Straining.

Does anyone use any type of straining material when they rack? I'm looking for something with a tight enough weave to strain out the lees. After someone else mentioned it I was thinking I might be able to make a bucket equivalent of a french press to help with cutting down on loss when racking.

I use autosiphons, they have a cap on the bottom that keeps them just off the lees, occasionally you still get some from the current that is causes but for the most part it is an easy start to the siphon and leaves very little mead behind.

I don't know if there is anything fine enough to strain through efficiently, you could use a coffee filter on the receiving end but it would make for a very very slow racking and potentially resulting in a constant fairly large surface space and oxygen exposure as it's going so slow.

I use an auto siphon also but I still pick up a bunch of lees or lose a bunch of the mead sitting right on the sediment. I was thinking of a press primary side to prescreen before the siphon.

I see what you are saying, almost like using a false bottom like in all grain brewing but in reverse.

If you could make one that works well you could have the next great brewing gadget.

Looks like I have a project for this weekend. Have to cut the bottom out of a bucket or cut a lid to size, drill some holes and then find some very fine mess that will handle repeat sterilization and is food grade.

Like someone else already stated in another thread, I take the remaining mead and sediment and put it an a bottle/lidded jug and put it in the fridge for a couple of days to let it settle. Then carefully pour of the mead and put it back with the racked mead.

That way you waste almost no mead.

Also, when you rack, you can rack more efficiently to begin with. If your layer of lees is very thin it doesn't matter as much, but if it's thick it's probably best for you to start your siphoning in the middle of the carboy, and just follow the liquid level down with your siphon. That way, the tip spends as little time near the lees as possible, minimizing the time it can pick up any stray particles.