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Fixed point to Fulcrum point 223mm
Fulcrum point to weight end 1210mm
1210/223 = 5.42MA

6 Kg weight *5.42 = 32.52Kg/.454 = 71.63 total weight (Lb) on follower
8" follower is 50.3 Inches²
71.63/50.3= 1.42PSI ( theoretical)

22 Kg weight *5.42 = 119.37Kg/.454 = 262.93 total weight (Lb) on follower
8" follower is 50.3 Inches²
262.93/50.3= 5.23 PSI ( theoretical)



Now, is the weight given enough for a cheddar?

Quote
Fixed point to Fulcrum point 223mm
Fulcrum point to weight end 1210mm
1210/223 = 5.42MA

This is not exactly right. The MA is actually the total length (1210+223) divided by the distance from fixed to fulcrum.

I have always tried to follow the University of Guelph guidelines. They suggest 10-20 psi for cheddar. Peter Dixon says to use 25 psi initially and then 40 psi until morning. I know these are difficult to achieve at home but I am just pointing out the general practice in commercial settings. The more the better. IMHO

Sailor, thank you for getting the charts for me.  I will print and laminate them as well.  I really appreciate your assistance.

Quote from: FarmerJd on July 28, 2010, 01:33:21 PM

I have always tried to follow the University of Guelph guidelines. They suggest 10-20 psi for cheddar. Peter Dixon says to use 25 psi initially and then 40 psi until morning. I know these are difficult to achieve at home but I am just pointing out the general practice in commercial settings. The more the better. IMHO

You know, in the back of my mind, I often considered this to be a mistake...a typo, or something.

25psi to 40psi?  Really?

That makes the top end of my cheese press spreadsheet a reality!

• 45lbs on the arm to reach 1100lbs applied theoretical for an end result of 25.5psi calculated.
• 70lbs on the arm to reach 1700lbs applied theoretical for an end result of 39.6psi calculated.

OMG!!   

I haven't tried that to see what would happen. I guess I will...even though I have no real method for measuring the applied force at the business end of the ramrod.

What could I use as a test to press the living daylights out of? (I know...don't end a sentence on a preposition.) I'd like to know whether the press can even do that before I start down the make process.

-Boofer-

Yeah Boofer, I wondered myself until I saw Peter Dixon's site confirm it. I have always wanted to achieve that kind of pressure without feeling like I was endangering my family so I am picking up a set of suspension air bags this week. i won't be able to put a setup together for a while (fall maybe) but I finally figured out how I could do it. I am going to stack 2 bags on top of each other to get the travel (14 inches) I need. Then I will just hook up my air hose and with 7 inch diameter bags, I can produce enough pressure to satisfy even Sailor.   We'll see.

We shall see who comes up with more Monster Pressure this is going to get interesting!

FarmerJD, so my real MA is 6.42, (1210+223)/223 this is a small help towards attaining 40 PSI. X50.3"² = about

2000 Lb on an 8" follower - ok - crazy but OK
2000 Lb/6.42MA = 311lb X .454 = 141Kg
141 Kg /2 for 1 pulley = about 70 Kg weight,  should be close at least theoretical...
Going out to pour a 70 Kg bucket of concrete
If I don't break something, I feel like I'll have linguine cheese coming through the holes in the mold!

Quote from: coffee joe on July 29, 2010, 02:38:15 AM
If I don't break something, I feel like I'll have linguine cheese coming through the holes in the mold!

I've got the feeling that the plastic moulds I'm using weren't designed for that kind of pressure and they may just bust a seam. Now stainless steel might make the grade, but then I don't have any of those. 

-Boofer-

I'm thinking that I will have to build a beefier press too.  I don't think that my press lever arms will support the weight required to reach 19 or 20lbs psi required for a cheddar.  As boofer said it could be scary hanging that much weight.

Boofer - It's not about weight. It's about pressure. As I pointed out above if you are pressing a Gouda at 2 psi it would take 75 pounds on a 7" hoop or just 25 pounds for a 4" hoop. On a larger hoop the weight is spread out over a larger surface area but the downward pressure is still the same. So the outward pressure on your molds is not as much as you think. Good quality molds are made to handle commercial pressing, which is MUCH higher that what we use.

Mr. Kim - I wouldn't jump into a really monster press too quickly. The problem with cheddar is that it is a salted curd cheese and the curds don't want to meld together very well after salting. So higher pressures are used to force the curds together. However, there is always more than one way to skin a cat. For 5 gallon batches, I use a technique I call Pressing In The Pot. (search the forum). Keeping the curds at 85-90 degrees during pressing will make a huge difference. So for example you could build a warming box around your hoop or use a heating pad wrapped around the hoop. By keeping the curds warm, I never have to go over about 8 psi on a 7.5" hoop and I get great results. Food for thought.

Thanks Sailor, I read that post and was already planning to do exactly that.  The cheddar's that I have made previously in my 7" mold turned out okay with just the 50 lbs that I used on them, then again, they were hooped warm for the initial pressing and flipping.  I think that the press that I am having built will be adequate for my needs for a while.  I was just amazed at the weight requirements from the chart that you so graciously shared.  Thank you again. 

Here is a pix of the Swiss wheel that I did a couple of weeks ago.  This is after the initial pressing, not the final press before brine.

Quote from: Sailor Con Queso on July 29, 2010, 02:22:34 PM
Boofer - It's not about weight. It's about pressure. As I pointed out above if you are pressing a Gouda at 2 psi it would take 75 pounds on a 7" hoop or just 25 pounds for a 4" hoop. On a larger hoop the weight is spread out over a larger surface area but the downward pressure is still the same. So the outward pressure on your molds is not as much as you think. Good quality molds are made to handle commercial pressing, which is MUCH higher that what we use.

I agree. My spreadsheet allows for my 7" and 4" molds. The only shortcoming of the sheet is that I have to be using four of the 4" molds with a "spreader"(cutting board). I don't have it broken out for a single 4".

So you believe that 1100 or 1700 lbs applied to my 7.375" mold will be just fine then?

-Boofer-

Mr Kim - I know this wasn't the final pressing, but the texture looks really open. As you can see from the chart, 50 pounds is really light for a 7" mold.

Boofer - just so you know, I have never pressed over 200 pounds on a 7.5" hoop.

It doesn't look like that now.  I will get a pix of it tonight and post it.  It is in day 6 of the plumping stage now.  Hope that it swells like it is supposed to.

I managed to get the weight up quite a bit.


35 Kg raw weight pass through 1 pulley
MA of 6.42 (math in previous post)
35 X 2 X 6.42 = 449Kg/.454= 989Lb
8"follower =50.3 In²
989/50.3= 19.67PSI if all the math is correct

I now have 3 raw weights 6Kg, 22Kg and 35Kg so I can start adding in increments

With the big weight, the result was a slight pressing of the curd up around one edge of the follower because the plunger was a little bit off plumb. This happened real quickly! fixed this but need to add a second spacer bar so it doesn't happen again ( saw this here on someone's post).
Will be turning over in the mold this afternoon and will have pics then.

Otherwise nothing broke!

Wow my head is spinning.
I am very new to cheese making, and as such I bought the easiest, dumb guy press I could find. It uses springs for the pressure and has a gauge to show how much pressure is being applied. My question is, if my recipe says 20 pounds, and I push this thing down to 20.  Am I using the right pressure? Or will it vary with the size and type of mould I am using?
By the way, the big drawback to this press is that you have to watch it, As the cheese compresses the weight decreases, kind of a pain in the butt.