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I made my 1st Lancashire yesterday using JeffHamm's recipe and schedule with a few minor modifications, I also used Sailor con Queso's sugestion to press naked to get a smoother rind. I have to date had 0% success with getting cheddar type cheese to look ok .  also I built a new cheese press the day before yesteday and it worked great, my old one was a spring type and did not work very well.

recipe
10 L/Q quarts jersey milk
1/2 ts calc. chloride
1/4 tsp meso 2 culture
1/2tsp + 2 drops liquid rennet (veal)
2 tbs salt

warmed milk & calc chloride  to 88f degrees
added culture stirred for 1 minute after 5 minutes
let ripen 45 minutes
added rennet stirred 1 minute floated bowl
nailed the floc at 15 minutes
floc @ 3x (45 minutes total
over shot temp by 3 degrees final temp 91f
cut curd 1/2" dice
rested 5 minutes
stirred curd 10 minutes
rested 5 minutes
drained in colander kept warm in a pot in a sink of warm water
rested curd mass 1/2 hr flipping once
cut cake in 1/2, stacked in warm pot for 15 minutes
the pieces did not melt together like i thought they would they stuck together very well but stayed 2 distinct individual pieces
milled to walnut sized pieces salted and moved to press
I pot pressed for 1.5 hrs @ 24 lbs pressure in a 6" mold
redressed and flipped and pressed @ 45 lbs for 8 hrs flipping 3 times
pressed for 1 hr naked.

to date this is the best hard cheese I have made yet, the Knit looks great ( to me) it is currently air drying for a couple of days then will go into my cheese cave/pumphouse.
the photos attached are of my new cheese press and the cheese after 12 hrs of air drying
thanks everybody for all the help and info.

Nice press you have there? What kind of wood did you use and did you use a paint or varnish? The cheese is looking good too...

The wood is western maple, maple grown west of the Mississippi, I bought it for $2.00 a board foot. I have not placed a finish on it yet as I wanted to try it out first. I pot pressed so whey did not leak on it. the finish I am goint to use is called salad bowl finish it is used for finishing salad bowls an counter tops and produces a high build easy clean finish that is food grade. the counter my press is sitting on has that finish on it. I have cad drawings of the press along with a spread sheet for the lever press pressure with different weights and positions if anybody wants it.

Hi Peter,

Well done!  Mine never melt together either, though they do sometimes stick together.  You can put a follower on top and press lightly to help remove some moisture (i.e. put a 2 litre jug of milk on top) if you want.  You final result looks much like what I get, and that's the point of following someone elses notes so top points on that.  A cheese to you and your press.  Looks great.

- Jeff

Good-looking cheese & press, Peter. Kudos from further south of you. 

How will you seal the rind and how long will you age this?

-Boofer-

Quote from: Boofer on June 24, 2012, 10:30:33 PM
Good-looking cheese & press, Peter. Kudos from further south of you. 

How will you seal the rind and how long will you age this?

-Boofer-

Thank you, I am thinking wax and age 1 month, if my kids do not get to it before then.

Quote from: peter on June 24, 2012, 03:39:31 PM
I have cad drawings of the press along with a spread sheet for the lever press pressure with different weights and positions if anybody wants it.

Hi Peter
I would love the drawings and spread sheet for the press if you still have them. It looks great, a work of art! thanks

yes i agree with rizzo i would greatly appreciate it if you posted the spreadsheet and cad diagram, a cheese to you for your first successful cheddar and many more to come.