> "Negodki" > wrote:
> > You could fish it out with a hook, tongs, grappling rod, or a miniature
> > scuba diver, but why bother? Plastic is relatively inert. Wait until
you
> > have a better reason to rack, and meanwhile, use another piece of
plastic.

"Michael Brill" > wrote:
> I like the miniature scuba diver idea. I just put an ad on
> craigslist, so let's see what I come up with. In the meantime I guess
> the "relatively" part of "relatively inert" is what concerns me. I am
> not planning on racking until I bottle in about 10 months and I don't
> know what the impact is of leaving in a piece of plastic. I'd hate to
> have 300 bottles of slightly plastic-y wine. If I only had a really
> long pair of chopsticks.

miniature scuba diver --- I was thinking of Rachel Welch (Fantastic
Journey).

Not having seen the stirring rod, I can only speculate, but I doubt that you
will have any more of a plastic-y flavour from leaving it there than from
stirring with it. I.e. you won't notice the difference. [I hope this theory
is true, because I have a 10" length of plastic tubing in the bottom of one
of my carboys, and tubing has more of a "plastic-y" odor than stirring rod.]

If you want it out that badly, take a 4' piece of 3/4" x 1/16" steel, and
bend it in half around a 3/4" pipe (i.e. round the inside end, rather than
kinking it). If you can slightly round the two ends (spoon like), it will be
easier to grip it. That will give you a nice pair of spring-loaded tongs
(better than chopsticks unless you have a very strong thumb). Steel is oiled
before storage, so clean it with ammonia, and then rinse it well before
putting it in your wine. [Even then, it will probably do more flavour damage
than plastic.]

Scrap that idea. Get a couple of 2' pieces of 1" x 1/8" hardwood, and put a
hinge on one end (or just wire the two pieces together). Insert a spring a
few inches below the hinge/wire. If you can't grip the rod properly, you can
soak the ends, and bend them slightly to form the "fingers". The hardwood
will do zero damage to your wine.

I would still recommend waiting until next racking.