I am restoring an old Whitman Americus cider press. What is a good finish
for the wood of the press? I’m concerned about the acid from the apple juice
breaking down the finish and contaminating the cider. I have used mostly
oak, some new, and some from hardwood pallets.
I have used Spar Varnish on a kitchen table before. Would that work on the
cider press as well?
Clark Anderson,
Wendell, Idaho
Replies
What wood was used on the press? Can you tell anything about an original finish if any?
I'm not quite sure about the best choice, but spar varnish isn't likely to be it. Spar varnish is somewhat less water resistant than other oil based varnishes. (It's use as a marine finish fools lots of folks, but it's chosen for that application because it is flexible and because it resists UV light, not because of superior water resistance.
I wouldn't expect the original to have had a finish of any kind. Raw white oak should be able to stand up to the use if the press is stored indoors.
Do nothing, as long as the press is kept dry between uses the best finish is no finish at all.
I rebuilt some antique apple cider equipment quite a few years ago, a hopper type washer and a press. We didn't use a finish, left the wood natural. It has to be sanitized after use and you wouldn't want any finish peeling off. I don't see why you couldn't use something like pure tung oil as long as you just apply and wipe off the excess so you don't build a film. As you may know, many products are called tung oil but they aren't, you have to find the real stuff. It's what they used to line tin cans for soup, etc. with.
I want to bring focus on something John said.about not needing finish with white oak. White is a key word. White oak has pores that close "quickly" (blocked by tyloses) and red oak has pores that are open for virtually the length of the board. To me it would be important to be sure you have used white oak, both for longevity and for the ability to sanitize the wood between uses. Remember it's white oaks for barrels, not red.
I cannot speak for cider but wood was used extensively in beer brewing - still is in some craft breweries - and no finish is ever used. Brewery vessels are often steamed. No finish will survive the wet/dry/steam cycle. Add acid to the mix (beer, cider, wine etc are acidic) and you will see that a finish could be a problem in the making.
The press will have been built of a suitable wood to start with. Any coating finish will flake of pretty rapidly and things lke oil could easily contaminate the cider.
Use, wash, allow to dry. Do not store in a damp environment or mould could (will!) establish itself in the wood.
I volunteer at a living history farm, and we restored/rebuilt a cider press. We used olive oil to seal the wood. I was a little dubious of this approach, thinking the oil would turn rancid or offer little protection. Neither of the concerns have turned out to be legitimate; the cider turned out well ( at least the kids liked it) and the oil has held up, but the press is not used often and is kept indoors, when not in use.
Below is link to a photo of the press in use.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/metroparks/3960341573/in/set-72157622469022612/
Rob Millard
http://www.americanfederalperiod.com
The use of oil worries me because if it goes rancid a little bit goes a long way to spoiling the taste of the product.
That said there are documentated cases where the addition of a little olive oil has worked to re-invigorate a sluggish yeast. The oil makes up for a lack of oxygen at the start of a fermentation. However in this case the oil does not have much time to become rancid.
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled