Basket press re-hab

[distancerunner]

First some pictures:




Kinda purty, yes?

Yes, it is. But a nightmare.

The person who sold this to me used to make wine with his dad. Passed on a few years back. But before he did he "re-habbed" his press into a decorative piece. All of the metal surfaces, including the cast iron head, were prepped(?) and painted with something unknown, probably from a rattle can. When I pulled the cotter pins the paint immediately flaked off. The staves are new maple and stained with who knows what. Probably Min Wax oil stain.

It has good bones. I suppose I could strip everything and run the staves through at planer. Buy some stainless steel bolts and nuts to replace the steel that exists.

Winemaking is enough work and I have enough projects that I didn't want to add this one. But we needed a larger press last year and we don't want to do as many presses as we did then. So I bought it.

The press was disassembled to component parts and dropped off to be sandblasted. It is currently in the queue to be powder coated with food safe material. When the parts are back I'll post them in this thread.

While considering new staves and the four hours in the wood shop plus the assembly (a hundred and five bolts, washers, and nuts), I started to wonder. Why not replace the wood with perforated stainless sheet. But that brings up more questions. What gauge should the stainless be? What would an ideal open ratio of holes to sheet? Where to source the material? Should it be run through a roll former? One advantage to this is that it would increase the capacity of the basket.

And of course, I'd have to address the rounds for the increased diameter. Maybe some thick plastic cutting boards to take up the margin?

Questions, questions.

 

[ChuckD]

I’m partial to the traditional look but you are probably right on the perforated stainless basket. I would
Look at the gap between the slats for “guidance”. Im not familiar with gauge thicknesses but I would look for something with at least 3/16” holes, and I would definitely have it roll formed.

 

[distancerunner]

The gap between the slats is huge. About a half an inch. The slats are rectangular in cross section. The other two press basket staves are cross sectionally trapezoid. That allows for a tighter circle and smaller gaps. That makes for smaller squirts. Easier to clean, too.

The bladder presses I've seen had holes (mostly elongated slots) roughly between a sixteenth and an eighth. Different system of pressing. Does that make a difference, out instead of down? Do the holes need be different?

This all assumes lining the basket with some tight nylon mesh. Maybe the mesh makes it moot?

 

[ChuckD]

I have tried lining my press with mesh bags and it is always a disaster. I find it easier to just use a strainer under the spout to catch the big stuff that gets through the slats.

 

[ChuckD]

Does that make a difference, out instead of down? Do the holes need be different?

With a bladder press the hole area never changes. As you press down with a basket press you loose area… might make a difference.

Keep us updated. I’m in the market for a bigger press as well… preferably a cheap fixer upper, so I’ll be following this thread.

 

[distancerunner]

We use nylon screen to line the basket. Works pretty good.

Bladder presses have a solid bag that fits over the basket. Not practical for a basket press. Don’t see how it would work with the mechanical head.

 

[BarrelMonkey]

I vote for the stainless version... like this one

(I have one and am happy with how it works - also easier to sanitize compared to wood)

 

[ChuckD]

I vote for the stainless version... like this one

(I have one and am happy with how it works - also easier to sanitize compared to wood)

I like that. The holes look to be about 1/4”

@distancerunner For a “shield” you just need a poly barrel that fits over it but not over the stand. then cut the bottom off. A 7 gallon primary fit perfectly over my little press.

 

[David Violante]

Another vote for the stainless version. I have the next size down from the one pictured by @BarrelMonkey and love it. Easy to clean, use, move, etc… I also use an old plastic fermenter like @ChuckD with the bottom cut out to go over it and stop the streams that squirt out. Works perfectly and is also easy to clean.

I still have the wood pieces for the inside, but also use a thick ‘plate’ of cutting board material in-between. I don’t use a bag in mine, and just run through a strainer.

Actually, I have a bucket strainer that I use for honey that has three screens of varying size. I could use the larger screen. It just sits on a 5 gallon bucket and is deep enough that it wouldn’t overflow. Hmmmm…

 

[Rice_Guy]

Stainless has a lot of strength. My current basket is probably 14 gage with more burst strength than needed. I will guess I am lucky to screw enough for 500 pounds. Work used 18 gage perforated SS and I would be at least that. The stainless basket eats nylon bag liners. It would be better to have polished the inside of the basket.
Note the bottom casting probably has a cone built in it. Water seeks the lowest spot and having a cone shape minimizes the low area. A commercial bladder press will cycle > relax > mix > cycle. With a screw press mixing is a pain, there are so many parts in the way. Once Frozen material typically has some ice which won’t go away unless you mix,,, so I do and grumble.

 

[distancerunner]

The consensus so far is that stainless is the way to go. I like the idea, too.

But where to source the material? Grainger and most of the metals suppliers want many hundreds of dollars for the material and it still must be cut and formed. If I wanted to spend eight hundred or a thousand on the basket alone, why not throw in another grand and buy a bladder press?

There has to be some where to purchase this material for a price.

 

[Rice_Guy]

* I like stainless but like plastic just about as much. (found SS on Craig’s list) a 12 inch PVC pipe works, burst is less than 500 lb, I might try a five gallon pail as a first and if concerned wind SS wire around it to get burst over 1000 lbs. ,,, It will work.
Another trick, I save the mesh from delivery pizza to create drainage layer (bottom) and I have kitchen cutting board to make a push surface and heated/ reformed PE to make a slip surface on the acme screw
,,, but this needed more rebuilding than yours, the collection pan was originally wood

 

[distancerunner]

The basket diameter (I.D.) is approximately 21" making the O.D. ~23". The height is roughly twenty eight inches. Is there a plastic barrel or pipe that would have the burst strength? A quick look at schedule 40 pipe finds 24" diameter. But heavy and in need of many holes.

I'd be happier with stainless, I think. But the question is where to find it.

 

[CDrew]

As much as I love all the re-engineering talk, being practical, just get new wood for it and be done. White oak or maple would be my choice, cut the trapezoidal staves and put it back together. Wood in this role has worked just fine for hundreds (and maybe thousands) of years, it's properties are well understood, and it can be fashioned easily with home tooling.

I like the idea of food grade powercoat on the metal parts.

With that said, I love my bladder press, but you can save up and buy one later. I got mine at the end of the wine making season in 2018 at a huge discount.

 

[ChuckD]

As much as I love all the re-engineering talk, being practical, just get new wood for it and be done. White oak or maple would be my choice, cut the trapezoidal staves and put it back together. Wood in this role has worked just fine for hundreds (and maybe thousands) of years, it's properties are well understood, and it can be fashioned easily with home tooling.

I like the idea of food grade powercoat on the metal parts.

With that said, I love my bladder press, but you can save up and buy one later. I got mine at the end of the wine making season in 2018 at a huge discount.

All good points.

 

[distancerunner]

As much as I love all the re-engineering talk, being practical, just get new wood for it and be done. White oak or maple would be my choice, cut the trapezoidal staves and put it back together. Wood in this role has worked just fine for hundreds (and maybe thousands) of years, it's properties are well understood, and it can be fashioned easily with home tooling.

I like the idea of food grade powercoat on the metal parts.

With that said, I love my bladder press, but you can save up and buy one later. I got mine at the end of the wine making season in 2018 at a huge discount.

I know, I know.

Avoiding the time milling, sanding, and assembling is a big attraction to using stainless. So far I can't find a reasonable supplier.

In the end, I may end up going with Plan A and spend time with the maple and the machines.

Hmm. Good name for a band.

 

[Cap Puncher]

ARC 84QT Large Crawfish Seafood Boil Pot with Basket, Stainless Steel Stock Pot with Strainer, Outdoor Cooking Pot, Perfect for Lobster Crab Boil and Shrimp Boil, 21 Gallon https://a.co/d/gpa7cfu

I refinished a #45 press a couple years ago. I used the stainless of the mesh stainless basket. If you buy something like this you get a SS fermenter and a basket for your press. I just cut a hole for the screw pole and line the cut with 1/4” silicone tubing. It works great.

I did refurbish my wood basket. It is beech mixed with Ash stave (had to table saw out about 16 staves to rehab it).

If you grab the stainless, you can take your time rehabbing the wood as well. My stainless holds 13 gallons for smaller batches. My #45 basket holds 22 gallons. It is nice to have different size baskets for a single press.

 

[sour_grapes]

Great idea, Andrew!

I didn't make it, but my press uses what appears to be a section of a large-diameter perforated pipe. It looks like it was made for a underground drainage system.