Please help! Item stuck in carboy

[AsianPersuasion2014]

While (ironically) trying to fish a teabag out of my capcisumel, I ended up accidentally dropping a stainless steel chopstick into the carboy with the capsicumel still fermenting away.

I managed to get the other item out of the carboy after learning from my mistake and using a better chopstick grip to safely extract the teabag, but now I have one stainless steel chopstick sitting at the bottom of my six gallon glass carboy. I have tried running a neodymium magnet to lead the chopstick out, but I'm having no luck. Unfortunately, I also don't know what type of stainless steel the chopstick is made of, besides the fact that it is food grade.

Does anyone know if it would be most likely safe to keep the chopstick in the carboy without causing off flavors, and if not, does anyone know of a way to extract that chopstick? I ironically fused about the teabag because of a tiny stainless steel staple that I was worried would corrode, but in an attempt to fish that out, I now have a much larger stainless steel item stuck in my carboy; one that doesn't float...

 

[AsianPersuasion2014]

I'm mainly concerned about the stainless steel corroding. The must has about 18 blood oranges in it, so I know it's at least somewhat acidic. I know that stainless steel is resistant to corrosion, but the amount of time it would take to finish fermenting that capcisumel may be too much for the stainless steel to handle.

 

[jtratcliff]

I'd say leave it alone... Stainless should be fine for the pH you're at... Get it out after you rack out of the carboy...

Stainless is the fermenter material of choice for many people.... You'd probably introduce more infection producing agents trying to fish it out than than acidic residue from the SS chopstick....

Let it ride, then name it "Sunken Chopstiick"

 

[Shine0n]

As mentioned I'd leave it be, I'm sure it would be at least 304 ss and would be better if it were 316 but as long as it's not open to the air I see no problems arising from it.

I like the sunken chopstick name too

 

[AsianPersuasion2014]

Thank you! I have proceeded with leaving the chopstick in. The fermentation is beginning to slow and I'm eager to try the leftovers after I bottle

 

[Ryue]

Not at all helpful, but as I scrolled down the list of threads and saw this headline, I accidentally read it as "Please help! I'm stuck in carboy"...[emoji23]

 

[MaxStout]

I once had an oxygenator stone come off the end of the wand, into the carboy. It was a big RIS and I left the stone in there 4 months. Didn't hurt the beer. Yours will be fine, too.

 

[bronzdragon]

I agree with the above comments. Leave it alone. Anything you do to retrieve it, would probably lead to more harm introducing contaminants then what it will do sitting at the bottom of the carboy.

 

[CanadianJesus]

Lol. I just got a rubber bung stuck in a 1 gallon glass carboy. I'll be bottling it on Wednesday though, so I hope a week of the bung being in my mead doesn't cause the mead to taste like rubber. It was one of two test batches, and it's the one I like least, so I'm not overly worried about it.

 

[TheMeadianGuy]

You could probably use a tool retriever. $5 at your local Walmart in the hardware department.

 

[jtratcliff]

You can use a plastic grocery bag to get the bung out, after racking your mead off...

Google for the YouTube videos... It's pretty cool to see it work..

Hooda thunk it...

 

[CanadianJesus]

I just racked the mead into bottles and pulled the bung out with a bent coat hanger. No rubber taste