Hi I haven’t posted for a long time.  I’ve been pretty steady making Feta for the last year but no hard cheeses.  But with time off this winter thought I’d try the Hard cheeses again.
Built a new press. (See picture) And am now planning a dutch style press.
Went out to the Fraser Valley in British Columbia Canada and met Debra Amrein Boyes (200 Easy homemade cheeses) Had a good chinwag and she signed a copy of her book.\
Next day met her head cheese maker and another good chat.  Even met the goats.
I’ve now made a Montasio 2 Gouda’s and my first cheddar.  I had 95 lbs weight for my 6” cheddar and thought it might not be enough but it came out looking good. Hope it will age well.
Having fun with it all and reading lots here to get some Ideas. Vacuum sealing vs wax and so on.  Have decided to go with vacuum sealing but wondered if taking the cheese out after aging and rubbing with brine then air drying for a couple of weeks might give it a more traditional look without drying out too much?
Anyway thought I’d say hi.
Mike

Hello Mike,

I like the press - especially the post to hold the weights in a centered position.  Good job!  Sounds like you’re getting into the hard cheese thing.  The weight you used for your cheddar is pretty close to what I use for mine.  I go with 110 lbs for a 6” mold.  But as long as you’re satisfied with the cheese, I’d say you found the right weight for you.  Keep it up, and thanks for the pix.

Nice design, great way to center the weight

When I clicked on the image I only got one slightly bigger than the thumbnail? Is that just me or is it really small? If its not just me, can you post a bigger one? I’d really like to see.

Its that small :(

I’ll try to make ot bigger. It is made from two teak salad trays I had laying around.  They have a goove around the outside just in from the rim. I drilled holes in this groove so that the whey drips down into the pizza pan. I scored lines in the bottom tray so the whey can find it’s way (no pun intended) to the groove.  I also put a piece of 4 inch pvc under the bottom tray so it can help support the load.

I love it! The creativity is wonderful, and the weights don’t fall off. Our first one that my husband designed the weights kept toppling off, which causes a big commotion at 2:00 in the morning when it wakes up the dogs.