Great looking cheese! I just love seeing a cheese fresh out of the press. My kids stand around laughing at my obsession sometimes.
I am coming to the conclusion that the type of cloth material you use to press in has a lot to do with drying time. I have recently used a fine material almost like good sheet material and the cheese comes out very slick to the touch and it drys very fast even in high humidity. The coarser cloth makes the surface rougher and it takes longer. In any case, dry time is always unpredictable and you just have to go by touch most of the time.
The pressing issue is important. if you just used a one gallon recipe and multiplied the ingredients by 3 then remember that the weight given assumed a certain size hoop appropriate for that amount of curd.
Also did you use the stirred curd method of cheddaring? If so, I do not believe you have to press it as hard as normal cheddaring because the curds always seem drier in normal cheddaring and it is harder to get them to knit therefore more pressure is needed. This may not be right but it is certainly my experience. I am not convinced that the pressure is related to surface drying time though. I believe it is more about knitting and whey expulsion internally. (Someone correct me if wrong) But you do need more pressure I believe dependant on the size of your hoop...
I just noticed that sailor entered the discussion and refrained himself mightily from debating psi. Unbelievable! I laughed out loud reading the bantering between you two in the other thread (babychee and sailor). As far as pressure goes, you know where I stand: More is better in cheddar! It was hard to keep from entering the fray. I wanted to post this pic when debi mentioned just using a rock. john linked it the other day for me. This was a guy after my own heart. No pulleys levers or pistons just place a rock on the follower!