Cheese Mold Help??

[Cartierusm]

Ok, so you've seen my 10" mold. I decided I can't use the followers without cheese cloth it pushes curd into the holes. I hate cheese cloth...but I digest. So I now have modified my cheese press to tilt on it's side once the inital press is done this will allow me to just rotate, like a tire, the mold instead of having to flip it. Because when I flip it I lose the impressions I made with the cutom followers. So the question is do I make holes in the hoop to let whey out and use cheese cloth or do I just leave it alone and just use 2 pieces of circular cheese cloth on the top and bottom follower?

So the question is do professional hoops have holes in their sides? If not then do they still use cheese cloth? And the main question I NEED to know does cheese cloth do anything besides keep curds from pushing out the drain holes, does the cheese cloth act as a wick to channel the whey toward gravity?

[Cartierusm]

I just talked to Peter Dixon and he said that cheese cloth is very important to help pull the whey away, so looks like i'm going to be using cheese cloth after all...crap.

[Likesspace]

Carter,
After doing a little research, I've found that not only does the cheese cloth help wick the moisture away, it also helps in the knitting of the curd.
As I told you last night, I've taken to using the following method:
I use the cloth during the first few initial pressings and then for the final press I lose it.
For instance if I'm making a cheddar, I'll use the cloth when first loading the mold. I'll also use it after the first and second flips. Then when I move on to the final 12 hour press, I do it without cheese cloth.
This has worked really well in the last two cheeses I've made. Although the cloth does mark up the cheese on the initial presses, they come right out on the final press.
The way I figure it, I'm getting the benefit of the cheese cloth in the early stages of pressing and then getting the benefit of no cloth by turning out a nice smooth wheel (except for those blasted nubs that appear on the surface). But, I have found that those usually break off themselves or like you suggessted I can trim them with a sharp knife, easily enough.

Dave

[Sing_cheese]

Wrapping and rewrappingin cheese soaked in brine also seems to help witht he knitting.  I also do not mind the cloth markings that much, makes the cheese appear to be more hand made.  Although if there is to much creasing in the cheese cloth markings, it does make some lovely places for mold to develope.  Cant have everything it appears.