DIY Wine Degassing Wand
I have two batches of red wine going right now, and I need to degas them while they ferment. For that, I'll be making a wine degassing wand, which is used to remove carbon dioxide bubbles from solution in wines. These are easy enough to find online, but I thought I'd make one quickly from some aluminum rod available at the big box store.
For those of your wondering, I'm not very concerned about any chemical reaction with the wine. The aluminum will be in contact with it only briefly during degassing, so there is no real chance for corrosion of the aluminum and it leeching into the wine.
I start by cutting a tenon in the top of the 1/2" aluminum rod, leaving a tenon that's about 1/4" wide by 5/8" long. File the two faces of the tenon smooth.
After that, drill a hole slightly larger that the stainless screw's diameter through the center of the tenon, and file any burrs that result.
For the two paddles, use a scribe to locate a hole 1/4" from one end, and drill a hole the same size as the one used in the tenon. Then file that end round so that the paddle can pivot.
I then cut the paddle to about 2-3/4" long. You'll want to file the sharp corners of the aluminum so that it doesn't scratch the fermenter while spinning. The scratches car harbor bacteria that will lead to off flavors in wine and beer when the fermenter is used again later on.
Slip the screw through a paddle, then the tenon, and then the other paddle and loosely tighten one of the nuts. Then add the other nut and snug it up against the first one, being sure that the paddles can swing freely.
Then use two wrenches to jam the two nuts together. An ignition wrench is thin enough to use on the bottom nut, but a regular wrench can be used on the top one. Trim the extra length on the screw and file it smooth.
At this point the wand is done. You can chuck it into a drill to use in your wine.
I like to degas wine in this utility sink just in case it foams over. That wasn't an issue with this cabernet, but the pinot noir I had going foamed over a lot when I degassed it. Make sure to sanitize the wand before putting it in the fermenter. Degassing is done by spinning the wand in one direction for a while, and then switching direction. Do this until the wine stops foaming.
I hope this was instructive, and thanks for viewing!
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Below is a listing of the supplies you will need. I have supplied Amazon Affiliate links to the products I used. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Supplies:
#8-32 x 1” stainless pan head machine screw
#8 stainless washer
(2) #8-32 stainless nuts
