How to store musk pods and musk grains

[DubOudh]

How about replacing/refreshing the silica gel bags every day until dry?
Or rinsing the musk grains in alcohol then filtering them out and drying tham.
The alcohol should kill any mold or bacteria and wash away the scent, and make drying faster.
By rinsing I mean a quick rinse, not a soak/tincture.

I have both Mongolian and Siberian grains in glass vials which I had cleaned out over three years ago and I have never experienced mould at all. The grains even now are perfectly fine and hold a wonderful animalia scent.

 

[Saudalhajri]

I have both Mongolian and Siberian grains in glass vials which I had cleaned out over three years ago and I have never experienced mould at all. The grains even now are perfectly fine and hold a wonderful animalia scent

What was their state? Dry or wet?

 

[DubOudh]

What was their state? Dry or wet?

Both pods were wet and semi wet. After cleaning them and removing all hairs etc....I left them on a plate for about four hours with just room temperature heat to slightly dry before placing them in glass vials.
This was a Kashmiri pod that was also wet.... https://www.ouddict.com/threads/musk-pod-cleaning-therapy.4791/

 

[Saudalhajri]

Both pods were wet and semi wet. After cleaning them and removing all hairs etc....I left them on a plate for about four hours with just room temperature heat to slightly dry before placing them in glass vials.
This was a Kashmiri pod that was also wet.... https://www.ouddict.com/threads/musk-pod-cleaning-therapy.4791/

Thanks for sharing. I’ll try this out inshallah today. I’m currently at work and the musk is in a sealed jar with a big bag of silica gel. I’ll open it when I’m back and spread it on a baking sheet to prevent sticking and leave it for a day.

How’s the pod tincture going so far? How does it smell and how did you use it?

 

[DubOudh]

Thanks for sharing. I’ll try this out inshallah today. I’m currently at work and the musk is in a sealed jar with a big bag of silica gel. I’ll open it when I’m back and spread it on a baking sheet to prevent sticking and leave it for a day.

How’s the pod tincture going so far? How does it smell and how did you use it?

Oh it is beautiful. I use it mainly when I am in my own home as it is quite strong but that is how I like it. However I have very little of it left now as I kept using it, even though I wanted to save it. But it has to be used...an altogether rewarding experience...The vial with the Kashmiri musk is just so beautiful to smell direct from the vial. I have about half left and will keep it for the pure rw scent it produces on its own...

 

[Saudalhajri]

Took the musk out of the jar and left it to dry.
The silica bag was very heavy and wet, even the outer paper is damp.
But it dried the grains significantly, there’s a tiny bit of moisture in them kind of like the semi-wet musk grains from NinjaRobb /sibermusk, so it’s currently usable but there’s still an ammonia/nail polish remover scent to it, drying it out for a few days should help with that.

 

[DubOudh]

View attachment 44145
View attachment 44146
Took the musk out of the jar and left it to dry.
The silica bag was very heavy and wet, even the outer paper is damp.
But it dried the grains significantly, there’s a tiny bit of moisture in them kind of like the semi-wet musk grains from NinjaRobb /sibermusk, so it’s currently usable but there’s still an ammonia/nail polish remover scent to it, drying it out for a few days should help with that.

Is there a particular reason why you are drying the grains?

 

[Saudalhajri]

Is there a particular reason why you are drying the grains?

To remove the ammonia smell and make it easier to handle and a more accurate weight. It’s sticking to everything. Just an hour of airing it on the plate removed a lot of the ammonia smell.

 

[DubOudh]

To remove the ammonia smell and make it easier to handle and a more accurate weight. It’s sticking to everything. Just an hour of airing it on the plate removed a lot of the ammonia smell.

Ah very good...

 

[Hammonje]

Think the void volume is key. I am going to order some grains, but will purchase dried materials.

Always liked to use the color indicator dessicant. Put them in with my firearms parts and ammunition storage containers. Rechargeable in oven.

Amazon.com

 

[Mr.P]

I've seen a couple of references to the fact that the pH influences the intensity of the aroma of musk. Potassium carbonate or ammonium carbonate can be used to raise the pH which boosts the smell. I read that if you add too much of this stuff it kills the smell entirely. This would be easy enough to test out on a tiny scale if I had the chemicals.

 

[Maunamoku]

If they dry, they will lose some of their aroma. It is generally recommended to keep fresh grains in the freezer.

Siberian musk can be more animalic, with more urine notes, than other species.

If you do wish to dry them, you can put them in a small jar with the lid slightly cracked, use a small volume of grains so that they can breathe. It will take several days this way, but the temperature can be kept low, and much of the aroma is retained.

 

[Arabiad07]

Is there any issue using semi wet grains without drying for maceration in oud?

 

[Saudalhajri]

Is there any issue using semi wet grains without drying for maceration in oud?

AFAIK no problem really, I’ve heard that it’s advisable to mix and heat the maceration to make the process faster and evaporate the moisture. Won’t be a problem with oud and sandalwood but I wouldn’t heat rose oils too much.

 

[Saudalhajri]

Think the void volume is key. I am going to order some grains, but will purchase dried materials.

So should there be more void volume (a bigger jar) or less?

 

[Hammonje]

Less is usually better. Atmosphere has a lot of water vapor, therefore if trying to keep the grains dry, store in bottle with low void volume.

 

[AdeelWM]

In my opinion, the best method is to spread the musk grains on paper at room temperature and let them breathe for 12 hours, after 12 hours you will find the grains solid, completely dry and with a faint odor.

What about if the pod internals are in jelly like texture?

 

[DubOudh]

Is there any issue using semi wet grains without drying for maceration in oud?

No. The oil will still diffuse with the grains. Wet and dry is probably more important when buying musk.

 

[Saudalhajri]

Hello Sir, Silica gel is a non-toxic sorbent that absorbs moisture, theoretically it can be assumed that such a method is viable and will not cause harm. Btw..


I prefer natural drying methods.

I Tried this method a few days ago, the pods did indeed dry out a little, losing an average of 2g each. in three days. small airtight container with about 20g of silica gel packets.

 

[Zyad]

No. The oil will still diffuse with the grains. Wet and dry is probably more important when buying musk.

From what I read on @NinjaRobb ‘s website the dryness could modify the scent :

« Depending on the condition of the musk (dry or wet) it can produce completely different shades. From soft to tart. »

Not very clear for me if the dryer the grains the softer will be the scent or if it is the other way around.

On my side I have 2 semi-dry musk grains / mysore sandalwood macerations (semi-dry siberian and mongolian grains from @NinjaRobb) at about 25% ratio. Both are 6 months aged now but I still got the raw animalic scent (though I love it 😛) should the scent change into a « black musk » type of scent or something else?

Thanks everyone!