You can usually buy a tall thin cylinder for the hydrometer. My test
cylinder takes just a bit less than a cup of the must. After you pour the
must into the cylinder, gently add the hydrometer, spin it carefully in the
middle of the liquid, and then look at where the level of the liquid hits
the hydrometer. Test the must before you add the yeast to get your starting
sg (specific gravity). If you making a country wine, I try to shoot for a
starting sg of 1.084 - 1.092. You can tell the progress of your fermentation
by the sg levels after you add your yeast. If you check it after a few days
and it is about 1.020, then your wine is not quite dry yet. I your sg falls
below 1.000, then your wine is dry, and ready to rack to a secondary. I've
tried floating my hydrometer in the carboy to test the sg, but usually I
have to take liquid out of the carboy to do this, but you really have to be
careful about taking to much out or your hydrometer will touch the bottom of
a 1 gallon carboy, so I quite doing that and bought the test cylinder. Hope
this helps.
Darlene
Wisconsin


"mdginzo" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> How do I use this ting? Do I fill a large test tube and float it in
> there or just float it in the 1 galoon carboy? Thanks.
>