MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
We will be in touch
I need some advice following this weekend's apple-related trauma. My juicer gave up after ~25kg of juicing - possibly optimistic about its longevity - with another 25kg of apples to go.
Do I go with another expendable cheap juicer and risk another failure or go for a proper press, like the Clarke's one on Machine Mart? I was planning to make this a yearly event, depending on results, so the investment may be worthwhile...
Any other tips, suggestions or apple-related puns gladly welcome.
Can't you just make a press out of wood/mdf/something? I'd imagine that if you made it with 4 bits of threaded bar in each corner, and then just slowly wind a nut onto each you'd get something half decent...
You'd just need to then chop up the apples and lob them in a muslin/hessian sack and squash'em.
We tried the homemade approach but couldn't generate the pressures needed without it collapsing to get anywhere close to the same amount of juice that the juicer was giving.
I think reducing the scale of the homemade kit would get the pressures up but the volume would be small, making pressing the amount we want too slow.
Our neighbour is a bit of a pro. He has a double garage completely converted to brewing and booze making. He uses a proper press for cider
We made a press last year from some 2x4 and some coach bolts, pretty much like this:
(image from the web)
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But we used a scissor car jack and hessian sandbags sandwich between two old cut to size concrete paving slabs.
This was all placed over a plastic bin to catch the juice.
Crude is a good word to describe it, but it worked 😉
First year we failed, made some nice cider vinegar, so next year we washed everything thoroughly, even the apples & produced 5 gallons of quality cider.
One last tip, the more you can pulp the apples before pressing the better.
Have you seen this?
[url= http://www.ukcider.co.uk/wiki/index.php/Homemade_Cider_Press ]Homemade_Cider_Press[/url]
and
[url= http://thedeliberateagrarian.blogspot.com/2009/03/march-tribulations-further-insights.html ]Real experiences[/url]
The ACME thread rod seems to be the way forward. I've seen one with a bolt on the top and powered with a cordless drill - it worked rather quickly!
Ta all. Perhaps time to unleash the bodge.
guimet, on the off chance you are in cornwall drop me a line. i have a press but it needs a little workand need to get it fixed before i can use it myself.