How do I safely energize a hungry node without risk of degrading the node or worse?

Turns out, we have a lunatic on our server. He went and actually captured this thing, and has been feeding it ever since:

Yes, that's a hungry node that has been fed a steady diet of crafting tables and whatever random stuff dropped due to .. automation issues.

Given that:

• Hungry nodes are only 'safe' when boxed in with obsidian
• They eat basically anything that gets close to them
• They tend to get quite massive thus becoming an enormous source of vis

... how would one go from holding it captive to stabilizing and ultimately energizing it safely, in a manner that doesn't degrade the node? We're running 1.7.10 with the latest DW20 FTB pack.

Stabilizing and Energizing a hungry node is difficult because it will destroy the node stabilizer and energizer. The solution is to remove the hungry modifier of the node via. tainting it.

To taint a node the simplest way is to move it to a taint biome. Moving the node via a node in a jar has a chance to weaken the node, which you don't want.

The alternative way to do this is using blood magic. Blood magic has a block called teleposer. Because nodes are considered a block, it is possible to move your node to a taint biome with the teleposer without a chance to weaken it.

If you do not have access to a teleposer, there are alternative methods aka. moving the taint to the node. If you have a taint biome near by, you can spread the taint to the node to taint it. But that process is slow and painful.

A faster way is to find a tainted node, or a node that you don't care about (move it via node in a jar into the taint biome to taint it) and then move it to your hungry node. With luck the tainted node would spread the taint to your hungry node removing the hungry effect allowing you to easily to energize it. The last method requires the dark infuser.

You can create congealed taint and simply taint your node with that.

This can also be done without tainting the node using AE2 formation planes, if you set them up a block above and below the node prior to placing it. You'll need two formation planes on top, and one on the bottom. You'll also need at least 20 stabilizers, energizers and redstone blocks in the system.

Using redstone cards on the formation plane, you coordinate placing the redstone block, then the energizer and stablilizer simultaneously. You will mess up at least 10 times, even at 20 TPS. All that has to happen is for the energizer to realize it has a redstone signal, and you'll have it, but it does take timing.

It's easier to just let the hungry node become tainted, but this will work if you have patience and hate taint.

Energize it the same way you would normally, BUT make sure it has plenty of other things to eat besides your machines (cobblestone and other useless junk). This will probably require multiple experienced thaumaturges to do, so get some friends to help..