Ok thanks, I am only using a 4 ton bottle jack so it is quit low but I will look into getting stainless steel or plastic tray if I need to use a bigger jack.
You might be interested in a apple based beverage recipe by a chap called TC Rivers from the States. It may be his recipe but not sure. In any case I am fermenting a batch as you are reading this. It is called Apple Pie Wine (you can search for a two part video on TH-cam) It uses apple juice (1,5 L), cinnamon (1 teaspoon), 1/4 teaspoon of yeast and raisins (about 10 of them). Scale the recipe as required. Cheers and good luck. regards, Sander. PS love your patio apple butchery very much...
First of all I would like to refer everyone with questions about hard cider and the process to "The Cider Makers' Hand Book - A Complete Guide For Making and Keeping Pure Cider" after you read this you will have very few questions on the process from choosing and mixing apples to the end product of fermentation. The book also has pictures of different presses and much more. I just have to say this press is awesome, I am finally doing my research on the process of making hard cider and I think I will be making one of this for this coming harvest 9 months from now. You did make your own spacers for the jack's piston, and what diameter are the threaded rods you used to hold the Ibeams parallel? Have the rods or threads shown any sign of wear and is there anything you would've changed about the press? I know that is a lot to answer but I think I am not the only one who would like to know. If there is a Q&A video you made that I should refer to please let me know. Way to go mate, very impressed!!
Thanks. I like it as it comes apart and does not take up too much space when not in use but its still a large press capable of producing a lot of juice fairly easily. The spacers I made myself. just a 60mm dia rod welded into an offset pipe that fits. The rods are M25 stainless steel. 24mm dia I think. The rods expand under full pressure and the threads could lead to fatigue and possible stress fractures in time but it will take years and years. I plan to replace every 10 years automatically, just in case. I dont think I would change much apart from how to fill it. This year I'm abandoning hand shovels and will use a plastic spade to reduce bending down all the time and increase loading speeds. Will also use a larger bin for the pulp when it comes out of the shredder. If I could make it again....and had the money.........I would have just made it all out of stainless
Hi I was just wondering if it is safe (as in hygienic) to press apples onto a wood tray and have wooden plates in-between the cheeses? I am asking because I am going to make my pressing frame in a few weeks ready for the autumn.
hey bud i wanted to know if theres a particular apple thats good for making cider or is it best to mix and match and wether theres any ways to tell what sort of apple it is just by looking at it thanks much appriciated
Have you ever seen anyone have a ramp where you run a heavy truck on where you could squeeze whole apples? I seem if you squeezed whole apples you would get clear apple juice. It would be easy to weld big beams together and you run a 40,000 pound truck up the ramp you could squeeze 4 or 5 bushels at a time.
Thanks. If I''m 100% honest mainly my mountain biking friends and me get more than most! Its why I do it....for fun and for me... the rest is more fun and a bit of gravy.
I'm sure not many people would go to the trouble just to squeeze 20 bushels of apples. But if you were doing a couple hundred bushels it would save a lot of time.
Cool Mr S! I watched yor vids a few days ago, and found you again, and wondered how I could have missed this vid ... and noticed that you uploaded this yesterday .. lol ... keep up the good work, Im enjoying seeing what you do. How is your thumb ?
i'd really want solid uprights on that press, threaded bar is strong, but it's not square section/girder/etc strong. It's a lot of repetitive stain through that system. Good system though, just about to make myself a fruit press, will bastardise a workshop hydraulic press for the job. 25 years a sheet metal / fabricator welder. Cider novice though. How's your end product? taste wise that is. What cider would you compare it to?
+johnyboytown Thanks. It's always been designed to just take apart and be put away hence the rods and bolts. There is a small chance in time one may fatigue from the root of a thread due to manufacturing defects at the surface but the other 3 will still hold full load, 2 would as long as theres 1 each side. I cant see 2 braking at once ever.The cider is a scrumpy. Its not posh or polished. I use any fruit and don't get a chance to pick and choose.Square section would allow you to possibly guide the top plate and stop cheeses wandering under pressure. my rods would be bent as they are only there to take the tensile stresses. Theres some vids on my smaller steel press I made before this one...and bent in every direction! Any significant lateral stresses will bend them. good scrap value though.I'm over the moon with it. its made over 5000 litres since it was born and the jack has been the only trouble with its seals. The truth is you don't really need a 30 ton press. Yes its quick and strong but also overkill.
lol. if you hear any creaking, step way back. those spacers could fly out at a fair old pace under that stress. i specialise in press brakes and forming. ;)
Yes but if you crush whole apples you don't have all that pulp you have pure juice. If you put a couple bushels of apples in a pan and had another pan pressing down on it with 40,000 pound truck the juice would flow. I worked in a plant and they put apples into like a sack and two hydraulic arms pressed together with some serious force and I mean just take a piece of metal plate and put an apple underneath and run up on it with a car and see how much comes out.
yes. it just replaces someone pumping a handle to move the fluid. It has an ait actuated cylinder on the side that does the same job as the normal manual metal bar and the physical effort. It was better value and smaller size than full hydrolic.
huh i just had an idea how i could make a apple grinder just by watching yours, you could use a couple old lawnmower blades and throw them on an electric motor
it would not work very well. whole apples are very very resistant to being crushed and the juice return would be low. it has to be mashed up, shredded, scratted, milled before.
insane amount of juice with that homemade press good work and thanx.
Solid, thank you for the reply! We only got a wee little press so the cheese cloth should do. Cool vids, keep up the sweet work.
Ok thanks, I am only using a 4 ton bottle jack so it is quit low but I will look into getting stainless steel or plastic tray if I need to use a bigger jack.
The neighbours must love you with that noise.
Very good video, it's 100 percent like!
We did make the press racks. Theres a vid on my channel somewhere on how it was done. you can buy them from vigo in the UK.
great stuff ,gotta like cider day.cheers
Way cool!! Very nice vid!
You might be interested in a apple based beverage recipe by a chap called TC Rivers from the States. It may be his recipe but not sure. In any case I am fermenting a batch as you are reading this. It is called Apple Pie Wine (you can search for a two part video on TH-cam) It uses apple juice (1,5 L), cinnamon (1 teaspoon), 1/4 teaspoon of yeast and raisins (about 10 of them). Scale the recipe as required. Cheers and good luck.
regards, Sander. PS love your patio apple butchery very much...
Thanks for the response MrServecool
First of all I would like to refer everyone with questions about hard cider and the process to "The Cider Makers' Hand Book - A Complete Guide For Making and Keeping Pure Cider" after you read this you will have very few questions on the process from choosing and mixing apples to the end product of fermentation. The book also has pictures of different presses and much more. I just have to say this press is awesome, I am finally doing my research on the process of making hard cider and I think I will be making one of this for this coming harvest 9 months from now. You did make your own spacers for the jack's piston, and what diameter are the threaded rods you used to hold the Ibeams parallel? Have the rods or threads shown any sign of wear and is there anything you would've changed about the press? I know that is a lot to answer but I think I am not the only one who would like to know. If there is a Q&A video you made that I should refer to please let me know. Way to go mate, very impressed!!
Thanks. I like it as it comes apart and does not take up too much space when not in use but its still a large press capable of producing a lot of juice fairly easily. The spacers I made myself. just a 60mm dia rod welded into an offset pipe that fits. The rods are M25 stainless steel. 24mm dia I think. The rods expand under full pressure and the threads could lead to fatigue and possible stress fractures in time but it will take years and years. I plan to replace every 10 years automatically, just in case.
I dont think I would change much apart from how to fill it. This year I'm abandoning hand shovels and will use a plastic spade to reduce bending down all the time and increase loading speeds. Will also use a larger bin for the pulp when it comes out of the shredder.
If I could make it again....and had the money.........I would have just made it all out of stainless
Good job well done. Here's how i did it:
Brewing cider using my homemade apple press!
Hi I was just wondering if it is safe (as in hygienic) to press apples onto a wood tray and have wooden plates in-between the cheeses? I am asking because I am going to make my pressing frame in a few weeks ready for the autumn.
Where did you get the float switch from. That looks like a good bit of kit.
Hi chaps....very nice press !
Did you make the plates (wooden) yourselves ?
If not, where did you buy them from please ?
Thanks.
hey bud i wanted to know if theres a particular apple thats good for making cider or is it best to mix and match and wether theres any ways to tell what sort of apple it is just by looking at it thanks much appriciated
reaaly nice video and setup..
and interesting jack..
Is that a new one?
Pneumatic jack so powerful?
Have a good cider ;D
great job, just curious is the tray stainless steel or just metal, and if metal have you had problems with rust?
Its 12.5mm stainless so no rust and is also very beefy and heavy
How do the barrels work for fermentation? Is there am airlock?
holy shit this is amazing!
First of all, this is awesome. Very well done.
Anyone one have recommendations for what grade cheese cloth to use ?? Or is there something better?
Have you ever seen anyone have a ramp where you run a heavy truck on where you could squeeze whole apples? I seem if you squeezed whole apples you would get clear apple juice. It would be easy to weld big beams together and you run a 40,000 pound truck up the ramp you could squeeze 4 or 5 bushels at a time.
I’ve seen your 2018. You’ve come a long way ...... well done. Who drinks all your cider?
Thanks. If I''m 100% honest mainly my mountain biking friends and me get more than most! Its why I do it....for fun and for me... the rest is more fun and a bit of gravy.
I'm sure not many people would go to the trouble just to squeeze 20 bushels of apples. But if you were doing a couple hundred bushels it would save a lot of time.
Cool Mr S! I watched yor vids a few days ago, and found you again, and wondered how I could have missed this vid ... and noticed that you uploaded this yesterday .. lol ...
keep up the good work, Im enjoying seeing what you do.
How is your thumb ?
Its a 2.5hp hobby compressor. The jack I have needs a minimum of 140psi to work properly.
Where did you get your barrels?
i'd really want solid uprights on that press, threaded bar is strong, but it's not square section/girder/etc strong. It's a lot of repetitive stain through that system. Good system though, just about to make myself a fruit press, will bastardise a workshop hydraulic press for the job. 25 years a sheet metal / fabricator welder. Cider novice though. How's your end product? taste wise that is. What cider would you compare it to?
+johnyboytown Thanks. It's always been designed to just take apart and be put away hence the rods and bolts. There is a small chance in time one may fatigue from the root of a thread due to manufacturing defects at the surface but the other 3 will still hold full load, 2 would as long as theres 1 each side. I cant see 2 braking at once ever.The cider is a scrumpy. Its not posh or polished. I use any fruit and don't get a chance to pick and choose.Square section would allow you to possibly guide the top plate and stop cheeses wandering under pressure. my rods would be bent as they are only there to take the tensile stresses. Theres some vids on my smaller steel press I made before this one...and bent in every direction! Any significant lateral stresses will bend them. good scrap value though.I'm over the moon with it. its made over 5000 litres since it was born and the jack has been the only trouble with its seals. The truth is you don't really need a 30 ton press. Yes its quick and strong but also overkill.
lol. if you hear any creaking, step way back. those spacers could fly out at a fair old pace under that stress. i specialise in press brakes and forming. ;)
Yes but if you crush whole apples you don't have all that pulp you have pure juice. If you put a couple bushels of apples in a pan and had another pan pressing down on it with 40,000 pound truck the juice would flow. I worked in a plant and they put apples into like a sack and two hydraulic arms pressed together with some serious force and I mean just take a piece of metal plate and put an apple underneath and run up on it with a car and see how much comes out.
you run the hydraulic lifter with air of the compressor?
yes. it just replaces someone pumping a handle to move the fluid. It has an ait actuated cylinder on the side that does the same job as the normal manual metal bar and the physical effort. It was better value and smaller size than full hydrolic.
true some are only £50 on ebay :)
Я тоже такой хочу. Молодцы.::-)
huh i just had an idea how i could make a apple grinder just by watching yours, you could use a couple old lawnmower blades and throw them on an electric motor
it would not work very well. whole apples are very very resistant to being crushed and the juice return would be low. it has to be mashed up, shredded, scratted, milled before.
why dont you move up to a hydraulic press :)