Which vinegar to use?
I have the KNF solutions formulas and recipes book. When making WCP it says to let the bones dissolve in vinegar.
Does that have to be BRV or would regular white vinegar work?
Top answer
Any vinegar will do the job, use what is availabe to you, it will still work.
KNF is not about using only this and nothing else, it's about using what you have available. Although if you use the exact ingredients, your results will likely be according to expectations.
Just don't forget, if you want quality in your inputs, you should use quality ingredients, and BRV qualifies as that.
In Korea or Asia, BRV is easy to find and, I assume, also affordable, but more importantly it has its own unique set of properties which make it the prime choice in KNF. In other parts of the world one should use what is available there and ideally without disregarding quality, but lower end ingredients although not being optimal will also work.
From the KNF library
From the KNF library
Drafted by Claude from Office Hours and the books
·
Sep 2026
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5 sources
Drake says white vinegar works for dissolving burnt bone (WCP), but Cleanser should always use a living vinegar with a mother (Office Hours Ep. 69, 40:38).
Cho's recipe names BRV for the job (Cho, Recipe, p. 65). The KNF Demystified version says only "vinegar" (KNF Demystified, p. 41). Drake also says apple cider vinegar can replace BRV in KNF recipes, and homemade living vinegar works even better (Office Hours Ep. 40, 53:23).
The ratio and timing stay the same either way:
- Use 1 part charred bone to 10 parts vinegar (Cho, Recipe, p. 65).
- Dissolve for 7 days with a breathable lid (Cho's Solutions, p. 13).
- The bones are done when the bubbling stops (Cho, Recipe, p. 65).
The library does not say whether white vinegar changes the strength of the finished WCP.
Sources
- 53:23 Office Hours Ep. 40 (Jul 2022) — Soil Compaction, Seawater Drench, IMO3 Microscope · “Yes, and making your own living vinegar works even better.”
- 40:38 Office Hours Ep. 69 (Mar 2023) — Fish Amino Acid (FAA) Recipe, Vinegar Pasteurization, JMS Starches · “White vinegar works for dissolving eggshells (WCA) and burnt bone (WCP), but Cleanser should always use a living vinegar with a mother.”
- p. 13 Cho's Solutions · “Dissolve for 7 days with breathable lid”
- p. 41 KNF Demystified · “Crush black bone charcoal and combine with 10x of vinegar by weight and volume”
- p. 65 Cho, Recipe · “Put the bones in the jar with BRV (charcoal: BRV: 1:10).”
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