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Thanks gents. I will let my father know. This was entirely him, not me. He had it 100% built before I ever saw it or had input.

Easier to add sugar than to remove rot....If you let them hang, watch them like a hawk.

Since others have asked about similar devices before, I thought I'd take and post pics of mine while I had it out in use. My father read about this when he was a kid (1950s). In his teens, he made a very rough version and used it to make cider. Decades later, he made this more refined...

Yeah...I would love to destem before I crush...but until I can pop $500 for a stemmer/crusher, with 3 young kids that kind of dedication is not happening!! There is ideal then there is realistic (for me)!

We used to make "seconds" all the time. Sometimes we'd save a few lbs of fresh fruit in the freezer to add in order to bring the flavor up a little bit. Was it something we'd enter in a competition or give as a gift? NO. Did we drink a metric ton of it and enjoy it as we were making better...

-Pick -Crush -Load in press, collect free run and set aside -Press, collect in second container -Optionally, after gunk has settled a bit, scoop clearer juice and separate that again as a separate batch -Add sulfate and get juice in glass -Put at 60F for ~24hrs -Take Brix, rack onto sugar +...

As I have stated, this is the crusher I use: This is why I state the perhaps what I do, and what you do, are more similar than using a mechanical destemmer/crusher. Until I get a mechanical crusher myself, I don't feel comfortable stating any firm opinion. I can't argue with my results...

Does it taste like germaniums? Yes, you don't want to use sorbate after MLF. Never have, but the stories are not pleasant. The only way to know is to taste it.

If it is food grade plastic, you can use it at least for short-term storage/primary. I would not use any plastic for bulk aging that was not clearly rated for long-term gas non-permeability (ie Better Bottles). For example, readily available beverage bottles are semi-gas permeable (link). See...

My press is simple cranked, not even ratchet, and would not crush whole grapes to a meaningful extent. I've tried. Perhaps those that crush mechanically have a different experience, but I have not had any bitter/tannic tendencies at all to my whites doing things the way I do. And I...

No worries. :b

I'm not sure where you're reading that there were hours in between crushing and pressing; I looked back and I don't see that in my post. (??) At most there was an hour while I cooked lunch to thank my picking crew. We were dumping straight from the crush into the press, at least as fast as...

All of those things were within range. The second yeast packet took an extra day longer than it should have but it's started now.

Define affordable. New small presses run in the $200-300 range. Destemmers, IIRC $250-300, and crusher/destemmers $350-$600 depending on if you want painted or stainless. I've seen used units of all on Craigslist for a considerable discount, but you need to keep your eyes open. Personally I...

This would take an awful lot more psi than my little antique sausage press can generate. I would definitely need to destem before applying that much pressure anyways, which is another thing I don't have the equipment to do in a reasonable manner. It sounds like what I'm doing is about right...

Well, I don't fish the spiders out so I guess I"m in trouble. :) I should really make a rabbit wire screen frame to improve the stem removal a bit. But with the varieties I have the bunches are pretty small so I'm not sure it would help much. Last year's red had no hint of stem-derived...

Was this at room temp? If so it is curious that it is moving so slow, but it appears to have been very slow from the start (assuming typical starting SG and taking ~3 weeks to get to 1.010). That would not be unusual at 50-55F, but at room temp I've not seen one that slow.

+1, do not be afraid to cut. If need be it will likely send new shoots up from the roots.

If you were asking me, I don't have a crusher/destemmer. My crusher is my feet and my destemmer is my hands sifting through the pulp after crushing. I'm not sure how vital it has to have ALL of the stems out. Some people actually add some back as a way to control the flavor. I probably...

I ended up with three 6.5gal batches of Cayuga White that are similar in composition. I won't say the same because I didn't have some large container to mix them all prior to allocating to the three containers...they are all free run juice though (5gal of pressed done separately). I pitched...