Press for Heather Honey/Cappings

[BMH]

Ive been planning on getting a hydro press for pressing heather honey but now wondering if I can use it for cappings as well and if that would be as efficient as a screw press?

I cant justify a screw press with the small nature of the business but can justify a press as there is a lot of heather around.

https://www.pressfruit.co.uk/produc...ine-presses-for-sale/commercial-size-presses/

This website has a decent looking hydro press in SS but they also do a real chunky hydraulic press that would fit a lot more cappings into it (i would dump cappings directly into it following uncapping into the melliflow).

Anybody use anything similar or have any advice?

I think 120 litre is the probably the sweet spot for what I am looking for...

 

[Beefriendly]

Yes, don't even think of a screw press for heather honey....
They work vertically and compress all the wax/honey into a small area underneath the screw head....which means that after the first "press" you need to break all the wax up again and re-extract all the honey trapped in pockets within the wax.... And after you have finished you re-extract everything once again...right time consumer and slow...
The old Mountain grey heather press had the right idea of increasing the surface area that was being pressed.
Then Hydro press gives you a thin, virtually dry, rim of wax spread across the whole of the working area, which is the whole of the column, a much larger surface area. And it's faster....
My 80l hydro press turned what was a three day heather honey extraction marathon into an afternoons work

You are welcome to borrow my, now redundant, screw press if you want to find out the hard way

 

[Poly Hive]

A spin drier works wonders with heather and cappings.

PH

 

[BMH]

Yes, don't even think of a screw press for heather honey....
They work vertically and compress all the wax/honey into a small area underneath the screw head....which means that after the first "press" you need to break all the wax up again and re-extract all the honey trapped in pockets within the wax.... And after you have finished you re-extract everything once again...right time consumer and slow...
The old Mountain grey heather press had the right idea of increasing the surface area that was being pressed.
Then Hydro press gives you a thin, virtually dry, rim of wax spread across the whole of the working area, which is the whole of the column, a much larger surface area. And it's faster....
My 80l hydro press turned what was a three day heather honey extraction marathon into an afternoons work

You are welcome to borrow my, now redundant, screw press if you want to find out the hard way

Thanks for the offer.

I used to have a screw press and tried pressing honey and it was a nightmare.

Thought maybe the additional force involved in this one may have been different - I guess not.

No drama. Hydro press it is!

I do like the look of the vigo press but these ones do look nice as well. And full SS.

How many supers can you fit in the 80 litre variant?

Would you go bigger if you could?

 

[BMH]

A spin drier works wonders with heather and cappings.

PH

Interesting. What kind of spin drier?

 

[Poly Hive]

Preferably a stainless one but the principle is the same, mash up and then warm up and allow it to flow gently into the spinner. Clean honey out the bottom. Very simple very effective and the wax is near bone dry.



PH

 

[Beefriendly]

Sorry, misled..I have 40L. Ambition
About 4 supers, but difficult to say exactly as cutting cut comb and adding residue from frames.
Bigger is not necessarily better.
The time to fill is considerable...and the rate the honey pours out is quite amazing...it can overwhelm you.....and your buckets etc.
I do one run whilst filling empty buckets with comb etc ready for next run.
About 15-20 minutes per run...but you can go longer if you want maximum extraction...
You let pressure build up to nearly 3 bars....it drops back as it extracts...back up to 3 and so on...
Go up the pressures slowly as the initial outpouring is considerable.

Spin driers are inefficient, small surface area and poor compression of comb to extract honey. You need to spent your time (as PH has just said) mashing it all up... We tried once....
The 3 tons per inch the hydro-presses generate means no need to open up or uncap comb...just cut out and stick it in there.

Oh and buy a spare mesh...

 

[BMH]

Hmmmm.

Very interesting and good to know.

I will definitely be safe with the 90 litre one from VIGO then. Was thinking I might bump it up to 120l to be on the safe side but maybe bigger isnt better in this instance.

 

[BMH]

Oh and buy a spare mesh...

This clinches it for VIGO,

Ill get a spare mesh but spares will be easier to come by than the other one that is made in Slovenia (probably excellent quality still)

 

[Poly Hive]

My main extraction method was a Sojales heather honey loosner now in the hands of Hivemaker so ask him if it is a good buy or not. Plus of course a tangential extractor, mine was a 6 swing basket from Thomas.

Why press, when you can extract if you want to work to a scale and what I had, would easily have coped with 100 colonies.

PH

 

[Beefriendly]

Why press, when you can extract if you want to work to a scale and what I had, would easily have coped with 100 colonies.

PH

You need a press of some sort regardless of looseners/tangential extractors etc...if you do cut heather cut comb you need some means of pressing the honey out of the bits left over that won't fit into an extractor.

 

[BMH]

You need a press of some sort regardless of looseners/tangential extractors etc...if you do cut heather cut comb you need some means of pressing the honey out of the bits left over that won't fit into an extractor.

As above but also for pressing cappings.

Plus 1 other minor point. I dont have £4k to splash on a heather loosener at the moment!

Got the 6 frame swing cage extractor in anticipation though!

Sent from my SM-G975F using Tapatalk

 

[SDM]

Why press, when you can extract if you want to work to a scale and what I had, would easily have coped with 100 colonies.

PH

In far better heather country than me or lal5000 get access to

 

[keith pierce]

Would it be possible to post a link for the 80l hydro press so I know I am getting the right one. Please

 

[Rory Fields]

As above but also for pressing cappings.

Plus 1 other minor point. I dont have £4k to splash on a heather loosener at the moment!

Got the 6 frame swing cage extractor in anticipation though!

Sent from my SM-G975F using Tapatalk

I know this is a while ago, but I've the possibility of upgrading my 20-frame Abelo radial to a slightly larger swing-cage one - sick to death of my SS heather/fruit press, even though it was cheap and reliable - would you recommend a hydropress in addition to a swing-cage extractor or would the swing cage largely negate the need for supers and supers of heather, which is my main crop? Cheers, R

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

you'll still have to agitate all the honey before the swing cage extractor will do any good anyway, so you are still looking at investing a fair amount on a heather loosener if you are going to depend on the swing cage

 

[Hedgerow Honey]

I know this is a while ago, but I've the possibility of upgrading my 20-frame Abelo radial to a slightly larger swing-cage one - sick to death of my SS heather/fruit press, even though it was cheap and reliable - would you recommend a hydropress in addition to a swing-cage extractor or would the swing cage largely negate the need for supers and supers of heather, which is my main crop? Cheers, R

I've the small Lyson heather press for sale, brand new, £800.
It will take two shallow commercial or national at a time.
I've bought a four Yr old Hain unit that I've known from new.

Cheers

John

I can send photos if you message me your number.

 

[Rory Fields]

you'll still have to agitate all the honey before the swing cage extractor will do any good anyway, so you are still looking at investing a fair amount on a heather loosener if you are going to depend on the swing cage

I'm stupid enough to already have both Abelo hand-looseners from my more profligate days

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I'm stupid enough to already have both Abelo hand-looseners from my more profligate days

doing a few supers with a hand loosener is fine, but I think a few years ago I did about a hubdred supers worth, my hand didn't stop shaking for a fortnight!

 

[Murox]

On a small scale I had to deal with (for me) a lot of heather at the end of last season. I think Im going to try a few sections this year and see how it pans out. Locally I get asked a lot for comb honey which I try to supply with cut comb, never have enough though.