Disappointed with pressings after switching to 8 in mold

[timsumrall]

Apparently 6" to 8" is a big difference. I pressed 2 Gruyeres and an Asiago and was not happy with the recommended weights.

I made a lever. It bolts to the wall. The beam is 10 lbs. 3 psi is easy without pulleys.

I can see an even more study model with pulleys to handle 10 psi cheddar.

Nice to have a retirement space that I can sink lags into

Even folds away.

[TravisNTexas]

Nice Tim!  And I love the way it folds flat against the wall when not in use!

[awakephd]

Yep - that is the classic "Dutch-style press" - quick and easy to make if you have room for the lever to stick out. (And easy to calculate the weight applied to the cheese - the lever multiplies whatever weight you hang from it as a simple ratio - but I'm guessing you already know that!)

The one draw back of this style (other than not being compact) is that it does not have a system to ensure the ram is absolutely vertical; if the cheese is not positioned carefully, you might get the pressure applied at a bit of an angle, resulting in lopsided cheese. However, the height of your setup will minimize that risk.

And you are quite right - going from 6" to 8" molds reduces the psi (for the same weight applied) by a factor 9/16 - nearly a factor of 2. Again, my apologies for telling what you already know, but wanted to spell it out for the sake of others who may read this but not know.

By the way, are you finding that you need 3 psi for pressing Asiago or Gruyere? I generally get a good, well-closed rind on any alpine style with no more than ~1 psi (40 lbs applied to a 7" diameter mold); at most I might do a final press at ~2 psi. Now, if you want to talk about cheddar ... I generally go up to about 8 psi for the final pressing. And for Cantal, I've needed ~18 psi!!

[timsumrall]

3 psi for pressing Asiago or Gruyere?

No, not that much. I think, based on results and recipe, that I was underestimating. Asiago is a light press but should still be more when going to 8". I don't have a conversion chart but your offer of 9/16 should help. I've only made the one at 8".  A nice cheese but too much eye.

I've pressed 2 - 8" Gruyeres. The first @ 6 gallons (not yet cut) seems okay but the 7 gallon has surface knit issues. Could easily have been a temperature issue but again I think I need a bit more weight.

I've pressed 1/2 a dozen Red Leicesters but only to 50 lbs at 6". Recipe calls for 150 at 8".

With cheddar in my top 3, I might need some block and tackle 

Thanks for the comments!

[awakephd]

Nah, I don't think you'll need block and tackle. Based on the pictures, I'm guestimating about a 4:1 mechanical advantage. I would think you could hang 75 lbs. from the chain, and thus get 300 lbs of applied weight. And of course, if you need more ... just increase the length of the lever, while keeping the ram as close to the wall as possible.

If you still need more ... yeah, probably pulleys would be the easiest, except for the fact that you will need a way to fasten one end of the rope to the floor. Might be inconvenient to have an eyebolt sticking up. Maybe we could come up with a wall-mounted compound lever design. Hmm ...