First we gotta dig out the masher and press, then give her a good once over with some water, oil, and elbo grease.
Shes a beaut. You can google the 1890 Montgomery Ward catalog and see one exactly like it in pdf form.
They dont make em like they used to, this I know.
So anyway, lets make some cider. Big ballgame in Knoxville this weekend (God Bless Josh Heupel) so it will be early next week before we start making squeezings, but you gotta start somewhere, so I’ll start cleaning and oiling.
Hope you enjoy the show, please remain seated with your arms and legs inside the ride at all times.
And whatever you do keep your fingers away from the hopper, its got teeth
After a few days of covid confinement I rigged this contraption to operate on coal.
The only thing I had to order was a 14inch pully to use in the stead of the cast iron crank handle, (like the original one in the first pictures above).
Everything else was laying around collecting dust. When I am finished I can take it all back apart and the only thing that changed from the original 125 year old press is two small drilled holes that the hinge on the mainstay is attached to.
Last time I cranked out a few gallons my arm ached for weeks. Really
When I was a kid making cider was a 3 Day event. We would slaughter something Friday hog, chickens or rabbits My uncle’s and their families would come over. A big time was always had.
