Cider Press Question....

Hey All...new guy here.

Not sure if this is the right place to post this but it seemed logical anyway.

I just purchased a Cider press from Happy Valley and am wondering if there might be a "local" equivalent to the wood sealer they sell.

In other words, what can I use to treat the wood on the press? Something I could pick up at Lowes? Home Depot?t?

And definitely something that wont screw up my cider.

Any help would be great and I am looking forward to making my first batch of Home Grown/Brewed Hard Apple Cider!!!!!

Thanks

Ron

What type of sealer do they sell? What are its properties?

Don't seal it at all.

Dump some boiling water or idophor over it before use if you want to "sanitize" it, but you are far worse off sealing the wood than leaving it raw. Wood has natural antibacterial properties that plasticky finishes do not, not to mention gawd knows what will leach out of them into your cider.

If you absolutely, positively can't help yourself, buy a bottle of USP mineral oil at the drugstore, and after the last pressing of the year, after cleaning up, rub that on the wood, and that or beeswax on the metal (heck you could even mix a little beeswax with the oil).

Works fine for the hundred year old press I used to have communal access to. Store it DRY so it does not rot or mild or mildew or rust.

Call your local paint store or hobby shop & ask if they carry food grade clear polymers in the size you want. If you can't find it locally, you can likely find it online. Be sure to read the labels, if it doesn't actually say "food safe", it's probably not. Regards, GF.

We do not seal ours and it has made cider for about 20 years. We just wash it down real good after using it. Put a light coat of mineral oil on it just as you would a kitchen cutting board, cover it with an old sheet to keep the dust off it, and tuck it away in a corner of the shop.

When the new fall season comes about we take it out, hose it down, and start pressing. Keeping it dry and covered with something that will breath will do more to preserve it than sealing it up. Wood needs to breath.

Thanks for the responses.

I've decided against treating it with anything. I had the same "leeching" concerns and didn't want to taint the cider in any way.

I'll just wiper her down with mineral oil and store it covered, in my shop.

Im going to press some this weekend, cant wait...

Again thanks

Ron