Hi Jack, do you know if metal
honey extractors and presses are generally 304 or 316 stainless?
Iām going to look into threaded rod so I can use a spanner to put the downward pressure. Iām thinking of using vertical rods with gaps between them, in a square shape instead of round.
How does the press āreleaseā the wax when you have finished? Some people say a real bear other not so much of a problem.
I wasnāt there for the clean up- but my brother said the wax was compacted into a nice 1 inch circular disc- that stuck to the pressing plate. he scraped it off- and said the rest of the clean up was no big deal. Some of the more expensive italian style presses have a hinge so you can remove the basket from the base- which would make cleaning up even easier.
@Dan2 I donāt know what type of stainless it is. On mine the press plate is alloy- and the rest stainless- pretty shiny and clean looking.
square should be easier all round (pun?).
I get the pun 
You get a bit more volume with square. Iām thinking 125x125 inside & 125 high. That equals just under 2 litres. I could go 250 high to make it 4 litres.
Thatās good thinking. Iāve been googling presses this last week and havenāt seen one square one. Theyāre all round.
@Dan2, 304SS and 316SS would both be suitable. You could use 430SS, but depending on how you store your equipment 304SS might be a better option.
To my knowledge, 304SS and 430SS are the more common grades in the food industry. 316SS, while used, is more common in the marine industry (followed by 304SS which is not as resistant to salt corrosion as 316SS).
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Probably because of the effect of pressure on the corners with a square design. Cylindrical designs would last a lot longer over time, and be less likely to split or warp under pressure. After all, that is why compressed gas containers are usually cylindrical. 
I saw some square wooden ones that press horizontally. No for sale but when you click on images of honey pressās, youāll find heavy square ones. Plus @Dawn_SD, if & when I build one it will be strong enough that the corners wont give way, split or warp under pressure. It will also last a lifetime.
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I have no doubt about the quality of your craftsmanship, @JeffH.
Just one question, your lifetime, or @Semaphoreās? 
Hi Dawn, anyoneās lifetime. Being that it will be made of stainless thick enough to be able to weld. It wont be the lightest honey press around.
@Semaphore, it was when I saw the wooden ones that made me think that you could make one with your woodworking skills.
Sorry, @JeffH, I was just being my usual naughty self. I know you will do a fabulous job. 
Dawn, you naughty? I donāt believe it
Thanks Dawn, I did a beautiful job on one about 20 years ago. I made it out of steel & got it zinc coated. I made it to be used with a hydraulic jack. It just wasnāt practical & too heavy. I finished up putting it in the bin. I wondered what I was thinking, making it out of steel instead of stainless.
All the images I saw on the internet has inspired me to have another go.
Ok- press #3 arrived. Micro review:
This will probably be my final press- the keeper. Itās a little rough and ready- but very robust. The basket is 3mm stainless- very strong. Capacity is at least 8kgs probably more. In this design the rod and turn handle are not fixed but lift out when not screwed down- this is handy as you donāt need to wind it all the way up to clean up- or add more material. Makes cleaning easier too.
It should solve the speed issues of the last press- with nothing to impede the flow of honey.
It passed the grape test with flying colors- I didnāt have many grapes left but it managed to easily get the majority of the juice and fast:
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It looks good Jack. What diameter is the threaded rod?
Itās an inch (25mm). They have just welded a stainless steel nut into that top bar.
I didnāt mention in the review- when the press arrived some idiot had spray painted over the welds with silver spray paint- luckily they didnāt prep the surface and the paint wasnāt even totally dry. I had to get out the turpentine and remove it all and spend some time scrubbing and rinsing everything. The welds are a little uglyā¦ This press cost around $160 including postage from China- which is good value- but you do get what you pay for. It should be possible to harvest up to 10 or 15 kgās of honey- by pressing a full basket- then adding more as you go.
Over the weekend I harvested honey from my cherry farm apiary using the second press. I had two supers- one full depth the other ideal- both with 100% foundationless combs. There was quite a bit of wonky comb in the full depth- but the ideal was nearly perfect. I cut out the best comb as comb honey- and all the offcuts and odd bits went into the press. It all worked well.
The honey was darker than I get here in town- and had a very distinctive smokey molasses/maple syrup flavor. Iām wondering what that is: some eucalypt- or maybe the tea tree/manuka thatās all around?
Now next year I plan to run more ideals- using foundationless combs only- and making pressed and cut comb honey. Using foundation-less ideals for comb honey is good I think- Iāll probably end up with less honey than spinning and putting the combs back- but I can get a premium for cut comb and I will produce more wax.
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That sounds good Jack. The whole thing must be pretty heavy, seeing as that basket is made from 3 mil stainless.
actually I over-estimated that- it is 2mm- which is still very solid feeling- I would say the weight overall is moderateā¦ at a guess 6-7 kgs?
EDIT: I just weighed it: 6.8 
pretty happy with my guestimation skillz.
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Hi Jack, good guess with the weight. Iāve had smoky flavoured honey when Iāve over smoked the super to get the bees out 
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