Vintage Apple Press

Is this worth the price and can it be cleaned up enough to actually be usable?

https://detroit.craigslist.org/wyn/atq/d/lincoln-park-vintage-wine-grape-press/7048790466.html

Good Question. I don’t doubt that it can be cleaned up, and it may be an antique (I mean a real, more than 100 years old antique), it’s neat to look at, and it’ll probably work. You’ll want to check for stress cracks and such; I’d want to throw something into it and crank it down fairly firmly! But I do think that some people would give a hundred bucks for it as a collector’s item, although I probably wouldn’t myself.

For another 80 bucks you can buy a new one off amazon. I pressed 10 gallons last fall and they work great.

Hmm , good question, I do believe it can be cleaned up I would want a test run also, (make sure to use a food grade lube on the shaft) before purchasing, however most press are in the ball park of $250 & up. Cool find!

For a couple bucks more you can get a brand new one delivered to your house from e-bay or amazon. You are going to put a lot of work into bringing that thing back to life. Especially when they are asking an almost brand new price.

The basket looks like it needs replacement. It’s a nice piece to look at.

I love cast iron, but what I learned about it, it needs a good seasoning and to avoid aggressive environment. The press doesn’t meet either of requirements. To season you need constant, controlled high temperature environment, like oven. It works great with pans and pots, but where do you season this? Also, you will have to re-season it after each use, otherwise it will get rusty again after contacting with acids in the fruit. The rusting metal contacted to fruit is not good for either metal or fruit - metal gets rusty, vitamins in the fruit get oxidized and destroyed. I would skip this one.

I lowballed him on the price. I would love to use it as a piece of landscape art in the garden. Thanks for all the input.

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Good/strong drain cleaner in scalding hot water should eat that rust right up. Pickle it with phosphoric acid. Fingerprints cause rust.

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To remove rust - is one thing, to keep it off - a different story. Does phosphoric acid creates a protective film that is also OK to contact with food? You probably can enamel it, but it would be a very complicated project, and not cheap.

Agree with others, if you’re looking for a press to use much for very long you should bite the bullet and get something a little more substantial and in better shape. You could definitely make juice with it, but I think it would be a conversation piece only before long. Juice is very acidic.

Just want it for garden art. I was just curious if it would work.

He didnt bite on my lowball offer.

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You would probably want to repeat the process with every use, depending on the alloy. Cast iron will rust like hell no matter what, but mild steel should respond to pickling. There is a recipe that uses phosphoric acid and beer to keep copper kettles bright in breweries, but they do tarnish over time. I would store something like that in a wood box/crate, in a dry place.

Borrowing this old thread for a similar subject

So…this is a local auction company that usually focuses on real estate but sometimes has odd things. I saw this last week and meant to watch the online auction, but of course I forgot about it and it sold today. I don’t feel bad, though!!! I’m shocked by how high it went considering how bad it looks!!!
Anyone know anything about these? There is one someone similar in my deceased grandfather’s barn that I may get one day.

Anyway, does this price seem about right?

Tays Realty & Auction - Auction: ONLINE ABSOLUTE AUCTION: FURNITURE - TOOLS - SHOP EQUIPMENT ITEM: Vintage Apple Cider Mill and Press!!&utm_medium=email

The old ones are very desirable as pieces of Americana. The Mayflower ship itself almost floundered when the mast cracked during a storm, it is believed that the great screw from an apple press was what allowed for repairs and thus the course of American history. Many museums and colonial houses would love to have one on display.

Me? That thing would be running through apples in no time.

This particular model is still being made:
image

https://happyvalleyranch.com/Item/HVR-HVRAmericanHarvester

$1,250 bones. It is not much of a stretch for somebody to prefer the original article and spend the time restoring it.

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