Final gravity reading

So this morning I transfered to a secondary. I tried to take a final gravity reading but didn't know how to get around the floating crap on the top (krause?) I tried pushing some to the side to dip a measuring cup but that didn't work. What is the best way to take a final gravity reading without disturbing it? I also broke my hydrometer in the process

It may be easier to take the sample from the secondary. I use a turkey baster for this. If the krausen was still floating you may have racked too soon.

- magno

If your transfering to secondary fill a cup or something then drop the hose in your carboy. That way you dont run the chance of takeing a sample and contaminating anything. Just figure out how much you need to take your reading, let it sit out for a bit and you might want to shake it if its nice and cool it might have some suspended co2 in the brew that will throw your reading off. Taste it and throw the sample away

whats a hydrometer. Just kidding. I use a hydrometer jar from B3 (MT 330) and take the first runnings from my transfer hose. it does two things, gets anything out of the hose ( no that there is ever anything) and removes any air so not to be transfered to secondary. then I let the jar sit in the keggorator untill @ 60 deg F by that time it has cleared and any trub will have droped out of suspention. But you will need a way to stop the transfer without loosing the prime for that I use a siphon clamp also from B3 (R 400). My transfers and readings are usually fairly smooth.
hope that helps
Cheers
JJ

its been 6 days in the primary and there wasn't any action in the airlock so I thought it was done fermenting. hopefully it's ok.

Not meaning to hi-jack the thread, but this follows the same theme.

Racked to bottling bucket with priming sugar in bucket, but forgot to take gravity reading before hand. Took a reading with priming sugar in it anyway. Any idea how much this will throw off the reading?

5 ounces of corn sugar is just under a third of a pound (1lb = 16 oz).

So, that's .31 pounds of corn sugar. According to BeerSmith, that adds .003 to your Gravity.

Toot. Thanks for that. Makes me feel good. I messed up a little and had an OG of 1.036. After one week in the primary it kept fermenting in the secondary, so I left it there for over another three weeks. I got a reading of 1.008 (temp adj) with the priming sugar. Is it possible that it could have gone as low as 1.005? And I thought this would be a real low abv beer . . . .