What is a grape press - varieties, review of models, making it yourself

After harvesting grapes, unfortunately, you cannot store them in bunches for a long time; it is important to process these berries as quickly as possible.

An uncomplicated and simple grape press makes it possible to turn grape processing into an easy and quick task.

This device can be purchased ready-to-use, but since such equipment is not cheap, many people prefer to construct it themselves.

Content:

• What is a grape press, what types are used?
• Review of Lan and Vilen presses
• Hydraulic grape presses
• Hydraulic presses for home
• Screw press - self-assembly
• Grape press from a washing machine
• Grape crushers – what are they?

What is a grape press, what types are used?

A grape press is a kind of juicer that allows you to quickly squeeze out all the juice from grape berries.

This device includes the following components:

• barrel;
• frame on which the press device is installed;
• a lever or screw device that operates the juicer;
• a filter mesh or a special surface through which grape pomace does not pass;
• container in which pure squeezed juice is collected.

Today, different types of these units are used to quickly extract juice.For their production, only environmentally friendly materials that are safe for human health are used, such as stainless steel and wood.

The following types of grape presses are used, differing from each other in productivity, design features and operating methods:

• manual or mechanical devices. This type of press is used at home; it is not at all difficult to make yourself, but its operation requires certain physical strength;
• electric presses. These juice extraction units are hydraulic, pneumatic and auger. The equipment has high performance indicators and does not require physical labor to operate, but these devices are quite expensive;
• universal units. These electrical devices are suitable for processing not only grapes, but also any other fruits, vegetables and berries.

At home, you can make both a wooden and metal press.

Review of Lan and Vilen presses

The Vilen juicer is a manual press that is used for grapes and other fruit and berry crops. These devices are used at home, on farms, and in winemaking. These presses allow you to prepare large volumes of juice by squeezing it from huge quantities of grapes and other fruits.

Here are the main advantages of Vilen units:

• high speed. Screw equipment has different capacity volumes - 5.10 liters or more. As a result of 1 pressing, you can get 5 liters of juice or more;
• a large percentage of juice is released. Using a manual Vilen juicer, a person gets up to 80% of the juice from the total volume of grapes, depending on its juiciness;
• During pressing, the juice does not oxidize, since every element that comes into contact with the grapes is made of food-grade metal, namely stainless steel.

During use, the pressing pancake presses the grapes, and the juice flows through a perforated basket and filter bag into a special tray.

Lan presses are suitable for extracting juice from any berries and fruits; their operating principle is almost the same as Vilen juicers.

They are manufactured in different volumes and have the following advantages:

• the design is made of durable metal;
• all structural elements that come into contact with the grapes are made of stainless steel;
• the pressing plate has increased strength and is reinforced with several stiffening ribs;
• to avoid corrosion, the screw has a galvanized surface;
• The plate and basket are made of stainless steel.

Manual juicers Vilen and Lan have approximately the same performance and cost, and the equipment is almost the same. Each consumer decides for himself which of these presses is best for him.

Hydraulic grape presses

Hydraulic juicers are used to squeeze juice from grapes and many other berries, fruits and vegetables, such as currants, apples, carrots, etc.

Hydraulic presses are convenient and practical to use; they are manufactured in two main varieties.

Jack press. This equipment has a square or rectangular metal frame equipped with a stop for attaching the jack rod. Moreover, in different designs the jack is installed either in the upper or lower part of the device, strictly in the center of the press.

This equipment is quite easy to operate; both men and women can handle the work of squeezing juice, because during use it is not necessary to exert much physical force.

The principle of operation is as follows: the jack rod extends and presses on the pancake, squeezing out the juice from berries or fruits. But there is one problem - often the length of the rod is not sufficient for the entire height of the basket for squeezing juice, so it is necessary to place something under the jack, for example, blocks of wood.

To solve this problem, you can purchase a special 2-stage jack.

Presses with hydraulic cylinders. These devices are manual and electric, that is, partially automatic. Electrical devices are connected to the mains and activated by pressing a button; grapes have to be loaded into the basket manually.

Semi-automatic models are usually used in industry; the equipment is used for squeezing juice from any fruit, berries and vegetables.

Let's watch a video of how a hydraulic grape press works:

A pump with a hydraulic cylinder is installed on the metal frame of such a press; through the pump, oil is supplied to the hydraulic cylinder, and the plasticine presses on the raw material, squeezing the juice out of it. The volume of baskets varies and can reach 200 liters.

Electric hydraulic juicers are quite expensive; they are rarely purchased for home use; such presses with hydraulic cylinders are used mainly in enterprises.

Hydraulic presses for home

The device is a semi-automatic equipment. The principle of operation is to use tap water, which is supplied to the device under pressure.After the grapes or other raw materials are poured into the perforated basket, it is closed with a metal lid.

In the central part of the basket there is a special rubber membrane, into which tap water is supplied under pressure.

Under the influence of water, the membrane expands and increases in size, thereby squeezing out the juice from fruits or vegetables. These presses work well at home; tap water pressure of about two to three atmospheres is sufficient for their operation.

These devices are made with basket volumes from twenty to two hundred liters. This equipment is popular, but its cost is much higher than the price of hydraulic or screw devices.

To work with a hydraulic press, you do not need to exert much physical effort; the device operates in semi-automatic mode. Such devices are suitable for large volumes of work if drinks are pressed for sale. Over time, the rubber membrane wears out and breaks, resulting in the need to purchase a new membrane.

Screw press - self-assembly

A screw-type mechanical press is one of the most reliable units that can be made quite easily and quickly with your own hands.

To assemble this equipment, you will need a stainless steel sheet, the thickness of the sheet should be at least one or two millimeters. This sheet will be used to make the squeezing chamber, as well as the tray and protective cover to protect against splashes.

The frame of this device is made of iron pipes or channels. A hole is drilled in a channel placed horizontally on top of the structure; the diameter of the hole should be greater than the thickness of the screw.A nut with a coarse thread is inserted and welded into the drilled hole.

The long screw that will be screwed into this nut must also have a large pitch.

Structurally, the device is quite simple: raw materials are loaded into a perforated basket, the screw is unscrewed along the thread, and thanks to the pressure exerted by the metal plate on the berries, the juice is squeezed out. All the pulp remains in the basket, and the juice flows through the holes into the tray and flows, for example, into a bucket.

To manufacture this device, the required size of stainless steel sheet is first prepared. Future holes are marked on this sheet and drilled with a drill. The diameter of the holes should not be too large so that the pulp does not come out. The diameter of the holes should be within 0.2-0.7 centimeters.

After this, the perforated metal plate is rolled up so that it acquires a cylindrical shape, then the joint is welded with a welding machine.

Next, a protective cylindrical casing is made of stainless steel, which is placed over the perforated cylinder. This casing is needed so that the squeezed juice does not splash in all directions; along this casing it will flow into a round or square tray with a spout.

Let's watch a video about making a grape press yourself:

After this, a stable frame is welded from the channels. When it is ready, a round piece of stainless steel plasticine is welded to a long metal screw with a large thread, matching the diameter of the perforated basket; it is this plate that will press on the berries.

A handle is welded to the top of the screw, with which they will unscrew the screw and squeeze out the juice.

Grape press from a washing machine

If you have an old washing machine whose tank is made of stainless steel, then you can make a juicer out of it yourself. If the washing machine has a working centrifuge, then a centrifugal model of a juicer is made from the device.

In any case, the first step is to draw a detailed drawing of the future unit and prepare the necessary consumables and tools.

It is important to act according to the following scheme:

• All elements are thoroughly cleaned from scale, corrosion and rust. It is convenient to polish the surface with ordinary sandpaper;
• There will be only 2 holes in the design. Raw materials are loaded through one, and squeezed juice flows through the other. If there are other openings on the washing machine, they are closed using inserts cut from rubber;
• cut out a gasket from a stainless steel grinder, and also prepare a stainless steel grater. Many holes are drilled in a round stainless steel sheet, the circles are divided into several sectors, after which the cutting teeth are filled, and the entire element is secured with screws;
• Reliable metal stiffeners are inserted into the drum, and it is also equipped with a filtration mesh;
• The loading container is made from a cylinder, for example a polyethylene pipe, which is secured with metal corners. It is important to secure it with a slight shift to one side, so that the edge of this pipe coincides with the exit from the grater;
• to make it convenient to press the raw material, prepare a pusher from some cutting;
• to prevent the device from falling below the permissible level, install a limiter;
• prepare and secure the electric motor.

Depending on its power, the unit will be more or less powerful.

It is important that all structural elements are securely fastened and fixed; in addition, electrical elements must be insulated.

Grape crushers – what are they?

This crusher is a small, fairly simple device that allows you to quickly crush berries and then use the resulting mixture to make wine or squeeze juice.

Crushers are used both at home and in businesses.

The simplest apparatus includes a hopper for loading berries or fruits; in the lower part of this hopper there are two rollers, which are located parallel to each other. This hopper is located on a metal or wooden frame; the device is driven mechanically - by a handle that rotates the rollers through a gear system. Some crusher models have a container into which the crushed raw materials fall.

The rollers are located at a short distance from each other, and when the berries fall between the rollers, the grapes are crushed without damaging their seeds. When the handle rotates, the rollers rotate in different directions, and the berries falling between the rollers are crushed, after which the juice and pulp fall into a container or vat located at the bottom of the crusher. They manufacture electric and mechanical crushers.

So, there are many different types of grape presses. You can either buy a finished device in a store or construct it yourself. Self-assembly is not at all difficult, the main thing is to prepare all the necessary consumables, tools, and act strictly according to the scheme.