Cotswold using my new setup.

[lazyeiger]

I used my new Extech 100, my new vat warmer and my new press for this make, I am very pleased with the results, of course only time will really tell!

4 (US) gallons PH milk
0.6g MA4000
0.6g Flora Danica
5cc CaCl
1.0 cc Annatto
1.0g sharp lipase
1 Tbl spoon + 1 Teaspoon Dried chives and dried chopped onions

Milk Ph 6.77
warm to 86 rehydrate cultures for 5 mins
after 40 mins Ph 6.68
Add CaCl, Lipase and annatto wait 5 mins
Add rennet Floc time = 15 mins x 3.5 - 52 mins
Cut curd with whisk Ph 6.57
stirred at 86F for 15 mins Ph 6.53
Increase T to 95F over 1 hour
After 1 hour Ph = 6.31
35 mins later Ph = 6.13 Drain whey stack curd at one end
after 35 mins Ph - 5.68 break up and turn pile
after 20 mins Ph - 5.53 break up and turn pile
1 hour 10 mins later Ph = 5.38 (turned pile 3 more times)
Mill add salt and herbs
Press at 3 psi for 30 mins
turn and redress press at 5 psi for 30 mins
turn and redress press at 10 psi overnight.


I am surprised at how long it took the Ph to drop, I think this maybe why my last cheddar (with out the extech) was a bit rubbery (Ph too high at draining and milling)

Here are some pics of my setup and the final cheese.

Jon

[Spoons]

What an amazing DIY setup! That's some really nice work!

About yours concerns with PH drop; When I first made a double gloucester (a cotswold without the chives and onions), I followed the 200 recipe and that brought me to 5.8PH. I figured it wasn't enough, so I flipped the mass one more time and brought it to 5.6PH. I then milled using a french fry cutter and the whey expelled from milling was a whopping 5.3PH!!! That's a 0.3PH drop in 10 or so minutes just because of the milling process.

Anyways, A cheese for you for coming up with such an awesome setup!

[qdog1955]

  So if I'm following the pics correctly----you have four beer taps to make one cheese and I thought one beer was enough---what was I thinking----look at the great results!

[lazyeiger]

  So if I'm following the pics correctly----you have four beer taps to make one cheese and I thought one beer was enough---what was I thinking----look at the great results!

Absolutely, how else does one pass the time while waiting for the Ph to drop?

[Danbo]

Hi Lazyeiger,

Really impressive setup - a cheese for that! :-)

I'm very interested in your press-setup. Can you provide more information on the parts, how you build it and how it is used in practise. I have build a large lever press but I have always wanted a pneumatic press.

I don't have much experience with pneumatics but it just looks so nice and compact.


Happy New Year!

:-) Danbo

[awakephd]

A cheese for the mad-scientist ingenious setup!

And a question -- could you verify the pH numbers -- it looks like the pH went up when you drained and stacked, and again at the end of the cheddaring -- ??

[lazyeiger]

And a question -- could you verify the pH numbers

I checked back in my log book and it looks like I transcribed the Ph numbers incorrectly, I have now corrected them, thank you for noticing it!

[lazyeiger]

Danbo,

the press idea really simple!  The pneumatic cylinder has a 2.5" diameter and a 4.5" stroke and came from ebay  ($25 +$15 shipping) the frame is made form 2" x 4" wood with  1/2" x 7" long bolts holding it together, the brass fittings and gauge can be found at your local hardware store. Of course this is all relevant for the USA, I don't know how easy it would be to get parts in Denmark.

The air pressure is provided by a small compressor I use for other things too. I think I have seen other people using a small storage tank like this   http://www.amazon.com/Pro-Lift-W-1010A-Grey-Air-Tank/dp/B000LNUFRO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420124899&sr=8-1&keywords=air+pressure+tank  that you can fill at a tire fill station.

The pressure math is simple!

Cylinder is 2.5" diameter so the surface area is  Pi*r*r  = 1.25 * 1.25 * 3.142 = 4.93 Sq"

This means for every 1 psi of air pressure on the cylinder it will apply 4.93 psi to the end of the rod.

Now the cheese mould i use is 7 1/8" inner diameter so the area is  3.56 * 3.56 * 3.142 = 39.88 Sq"

This means that the 4.93 psi at the end of the rod is spread out over the 39.88 sq" of the cheese  4.93/39.88 = 0.124

For every 1 psi applied to the cylinder there will be 0.124 psi applied to the cheese

In the picture I have 25 psi applied to the cylinder so 25 * 0.124 = 3.1psi

The great thing is that the pressure on the cheese stays constant all the time

My compressor has a maximum output of 150 psi so the max I can apply to a cheese with that mould is 150 * 0.124 = 18.6 psi

Let me know if you have any more questions. or need more information.

Jon

My

[pastpawn]

Nice!  Great looking cheese, and I love the equipment. 

Some of it looks VERY familiar (I have 4 taps too, but one is root beer). 

Good going with the GFI cord.  I see you also have an aquarium temp controller (STC1000?) connected to... what?  Is the pump running all the time, and do you have a heater in the Gott cooler?

[lazyeiger]

Nice!  Great looking cheese, and I love the equipment. 

Some of it looks VERY familiar (I have 4 taps too, but one is root beer). 

Good going with the GFI cord.  I see you also have an aquarium temp controller (STC1000?) connected to... what?  Is the pump running all the time, and do you have a heater in the Gott cooler?

Yes you MUST have a GFI and grounds connected wherever possible, electricity and water do not mix!

In the second picture you can see the 1500W 120V element mounted trough the bottom of the cooler (ground wire soldered to the metal case) The temp controller controls the element, the probe is in between to 2 coolers. water is continuously pumped (washing machine pump) from the top of the vat cooler to the top to the orange cooler, it then flows back to the vat cooler at the bottom past the temp probe. seems to control the temp very well, the time constant is huge due to the large quantity and heat capacity of the water. There is about 3 degrees overshoot of the water on the first heating cycle this however never gets transmitted to the milk due to the long time constant.

By the way orange cooler is my hot water tank and blue cooler is my mash tun for brewing so the only part I did not have was the vat.

Jon

[awakephd]

And a question -- could you verify the pH numbers

I checked back in my log book and it looks like I transcribed the Ph numbers incorrectly, I have now corrected them, thank you for noticing it!

That looks better!

[Danbo]

If I understand your calculations correct then you are able to apply 18,6 psi x 39,88 sq" = 742 lbs of pressure...

I'm thinking about going to extremes and use a 100mm (3,93 in) Bore X 350mm (13,78 in) Stroke Magnetic Double Acting ISO 15552 Pneumatic Cylinder. I might need to reinforce the wooden frame...

The surface area is 3,93 x 3,93 x 1,14 = 17,63 psi at end of rod

My mould in this example is 8 in (surface area 73 sq") hence preassure applied to cheese is 17,63 / 73 = 0,24 psi

My compressor delivers max. 9 bars (130 psi) which gives a max. pressure at 130 x 0,24 = 31,2 psi

Total weight applied to cheese: 31,2 psi x 73 sq" = 2,278 lbs (1033 kg)

Is it too extreme what I am planning? And one more thing: How can I control the very small preasure needed for some cheeses. Is it even possible to press with lets say only 5-10 kg with this setup?

:-) Danbo

[lazyeiger]

Its always best to think of psi not pounds weight when pressing cheese (IMO) this then takes the area of the mould into account.

If your Mould is 8" diameter then it would be 4 * 4 * Pi  = 50.3 Sq"  Not sure where the 73 Sq" came from?

I think that the wood will take that loading OK, I am sure you can find load ratings for 2 x 4's somewhere on the web. If you do not want to use wood I think that Unistrut http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3AUnistrut would be a good way to go, I was just trying (and succeeding) to be cheap by using 2 x 4's!

I had intended to by a good pressure regulator for controlling the pressure, however I have been pleasantly surprised by how well the regulator on my compressor performs so I have been using that, it will control as low as 2 psi no problem.  The pressure gauge on the compressor is pretty useless so I did need to get a better one which is mounted closer tot he press.

Jon

[H-K-J]

That is pretty inventive AC4U very cool

[pastpawn]

Nice!  Great looking cheese, and I love the equipment. 

Some of it looks VERY familiar (I have 4 taps too, but one is root beer). 

Good going with the GFI cord.  I see you also have an aquarium temp controller (STC1000?) connected to... what?  Is the pump running all the time, and do you have a heater in the Gott cooler?

Yes you MUST have a GFI and grounds connected wherever possible, electricity and water do not mix!

In the second picture you can see the 1500W 120V element mounted trough the bottom of the cooler (ground wire soldered to the metal case) The temp controller controls the element, the probe is in between to 2 coolers. water is continuously pumped (washing machine pump) from the top of the vat cooler to the top to the orange cooler, it then flows back to the vat cooler at the bottom past the temp probe. seems to control the temp very well, the time constant is huge due to the large quantity and heat capacity of the water. There is about 3 degrees overshoot of the water on the first heating cycle this however never gets transmitted to the milk due to the long time constant.

By the way orange cooler is my hot water tank and blue cooler is my mash tun for brewing so the only part I did not have was the vat.

Jon

I put a GFCI breaker in my breaker box for wet stuff. 

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