More comments to your husband are in order.  There’s no telling what he might come up with.  You’ll like a bigger mold, and stainless works quite well.  So, have you decided what to make yet?

Well I’m going to start with the farmhouse cheddar on the leeners site.
I think I’ll eat the first one straight away, and then play with aging subsequent ones in different ways.

The recipe on the leeners site only presses with 8lbs .. does that sound right?

No, it doesn’t.  The Farmhouse cheddars I do require 50 lbs for a 4” mold.

Just as well I asked!
What recipe do you use?

I use Ricki Carroll’s book.  The Leener’s recipe may turn out a good cheese, but it couldn’t be a very hard cheese.  If you’re inclined to try it, then go for it.

Ok. The home cheesemaking book? Not cheesemaking made easy that I’ve got!
The first one, I’ve got on reserve at the library so I’ll be able to get that recipe. Thanks.

ooookkk ...getting back to the vision ...

farmhouse cheddar is a whats-a-ma-callit ... the reason we don’t call bubbly champagne in this country anymore .. you know ...
and to call yourself farmhouse cheddar you need to be in the “west country” in britain .. which is all beside the point but ...

check out this picture of real farmhouse cheddar

Now ... that’s the vision .. that rind .. that everything ... that’s all mould and mites and organic *stuff* isn’t it?
So if I make ricki carrols recipe and age it in my “cave” .. will it be like that???

Ahhh .. its bandaged!

Braufrau…..
When I first started making cheese, I used the leener’s pressing weights and always turned out a wheel of cheese that could not be sliced.
Well, you COULD slice it, but it would literally fall apart when doing so.
The pressing weights they give are ones that are designed for their molds (much like the one that you pictured) and although those molds are good at giving up whey, they are not good for making a true hard cheese.
The cheese I made following thier advice were very soft and very crumbly.
You would do much better getting a piece of 4” or 6” PVC pipe and giving it the full pressing weight according to other recipes.
Most that I’ve looked at, give the final pressing weight of any cheddar type cheese at 50 lbs. This is for a 4” cheese and the weight goes up from there, depending on the mold size you use.
I might have posted this before (too lazy to go back and look) but for my 8” wheels I use 202 lbs. on a final cheddar press.
I have to say that since I’ve been using these increased pressing weights I’m turning out the best cheese of my life. The Stirred Curd Cheddar that I cracked a couple of weeks ago has the best texture, best flavor and best moisture content of any cheese I’ve made. I really hope my engish cheddar turns out as well.
Good luck on whatever you decide to do and thanks for being such an active member of this forum.

Dave

Thanks everyone again for your help!

The stainless was not a furphy! Its 6” diameter so ...
How long should it be? 7” ?? That would make it about the same size as the one that comes with the wheeler press I think.

And how big should the holes be and how many?

Maybe this is a faq. :s Maybe I’d better search ...

So Rich you reckon no holes at all?? That will certainly make life easier. Maybe just some half holes around the edges?

Mine is 8 1/2” tall, with no holes.  The whey seeps out the bottom as well as over the follower on the first press.  Its never been a problem.  I know some prefer holes along the sides.  I wouldn’t have a shorter one, personally.  I make 4 Gal batches, and there are some that nearly fill the mold I have.  If you’re going to stay with smaller batches, you would get by with 6 or 7” length.  But if its available, why not go for bigger?

The pipe is 1m (3.3 feet) long. That would make very tall cheese!
I thought I’d tell him to cut it 20cm (8 inches). I’ll see how much of a pain it is to for him drill holes.

mold with holes used for soft cheeses like Camembert , Stilton (blue), goat cheeses.

mold without holes used for hard cheeses like gouda, cheddars ....

usually when u use mold for soft chesses the hight drops 75% after drainage, this means 4” high cheese will become around 1”