Hey Jay... a Cheese to from me for sticking at it until 3 am... Dedication !
I also applaud your making of a press consider the cheese offered here a double cheese. Like light sabres - Every Padawan needs to make their own, several in my case ! Please don't take offense but you may find out that the cheese here will be a little crumbly and a bit tart. Not that there is anything wrong with that as Caerphilly and others are exactly like that. However, there are two conditions that you might have to consider - and one you have already come across - you have to keep tightening the screw to keep it under pressure. And two - that will not be obvious until you cut the cheese open - is that the curds will not be quite merged as you might think.
Pressing does two main things
1. Amalgamate the curds - this might be sort of obvious but, there is an art to it.
2. Help remove the whey - which still contain milk sugars, the food for the cultures - to slow their feeding. This reduces the acid they produce and hence reduces the tartness off the final product.
There is an amazing number of interrelated processes happening at the same time. The value of a good pressing regime tends to be underestimated. Here is a link to my last press I built and there are many others on this site as well. Hint - the Dutch style will allow you to get to bed a little earlier
Plans are free... link to the designer in this link
http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,14874.0.htmlWelcome to the wonderful world of cheese - most of the population have forgotten what real cheese tastes like - we, are trying to wake them up ! Red or Blue Pill !!
Mal