all the oxygen in the juice (stopping oxidation and browning) So, after fermentation, i...

Hi - good plan and yes the short answer is that you are right - the gap between cider surface and lid should be as small as possibleLong answer is:You should always be thinking about risk of spoilage (can ruin it) and oxidation (can change the taste and colour). The general air around us may have micro-organisms in it. and the juice you initially press will have loads of them in it. It will also have air in it. Fermentation gets rid of both.The initial sterilisation of the juice is all about killing off those potentially ruinous microbes. Yeast not only makes alcohol from sugar, it also crowds out and eliminates most other micro-organisms, stopping spoilage. Yeast breeding and fermenting also uses up all the oxygen in the juice (stopping oxidation and browning) So, after fermentation, if you never take the lid off, then the cider should stay stable and not go off because the years has killed off the micro-competition, used up the oxygen and produced CO2 which sits on top of the ciderWhenever you lift the lid, and even more so when you transfer the cider, some new air gets in and you always risk new microbes getting in. So, it is always best to have as little air above the finished cider so that the risk is as low as it can be. If you sterilise AFTER fermentation, then you reduce the risk, but can't make it fizzy in the bottle.Handy tip - when you transfer the cider, always siphon it with the outlet end UNDER the surface. Don't let the cider pour into the new container from above causing bubbles or you will get loads of air dissolving in your cider and it will oxidise much more.Hope all that makes sense!

ha - love this. Using tools you've made for a specific need is so satisfying - good stuff.

Cheers. I was quite chuffed with how well this turned out. Your kindly wows are much appreciated :)

Hi,If you don't use pesticides, then that is good. The health risks from that are far more dangerous than the odd worm. Even if you ate a maggot, it would be extremely unlikely to do you any harm at all.To be honest, I don't worry about worms at all. If you have loads of apples, then checking out each one individually is a lot of work. I don't consider the worms themselves a problem. They can cause apples to rot by making holes in them by which germs get in, but it is the rot (especially any vinegar bacteria which will turn alcohol into vinegar) I just reject any apples that are obviously gone bad and are rotten. If you only include good looking apples and sterilise the juice, then you should be fine. I chuck the bad apples away when collecting and for any that I miss once I have got th...

Hi,If you don't use pesticides, then that is good. The health risks from that are far more dangerous than the odd worm. Even if you ate a maggot, it would be extremely unlikely to do you any harm at all.To be honest, I don't worry about worms at all. If you have loads of apples, then checking out each one individually is a lot of work. I don't consider the worms themselves a problem. They can cause apples to rot by making holes in them by which germs get in, but it is the rot (especially any vinegar bacteria which will turn alcohol into vinegar) I just reject any apples that are obviously gone bad and are rotten. If you only include good looking apples and sterilise the juice, then you should be fine. I chuck the bad apples away when collecting and for any that I miss once I have got the haul back, they go on the compost heap.

Cheers - I liked your Vardo camper. Slanty walls ain't easy. It was pretty tricky getting the hexagonal angled roof-ends on my build, so I can appreciate your work here. Great stuff

Thanks - pretty blown away by winning. It was one of my most enjoyable builds, so that makes it even sweeter. I would def recommend recycling pallets into timber/lumbar. Can save a fortune!

Have to say your tree house is a pretty epic structure too. Great job