The question of how to quickly and efficiently process the grown crop is quite relevant for those who own personal plots large area and processes them. Many of the devices that help to effectively solve this problem can be made independently: for example, it will not be difficult to make a grape press with your own hands. Using this useful device, can be quickly recycled even big harvest grapes, prepare juice for the winter, make wine or grape vinegar. To make one, you don't need special knowledge and skills, use complex equipment and expensive consumables.
What is a grape press?
A juicer, operating on the principle of a press, is a device with which you can squeeze juice not only from grapes, but also from other berries and fruits. The grape crusher consists of the following elements:
- supporting frame;
- a tray in which the squeezed juice is collected;
- a barrel in which the juice is pressed;
- an element used to press berries or fruits;
- a power screw that launches the pressing element;
- fine mesh that acts as a filter element.
To press grapes, it is best to use a press. screw type. In this case, the berries of white varieties are pre-crushed, and the red ones are processed after they have been in a warm place for several days and begin to ferment.
The principle by which the press for squeezing grapes works is quite simple and is as follows: the raw materials loaded into the barrel basket are acted upon by a pressing element driven by a screw mechanism.
The most common materials from which grape presses are made are stainless steel and wood. Such materials, being environmentally friendly, do not emit harmful substances and, accordingly, do not affect negative influence on the quality of the finished product.
Homemade stainless steel crusher
In order to make a grape press from of stainless steel In addition to a set of plumbing tools, you will need a welding machine, and some parts of such a device will need to be ordered from a turner. To make a press, it is not necessary to purchase new sheets of stainless steel; you can completely get by with the metal from which the tanks of failed washing machines are made.
A do-it-yourself steel press for grapes is made in the following sequence.
- Tanks from unnecessary washing machines are cut and from the resulting metal, using a welding machine, two cylindrical containers without a bottom are made. The height of both containers should be 24 cm, and the diameters should be 23 and 29 cm.
- A container with a smaller diameter will serve as a basket into which the berries will be loaded before pressing. In the walls of such a container along its entire perimeter it is necessary to drill holes with a diameter of 8 mm, placing them in a checkerboard pattern. An external container is necessary to ensure the collection of juice, which will come out through the holes in the walls of the basket when pressure is applied to the berries loaded into it. To ensure that the finished juice is drained from the outer container, a cutout must be made in its lower part.
- To install an outer cylinder with a basket, it is necessary to make a tray with sides, one of the sides of which should be beveled to ensure more convenient drainage of the squeezed juice. There should be no edge on the narrowed side of the pan, where the juice will drain.
- A flange with a diameter of 21 cm can be used as a punch that will exert pressure on the raw materials loaded into the basket. Such a flange is connected by welding to a screw rod, which can be used as a screw from a water valve. A head with a hole for a handle is welded to the top of the screw, with the help of which it will be driven into rotation.
- Paired with a screw, at the lower end of which a punch is fixed, there is a nut welded into the upper horizontal jumper of the U-shaped frame. To provide high stability frame of a homemade grape press, it is concreted into the floor or securely fixed to the surface of the work table with screws.
We recommend perforating the working surface of the flange-punch of the design described above with a drill with a diameter of 4 mm, which will reduce the pressure on the side walls of the press basket. When making such a grape press, it is also advisable to weld bandage rings in the upper and lower parts of the basket, which will ensure its location exactly in the center of the outer container.
A homemade press made from steel elements can be used to squeeze not only grapes, but also currants, chokeberries, apples and herbaceous raw materials. To extract maximum amount juice from individual species vegetable raw materials, the latter must first be crushed using a regular meat grinder or a special crusher for this purpose. A do-it-yourself grape crusher, as well as similar devices for other types of plant raw materials, can be made with minimal financial costs.
Wooden juicer
A more budget-friendly option for a device for squeezing grapes, which you can make yourself, is a wooden press. To use such a device without an external metal container, it must be equipped with a tray with high sides that will prevent the squeezed juice from splashing on the sides. In this case, the metal elements of a homemade press will only be a screw with a nut and drainage grids, which are used to lay layers of fabric bags with plant raw materials.
To make a basket of a wooden press for squeezing juice from grapes with a volume of 20 liters, it is necessary to prepare 20 boards measuring 320x50x15 mm and, laying them in a row, fasten them together using self-tapping screws and two strips of stainless steel 0.5–1 mm thick. When connecting the planks from which the walls of the press basket will be formed, it is necessary to maintain a distance of 10–12 mm between them. After all the planks are connected to the metal strips, the resulting structure is rolled into a cylinder, and the ends of the stainless steel strips are fastened together using a bolted connection. The result should be a lattice wooden basket with a diameter of 29 cm, the height of which is 32 cm.
A wine and grape juice press made of wood does not need to be equipped with a metal thrust flange. The role of the punch in this case can be played by wooden circle with a diameter of 27 mm, the pressure on which is also applied using a screw with a handle or a car jack installed on the top of the frame of the grape press.
Due to frequently asked questions, I want to tell you on the pages of my blog about how I made my first screw press for grapes, with a 20 liter basket.
This was back in 2007, when I was just starting to engage in winemaking “for myself” and was not going to think about any expansion of this aspect of my work.
At that time, a lot of December ripened on my gazebo, there was Muscat Hamburg, Livadia black and many remnants of bunches of table varieties, mostly overripe, spoiled by wasps and ants. Now I remember this raw material with a smile, but then I, like many lovers, considered it quite suitable for wine. Which, in principle, is true, if you don’t delve into what kind of wine it is. 🙂
But this is the lyrics, let's move on to the constructive. Literally.
So, a screw press for grapes. What does it consist of, in my understanding?
1. Frame. The option with a screw through the basket (as I have now) seemed unacceptable to me then.
2. Screw. A screw is a screw, with a powerful, preferably rectangular, thread. With a smile, I now remember my ordeal with turners in the workshops I knew... What a people! Lazy grabbers! 🙁 There is still a picture from the workshop of our city water canal, when three turners, without letting go of the domino bones from their hands, told me how busy they were and how they had no time to turn a screw from a finished rod. They talked for 10 minutes...
3. Basket. Well, I saw the basket, in my understanding, it should be made of oak slats. Where can a resident of Dnepropetrovsk get oak? That's right, the first association is parquet! 🙂 That’s what I used on this product, the main part of the press. The basket must be tightened with hoops. Which ones? Well, stainless steel, of course! For some reason, the dealers in the local construction market did not have a stainless strip of acceptable width and thickness at that time, but they did have corners. Well, I took them. Then, oh, how I regretted it, because the basket turned into a life-threatening object... Well, more on that later.
What is the design? Not only did I make a frame, but I also wanted the press to be a self-contained piece of equipment that did not require any stands. Those. on legs. A kind of frame on legs, a nut is fixed at the top into which the screw rod is screwed, and in the frame there is a basket made of oak slats into which grapes or must with pulp are loaded.
I started with the basket.
At a parquet store I bought two dozen parquet boards, 320 mm long, 50 mm wide and 15 mm thick. At the market there are two meter-long stainless steel corners. As I already wrote, no one had a strip 0.5...1 mm thick, I had to take the corners... :)
Using a home machine, I removed the grooves from the boards with a milling cutter to reduce clogging. As I later saw, the operation was useless: with the help of a dishwasher brush, all the cracks can be washed out very easily.
Using self-tapping screws (with a stainless steel coating!) I attached them to the corners with a gap of 10...12 mm. Then, using a grinder, I cut a corner between the planks, bent the edges of the strips, and made holes in them for the bolts:
And voila! - cart is ready:
The diameter of the basket requires an insert, a piston, which will directly rest on the grape pulp. Here is the basket with it, “assembled”, so to speak: :)
Basket height 32 cm, inner diameter— 29 cm. Volume (calculated) turned out to be 21 liters.
The photographs show sharp edges on the corners. Oh, how many scratches they made on my hands when moving and washing, how many rags they tore... Until I took the grinder again and cut off all the excess right down to the boards!
The next day I went and bought a 25 mm angle, M6 bolts with nuts, and several Ø 6.2 mm drills. I assembled the frame of the press and immediately got to work:
It is necessary to place planks under the screw on the circle:
I ordered the screw in advance from a “handy” turner who was finally found, with great difficulty. Screw Ø 30 mm and 3 mm pitch, with a nut, with a welded disk with holes for fastening, cost me a considerable sum at that time: 100 UAH!
The remaining details are a piece of plywood on the stand and a plastic bowl in which I made a hole and inserted a tube - the final touches. It cost me a penny. A total amount the cost of this screw wine press (or wine press, which is correct? :)) was about 300 UAH. I was glad that a factory Italian similar press cost about $300. This is such a savings for the family budget! 🙂
As I understand now, that head screw would be enough for a 100-liter press! 🙂 Welding machine I didn’t have it then, and at that time I had never held it in my hands, so I did everything with bolts. Well, the apartment, after all. Although it would be possible to cook on the balcony with an inverter, as I now understand.
Due to the bolted connection, the frame “walked” a little, which created additional problems towards the end of the spin cycle, when the effort increased. But what an indescribable pleasure it was! 🙂
Well, finally finished! 🙂
The result was a wine that was not at all embarrassing to treat to friends!
As you can see, friends, higher education You don’t need to have one to make your own screw grape press. There are 3...4 months left before the winemaking season, so whoever wants to use my experience - there is still plenty of time! Have a good harvest and happy homemade wine! 🙂
After the summer struggle for the harvest, the autumn struggle with the harvest begins. A juice press is a device that can greatly simplify this task. It is used both in summer cottages and for industrial purposes. Has several configuration options. You can even create a simple device with your own hands. IN different regions In Russia it is most often used for collecting apples, grapes, carrots, and other vegetables and fruits.
How does a juice press work?
The device has mechanical type management. Comprises:
- Baskets for loading vegetables or fruits. Depending on the model, it can be made of metal or wood.
- Press. It descends into the basket and squeezes its contents.
- A filter through which the squeezed product passes, leaving behind pulp, seeds, etc. It can be made of burlap and wooden grates.
- The tray into which the finished product flows out. Made from different materials, right down to the plastic.
If the juice press is operated manually, it requires a lot of effort to extract the juice. Especially when it comes to vegetables, herbaceous plants or hard fruits (). Therefore, it is better not to consider it as a gift for a woman. Only if you need a small volume for kitchen use.
How the device works:
- Before starting work, the products from which it is planned to make juice are cut into small pieces (or crushed).
- Place them in a basket, distributing them evenly over the entire plane (some devices use a special filter bag).
- Gradually a press is lowered onto the basket, compressing the contents.
- The drink is cleaned by passing through filters and ending up in the tray.
This principle is called the cold press method.
The press does not heat the products, thereby preserving everything useful material, which were laid down by nature.
Advantages and disadvantages
What are the advantages of this type of food processing:
- all vitamins and minerals are preserved;
- the minimum amount of waste is only 5%;
- does not make noise when used;
- simple design, easy to repair if broken;
- long-term operation without wasting resources;
- is inexpensive;
- can be easily transported from place to place.
Minuses:
- if the volume of products is large, then spinning will require a lot of effort and time;
- it is necessary to engage in pre-processing of vegetables and fruits (for small models In addition to cutting, you also need to peel the fruit and remove the seeds);
- You can’t get a lot of juice from one serving of the product.
Before choosing, you need to decide on the criteria by which you need to evaluate the device.
Types of control of juice presses
Manual presses require direct human participation in the spinning process. Automatic devices take effect after pressing the button. The latter include hydraulic or pneumatic presses. Their purpose is to process a large volume of products; they are most often used on farms where large harvests are harvested or in production workshops.
For ordinary summer cottage an automatic press for squeezing juice is not suitable, since there is no large volume and the cost of the device is above average (about 500,000 rubles).
Types of presses
They differ in the type of mechanism and the nuances of device assembly. Mechanically controlled presses have a small production volume, up to 30 liters per hour. The units are simple, you can make them yourself. Well suited for use at home and in the country. The main structural element is a steel frame. It holds the device in place during use.
Manual screw press
This device is the simplest and very convenient. A screw press for squeezing juice has a simple design: it is driven by a screw. Under its influence, the piston lowers. Such units are inexpensive. The only negative is that they sometimes require considerable physical strength.
Models calculated hand press about 2.5 liters of vegetables or fruits.
Juice jack press
It is easier to control than a screw. Fix the device on the floor and set it in motion using a jack. Physically, this is much simpler than tightening a screw. It can be used in the country, right on the street. A jacking press costs approximately 15,000 rubles and can produce up to 3 liters of juice per full load.
Pneumatic press
Works in automatic mode. It is set in motion by the action of compressed air, which is created by a compressor. It is advisable to use it on large farms, farms or on several plots. Capable of recycling a large number of vegetables and fruits. Its price is approximately 80-90000.
The pneumatic press produces up to 14 liters of finished juice in 1 cycle.
Hydraulic
Looks like a metal basket with holes. Inside there is a rubber bag into which water is supplied under pressure. The bag fills and presses on the raw materials that are in the basket. The juice flows through the holes into the lower reservoir.
There are mechanical, automatic and electric models. The device is set in motion by fluid pressure on the piston. And it is created using controls.
There are two types of hydraulic juice presses:
Due to the fact that the design hydraulic press complex, its price is above average. In private households it is used less often than screw.
Belt press for juice extraction
Used in factory production. Fully automatic, performs all functions independently. The machine is powered by electricity and produces directly pressed juice.
Combined
Here the screw and jack are tried on together. Initially, the juice is produced using a screw mechanism. Afterwards, the remains are pressed down with a jack. Effective on garden plots small in size, convenient and easy to use.
Differences by type of raw material
In most cases, juice presses are universal. You can squeeze any fruits and vegetables in them. Some models involve the creation of oil.
A special press is only suitable for a certain type of raw material. For example, it is used only for citrus fruits or berries. It is not recommended for use on hard products.
Before loading raw materials into a press of any type, it must be crushed. Otherwise, the device is in danger of breaking. A crusher is used for these purposes.
How to choose a juice press
For home, to small company, a press with a volume of 3-5 liters is enough. There are special small devices with which you can prepare 1-2 glasses of juice. For a summer residence, when you need to roll up several cans of juice, use a screw or hydraulic press with a volume of 10-12 liters.
If available big garden, wine is produced or a press is used for apples on a large farm, you need to take a volume of up to 30 liters. Automatic or semi-automatic control. Small industrial production will require the ability to squeeze up to 200 liters of juice per hour. A pneumatic juice press or an electric belt press is ideal here.
The harder the raw material, the more powerful the unit will be required. A screw press can be used to juice apples and grapes, but processing will take a long time. A hydraulic apparatus will produce more juice than a screw one.
To chop fruits and vegetables, special devices are used - choppers. Any press can process whole fruits and vegetables, but the quality will be much worse, so this is not recommended.
DIY juice press - video
Grape presses are an integral part of the winemaking process, both on an industrial scale and for home use. good and modern equipment can significantly facilitate the work of a winemaker.
Purpose and principle of operation of the press
A modern and convenient press is necessary to obtain good wort. It is the adherence to fermentation technology and the use of properly prepared wort that will directly determine the quality of the wine produced.
Using a press helps to quickly and effectively separate the grape pulp from the resulting must and squeeze out all the juice from the pulp. At the same time, crushing of grape seeds and ridges, as well as skins, does not occur during the pressing process. Thus, The press allows you to extract juice from the berries without damaging the seeds or ridges of the grapes.
A standard press consists of the following elements and components:
- gears;
- a pair of wooden or stainless steel rollers with a grooved surface;
- a pair of containers intended for crushed grapes and grape juice.
A pair of rollers is mounted on gears. When the handle moves, the rollers come into action and begin to counteract forward movement. A special device can be used to adjust the gap between the gears depending on the size of the processed berries.
The minimum clearance is 3 mm, and the maximum distance between gears can be set to 8 mm. The result of the press is the extraction of juice from the berries and redirecting it into a separate container.
Standard Process Pressing grape berries consists of several stages:
- separation of wort by gravity;
- obtaining first pressure wort;
- obtaining the wort of the second and third pressures.
Any press is a pressing device, complemented by a fixed plate and a basket in which the pulp is separated from the grape juice. In the interdisk space a peculiar drainage system, which promotes the removal of pure juice. Directly under the press there is a screw designed to remove the presses.
Types of press
Currently, there are a large number of varieties of such units that help obtain juice from grapes.
- Mechanical press for grapes. The unit includes a wooden basket and a cast iron frame. This unit is compact and its price is quite affordable for most consumers. Good and high quality mechanical press is the best option for home winemaking. The principle of operation is based on the use of physical effort. The productivity of such a unit is not too great.
- Electric grape press. Made from high quality stainless steel. This material is not prone to oxidation, is durable and does not affect negative impact on the taste characteristics of the final product. The principle of operation is based on the pressure obtained by using water (hydraulic) or air (pneumatic) through a special pump. Productivity is very high.
In addition, according to the purpose of the press, they can be made into universal ones, which can be used for squeezing not only grapes, but also other berries or fruits, as well as special ones, the use of which is adapted specifically for grapes.
By material
The most popular wooden and metal presses are:
- wooden presses need more careful care, which includes washing, disinfecting and systematic inspections for the appearance of mold or pathogens. A high-quality main basket of the press is made of beech or oak;
- metal presses can be either cast iron or stainless steel. Such materials are more hygienic and easier to maintain. In addition, such materials are very durable and do not impart foreign odors to the wine. Metal presses can be both household and industrial.
By volume and power
Of course, home winemaking involves the use of more budget options presses that have low, but quite sufficient productivity for domestic use. For home use, presses are used without metal elements or homemade designs.
Hydropress for grapes (video)
Benefits of use
- grape juice obtained in this way contains all the beneficial and nutrients, which is due to minimal contact with oxygen;
- the press allows you to obtain a larger volume of grape juice;
- with this method of squeezing, foaming is practically not observed;
- A high-quality press is not only durable, but also reduces the cost of effort and time.
When choosing a unit for home or household use, you should choose simple design, which is easy to assemble and clean after work.
DIY making
Very often, at home, winemakers replace the press with conventional food processors or juicers. However, the use of such devices very often causes poor clarification of wine and the formation of sediment.
You can make a press yourself using available materials. Such a device will facilitate the process of obtaining juice and will not require the purchase of expensive equipment.
Step-by-step instruction for making a press:
- preparing a container for loading berries, which can be used as a drum from a regular washing machine, in the walls of which holes should be drilled in a checkerboard pattern;
- Prepare a container that is larger than the size of the washing machine drum. The container, like the drum of a washing machine, should look like a cylinder without a bottom and have a row additional holes along the bottom;
- having inserted one cylinder into another, you should fix them together by inserting blocks between the walls;
- prepare a U-shaped frame, onto the crossbar of which drilled hole the working part is fixed in the form of a thick cast-iron pancake with a lever;
- both containers are placed in a wide bowl made of food-grade plastic, in which a hole is drilled for a hose to drain the juice.
The principle of operation of such a mechanism is very simple. A U-shaped frame concreted in the form of a horizontal bar with a working mechanism is the basis under which a structure made of a basin with two perforated cylinders is installed. The hose from the basin should be placed in a container to collect the finished juice. The grapes are loaded into a drum and covered with a wooden shield, onto which it is lowered using a lever. cast iron pancake press. The squeezed juice flows through the hose into a clean container.
The best and highest quality juice is the one that is collected from grapes without using a press, that is, by gravity. As a rule, winemakers combine it with first and second pressing juice, which allows them to obtain the highest quality wine. The juice from the third and subsequent pressings can be used in winemaking to prepare simpler alcoholic drinks. The pressed pulp can be mixed and pressed again, but no more three times.
How to make a grape press (video)
Of course, you can squeeze grape juice by hand or through a juicer. But such options have a large number of disadvantages, including loss of juice and reduction in the quality of the wine. Therefore, for winemaking at home, it is recommended to purchase or make at least a simple press yourself. It is very important to thoroughly rinse the device immediately after use, and then the press will serve faithfully for many years.
Breeders have developed many grape varieties that can ripen in any part of Russia. Grapes are prepared for the winter in the form of juice, which children love very much. And for adults there is nothing better than natural grape wine. To squeeze out the juice, winegrowers have to put in a lot of effort. A special press helps make work easier. And by making a grape press with your own hands, you will be able to get a useful device while saving money.
General definition and types of presses
A grape press is a barrel with drainage grates, equipped with a tray for collecting juice. A power screw is located on top of the barrel, with the help of which pressure is exerted on the pressing element. The barrel is made of stainless steel and wooden planks from beech or oak. It is important that all materials are environmentally friendly.
Presses can be used not only for processing grapes. They are equally effective when processing apples, as well as other fruits and berries. All devices are divided into several types.
Mechanical. Such devices are popular among gardeners. Their distinctive feature is not very high performance associated with the need to use manual labor.
The grapes are poured into a perforated basket. And the principle of operation of mechanical equipment is that the creation of the required pressure on the press is carried out due to a screw mechanism, which is rotated using a handle.
Electrical. This category includes two types of equipment:
- Hydraulic Press;
- pneumatic press.
The operation of the hydraulic press is ensured by a hydraulic pump. That is, it exerts pressure on the pressing element using water. Pneumatic equipment involves applying pressure with air. From mechanical presses electrical devices characterized by the absence of the need for manual labor. Due to this, work productivity and the volume of juice obtained are significantly increased.
What materials are needed to make a press?
Grape press can be purchased at finished form. Manufacturers offer consumers Various types equipment, including hydraulic juicers. But it’s not at all difficult to make it yourself.
The grapes are loaded into a barrel or basket, touching its walls. Therefore, it is very important that it is made from quality material. Two options are most often used.
Tree. Only hardwood, such as beech or oak, is suitable for these purposes. By making a basket from wooden planks, you will be able to obtain a durable and environmentally friendly structure. But when using wood, difficulties arise with caring for the equipment. After each juice extraction, the basket will have to be thoroughly rinsed and dried.
Metal. Ideal option will be cast iron or stainless steel. These materials do not oxidize upon contact with fruit. Metal barrels are easy to maintain, easy to clean and are highly hygienic.
The press itself is a circle, which is often made of wood. In addition, you will need to prepare bolts and nuts for fastening structural parts, a metal rod and bearings, as well as tools for working with wood and metal.
Procedure for making a press
To make it easier to make a grape press with your own hands, you can take a drum from an old washing machine. Holes are drilled in the drum for attaching wooden planks. Drainage strips can be sawn from bars or use parquet planks.
A “pancake” is made from the same strips, which will act as the bottom of the basket. A block is screwed onto the “pancake” across the slats, which will provide a gap between the basket and the metal barrel.
Next from metal profile A U-shaped frame is made. It is important that the profile thickness is at least 3 mm. The frame is concreted in the ground, ensuring its stable position. If you need to make a mobile device, legs made of metal pipes are welded to the frame.
A “pancake” made of stainless steel or cast iron is installed on the frame crossbar, which acts as a press. To fix the “pancake”, a hole is drilled in the frame. A lever or handle is installed on the press. Further turning the handle, the press will lower into the basket.
The barrel is installed at the base of the frame on a pallet, for example, in a basin. A hole is made in the basin into which the hose is inserted. The juice will be drained through the hose into a receiving container.
It is also necessary to make wooden shield, which will cover the grapes loaded into the basket. This completes the process of making a homemade press.
How to use the press
To take advantage homemade press, the basket is covered with filter cloth. As a filter, you can use gauze folded in several layers, special fabric, chintz or synthetic fiber. It is important that it does not contain dangerous dyes.
The grapes are removed from the bunches. If juice is supposed to be made from it, the berries are washed under running water. For wine, washing the berries is not required, since it is the grape skins that contain wine yeast, which causes natural fermentation.
Next, grapes are loaded into the basket. It is covered with a wooden shield on top. Using a lever or handle, a metal “pancake” is lowered onto a wooden shield. Under metal pressure, the juice formed from the grapes gradually enters the pan and, entering the hose, is drained into a receiving container.
After use, the grape press is disassembled, thoroughly washed and dried. These manipulations must be carried out after each use of the equipment. Otherwise wooden elements structures will rot.