Cider press

Latest Articles

Cider press
Page Previous 1, 2

Downsizer Forum Index -> Authors Corner

Author

Message

Blacksmith

Joined: 25 Jan 2005
Posts: 5025
Location: Berkshire

Posted: Mon Jan 02, 06 4:03 pm Post subject:
Ewwwwwwwwwwwww ! hadn't thought of that, the cats have been under suspicion though. Either that or leaving them to ferment on the pentagram drawn in blood on the forge floor has something to do with it ?

sally_in_wales
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 06 Mar 2005
Posts: 20809
Location: sunny wales

Posted: Mon Jan 02, 06 4:08 pm Post subject:
Dunno about cider, but we sometimes get that smell on wine that is undergoing a secondary (malolactic??) fermentation, and fi d if we let it mature a bit longer it goes away

Blacksmith

Joined: 25 Jan 2005
Posts: 5025
Location: Berkshire

Posted: Mon Jan 02, 06 4:14 pm Post subject:
Could be, I do tend to be a bit impatient ! (Better that washing up liquid flavoured wine at the BBQ) Dave

wishus

Joined: 24 Oct 2005
Posts: 777
Location: Northampton, East Midlands

Posted: Tue Jan 03, 06 10:34 am Post subject:
Most excellent advice! My dad has just finished bottling up some wine made from the grapes in his 'pergola'. (3 of the 6 bottles exploded, which serves him right for only testing the one demi-john)... so I'll see if he has any demi-johns to spare and try that.

dougal

Joined: 15 Jan 2005
Posts: 7184
Location: South Kent

Posted: Tue Jan 03, 06 11:22 am Post subject:
I note that the cider press article appeared late yesterday. Good on you for the holiday homework, Bugs! Blacksmith, that is a thing of beauty. Have you got it dirty yet?

Blacksmith

Joined: 25 Jan 2005
Posts: 5025
Location: Berkshire

Posted: Tue Jan 03, 06 12:13 pm Post subject:
Thanks all, ('specially Bugs for making my article look so professional ) Yep, I have used it, finished it a bit late for the apple season, but tried it out on some cheap apples from the market. I am working on a apple chopper (powered by an electric drill) at the moment............ details to follow. Dave

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Tue Jan 03, 06 12:23 pm Post subject:
It's good to get the article up now as it gives people time to make one before this Autumn! I may have to wait a little longer as I don't think we have that much room. It would look great in the kitchen though.

Jonnyboy

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 23956
Location: under some rain.

Posted: Tue Jan 03, 06 12:39 pm Post subject:
It looks like a great piece of kit, I've seen similar stuff for sale for several hundred pounds. We made our cider with a juice extrator last year, it was slow and far from satisfactory, hopefully if I get this built we can make the most of our glut.

Jb

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 7761
Location: 91� N

Posted: Tue Jan 03, 06 12:54 pm Post subject:
Apart from scaling that down a bit what changes would one need to make to use the same design as a cheese press?

Blacksmith

Joined: 25 Jan 2005
Posts: 5025
Location: Berkshire

Posted: Wed Jan 04, 06 12:09 am Post subject:
Cheese press, another use ! not sure on modifications, will make enquires. I have made a couple of similar assemblies (minus basket) as book binding presses. The list continues........... Dave

kinkycat

Joined: 20 Jun 2005
Posts: 62
Location: Somerset

Posted: Wed Jan 04, 06 7:44 pm Post subject:
Great article. We have looked at the Vigo presses, but for a large-ish press they are asking big money. Are you planning to make and sell presses? How much juice would you expect from a barrel squeeze? (to avoid any technical terms).

Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Wed Jan 04, 06 9:51 pm Post subject:
It seemed sensible to put this in here as there's already a discussion afoot about it, but for anyone who comes along later, here is Blacksmith's excellent guide to making a cider press from a few straightforward parts Might be worth rehoming this thread in the R, P, Homebrewing forum?

Blacksmith

Joined: 25 Jan 2005
Posts: 5025
Location: Berkshire

Posted: Thu Jan 05, 06 11:47 am Post subject:

I'm not planning on making presses, and with the downsizer ethic of "buying locally" I hope any small engineering companies will be able to make the parts not available "off the shelf". ( I can supply working drawings if you want them)
I used about 2 carrier bags (oh the shame !) of windfall apples and 1 bag of cooking apples from the market. These were mashed up using a baulk of timber, wrapped in an old net curtain and pressed.
It took 3 goes to get a gallon of juice.
Cheers, Dave.

dougal

Joined: 15 Jan 2005
Posts: 7184
Location: South Kent

Posted: Thu Jan 05, 06 12:22 pm Post subject:

JB wrote:

Apart from scaling that down a bit what changes would one need to make to use the same design as a cheese press?

IMHO its overkill for cheese.

Cheese only requires a very low *pressure* (I estimate 2 to 5 psi - tiny compared to that needed for juicing), although most recipes do talk only about the *force* applied (and one has to dig around to discover the area that the force is being applied to).
The idea is that this pressure 'binds' the curds, as the whey is (gently) expelled, and the curds shrink.
The pressure has to be maintained for many hours (often 24).
With a pure screw press, designed to minimise elasticity, once the curd shrinks, the pressure will disappear.
And there's no way of gaugeing the pressure.

Hence screw-based cheese presses have a spring arrangement
1 - to measure the force by the spring's compression, and
2 - to deliberately provide elasticity, maintaining pressure on the cheese as it shrinks

And I think 'design-for-sterilisation' is more important with cheese than fruit juice (which may be pasteurised or subject to masses of the 'right' yeasts).

Blacksmith

Joined: 25 Jan 2005
Posts: 5025
Location: Berkshire

Posted: Sat Jan 07, 06 9:43 pm Post subject:

If anyone is unable to source the additional parts required for the press, I am able to supply the following :
Top plate . 6mm BDMS. Drilled, tapped, finished in Hammerite paint, supplied with Hx Hd machine screws and washers to attach top nut to frame �7.50 + P & P.

Pressure plate. 6mm BDMS. Drilled. MIG welded guide tube (to suit screw) finished in Hammerite paint. � 9.00 + P & P.

Basket Hoops. 4mm Black. MIG welded. drilled and countersunk. Finished in Hammerite paint. � 7.50 ea ( 3 for � 20.00) + P & P.
Dave

	Downsizer Forum Index -> Authors Corner	All times are GMT Page Previous 1, 2
Page 2 of 2

View Latest Posts