Herb/Tincture Presses

[ComfreyStudent]

I hope I’m not asking too many questions–but I have another one for you. You posted a picture of an herb press on the “Is this normal” topic. Also, I remember the amazing herb press you had made yourself when I attended your tincture making class.

Could you, at some point, give us instructions or blueprints on how to build our own? Or some other ideas of the best way to press tinctures? Hand squeezing the finished product through an old dishtowel just doesn’t seem to be the most effective way to accomplish this.

Thanks!

[Dr. Patrick JonesHomestead Instructor]

Ask all the questions you want. The greater the number, the better my odds of knowing one of the answers! 😉

I’ll get some measurements and pics posted after work today if the dogs will leave me alone.

Doc

Don't use herbs or combine herbs with medications or use them during lactation or pregnancy without talking with your healthcare provider.

[ComfreyStudentTopic Author]

How about using a juicer to extract to separate the Marc from the menstruum (are these the right terms?) Specifically a masticating juicer like Omega or Champion juicers. Would it work, or just make a mess?

[sstolzenburgStudent]

Doc Jones, Did you ever post the details on the tincture press? I don’t see anything here.

I have been making my tinctures with certified organic food grade vegetable glycerin. I dilute the glycerin up to 50% with Reverse Osmosis water, but it can still be a bit thick. I could sure use a press to squeeze out that last bit of liquid. I am sure the best medicine is in that last few drops. I use muslin as a filter cloth with about 2 heaping tablespoons of soaked mass in a square foot of muslin, take up the corners and twist the cloth as much as my hands will bear without tearing the cloth.

[IdahoHerbalist]

Trying to get my head around using a juicer for extracting…… Hmmmmmmm

If I remember correctly, the fiber left behind after juicing was about as wet as when hand pressing. AND the mess of cleanup is much greater than hand pressing.

I might give a whirl though just so I have first hand experience.

Patrick’s press is WAY over the top and we have talked about scaling it back some.

[sstolzenburgStudent]

If there is a simple one out there, great, I would like to see it.

I would still like to see Doc Jones’s press, no matter how complicated. I am an engineer and I can probably handle complex. …..and if there is a way to improve it, I will send back the possible changes. I am all for sharing ideas. If not, then all the better.

Doc, just scan into PDF and post it some where. If I improve it, I will share it with everyone, if not, then it is out there. :chimp:

[IdahoHerbalist]

This is the manual press that Patrick has that I like:

Similar, but not quite like Patricks

Seems there are as many ways to do it as there are people making them

[Dr. Patrick JonesHomestead Instructor]

I’ll get some picture and measurements up first of next week.

I quite like my press and much prefer it to the hand-cranked models. Those ones are quite a lot of work if you’re doing more than a batch or two.

Doc

Don't use herbs or combine herbs with medications or use them during lactation or pregnancy without talking with your healthcare provider.

[Dr. Patrick JonesHomestead Instructor]

Just wanted to bump this thread on presses. I’ll post some pics of mine when I get over to the herb office. Let’s see yours.

What do you like about it?

What do you hate about it?

Doc

Don't use herbs or combine herbs with medications or use them during lactation or pregnancy without talking with your healthcare provider.

[Fey]

I haven’t got one 😥

[Dr. Patrick JonesHomestead Instructor]

Fey wrote: I haven’t got one 😥

If you know a welder, they’re super easy to make. I forgot to get a picture of mine. I’ll get it up tomorrow.

Patrick

Don't use herbs or combine herbs with medications or use them during lactation or pregnancy without talking with your healthcare provider.

[Fey]

My husband can weld; I’ll have to find some plans. 🙂

[IdahoHerbalist]

I will have to get some pictures of the one I had made. It is based on one that Patrick has.

[IdahoHerbalist]

OK, here are a couple of pictures of my custom herb press. There are a couple of things I would change for future revisions. It is made from stainless steel.

I had the angle at 5 degrees, paid more to have it changed to 10. Wish I would have left it at 5.

Attached files

[sstolzenburgStudent]

I have had a little experience with a screw type press. One problem that you should watch for is that when using a screw type, you have to keep the threads lubricated (very lightly) because too much friction on the threads can cause galling of the metal that results in metal filings getting into your herbs. This can happen more easily if your screw threads are plated with chrome or zinc, but I imagine it could happen with other threaded presses as well.

I recently bought a potato ricer at IKEA. It cost about 10 bucks, and works pretty well compared to squeezing out tincture with muslin cloth. I imagine that if you are a power gripper you could bend the potato ricer handles, but mine works fine, and gets most of the liquid out with moderate pressure.

I have a welder, and for the money and the time, I imagine most of us will get pretty good service with the potato ricer. The last 5% i got out of the press just made my amber bottles spill over when i filled them.

Attached files

[AnnettStudent]

Doc:

Is this press the one you would recommend: ? If not, would you please recommend one? I need one that will last without falling apart.

[IdahoHerbalist]

It all depends on how much pressing you will be doing. You may have to press a LOT of tincture to recover the costs of that press.

I noticed that they are sold out.

[Dr. Patrick JonesHomestead Instructor]

annett wrote: Doc:

Is this press the one you would recommend: http://www.herbtincturepress.com/ ? If not, would you please recommend one? I need one that will last without falling apart.

I have one just like that. It works fine if you’re not doing tons of stuff. If you are doing tons of stuff you’ll want something else as these will wear your wrist out tuning the screw after a long day of pressing.

Doc

Don't use herbs or combine herbs with medications or use them during lactation or pregnancy without talking with your healthcare provider.

[Dr. Patrick JonesHomestead Instructor]

Steven, will you take and post some pics of my yellow one and of our new baby?

Doc

Don't use herbs or combine herbs with medications or use them during lactation or pregnancy without talking with your healthcare provider.

[IdahoHerbalist]

This is Patrick’s original press. It has pressed a LOT of tinctures over the years. IT IS A BEAST to move around.

Attached files

[IdahoHerbalist]

This is the press I use in our tincture and herb lab. It does NOT move. I have bolted it to the floor.

Attached files

[Dr. Patrick JonesHomestead Instructor]

IdahoHerbalist wrote: This is Patrick’s original press. It has pressed a LOT of tinctures over the years. IT IS A BEAST to move around.

The sleeve (Just a small section of pipe) on the upper cross bar is meant to contain the top of the jack. My new jack (I’ve gone through several over the years) has a bigger head so it doesn’t fit inside. I should change it.

Also, I’d strongly recommend not painting your press. I when I first used it, the tincture slicked all the paint right off. I decided this was probably a bad thing ( :crazy: :face palm 2: ) and removed all the paint from surfaces that might come in contact with the tincture using a wire brush attached to a drill. The picture shows the back of the press. The front has all the paint removed from the lower cross bar.

Thanks for posting all the pics Steven. It’s been on my to-do list for about a year. 🙄

Doc

Don't use herbs or combine herbs with medications or use them during lactation or pregnancy without talking with your healthcare provider.

[Dorothea]

Here is the one from Harborfreight for $135.00

[AnnettStudent]

Dorothea,

Have you used it? Does it work well? What are your reviews?

[IdahoHerbalist]

That is exactly the same press you saw in my workspace at Patrick’s. It has pluses and minuses like anything else. I would suggest the little black one or find an even smaller version of the HUGE press we have.

[AnnettStudent]

Thanks! Do you know of a smaller version?

[Dr. Patrick JonesHomestead Instructor]

There are lots of smaller ones on the market ebayu or amazon has several.

Don't use herbs or combine herbs with medications or use them during lactation or pregnancy without talking with your healthcare provider.

[Joshua Parke]

I purchased a press from Amazon for around a hundred dollars three-four years ago. Do a search for tincture press or fruit press. It’s a stainless steel press that works pretty darn good. I kinda want one of those hydraulic presses, but have no need for one at the moment since I already have this one from Amazon. The hydraulic one I want is at strictlymedicinalseeds.

[IdahoHerbalist]

That one at SMS is WAY over priced. I bet your small one is just as efficient. I know ours is for a fraction of the cost. I am working on an idea for a centrifugal spinner as our next generation. I have noticed that quite a bit of liquid gets left behind in the cloth and plant matter.

[Joshua Parke]

The centrifugal spinner is an amazing idea. I agree that the one from sms is WAY overpriced, and the one I have from Amazon works wonderfully and the left over herbs are always quite dry. The only reason I would want to go to a hydraulic press is for convenience and time savings if making lots of tincture.

[Author]

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