Virtually every plot has a vine. And homemade wine is the pride of the owners. Taste characteristics of the prepared drink depend on the quality of the pulp. Manually preparing such a mass is a long and laborious process. To simplify it, a crush for grapes was invented. What types are and how to do it yourself - consider in more detail.
What it is?
The crush for grapes does not differ in complex construction and includes the following parts:
- Receiving hopper. The berry is loaded into it.
- Two parallel rollers with gears fixed on them. This device produces the process of pressure of the grapes. In the case of the press and the centrifugal model, there are differences, which we will consider later.
- Capacity for collecting pulp.
The simplicity of the mechanism allows you to make it yourself from improvised materials.
Why grape crush?
The use of manual, foot labor is not hygienic, and it is a long process.
If you use a blender, a food processor, the process of filtering wine will not be at a high level. That is, the final product will be with an unpleasant precipitate, which will spoil the taste of the drink. A crush for grapes will allow you to more finely filter the wine. So, the finished drink will have a beautiful color, taste and have a transparent consistency.
Kinds
Grape crush has several classifications:
- Purchased design or homemade. The second option allows you to significantly save money by completing the unit from improvised means.
- According to the material of manufacture there are wooden, plastic, stainless steel, combined (combine several types of materials).
- According to the principle of action: screw presses, mechanisms with rollers, centrifugal, with comb separator system.
- Mechanical and electric.
- With and without a comb separator.
As you can see, the models can be very different. It all depends on the availability of tools and the type of vine.
What is a comb?
If we consider a bunch of grapes, then it consists of the following components:
- Cluster leg. With its help, the brush is attached to the vine.
- A knot on the leg of a bunch. In its place there is a branch to the individual antennae with berries at the ends.
- The branching point of the first ridges to which the berries are attached.
- Blades.
- The top of the bunch.
Grapes are picked in bunches, then it is processed - separation of berries from ridges.
This is a time consuming process. To avoid it, a comb separator is built into the crush. He just sorts the berries and this litter. A large number of crests in the pulp will give the wine a rich herbal taste. And this is critical, especially for white wines. Consider several options for how to make a crush for grapes with your own hands.
Mechanical roll devices
To start, a hopper is running. It has the shape of a truncated pyramid. The material for its manufacture can be wood (preferably oak), plastic, stainless steel. The height of the sides can be from 100 to 500 mm. The parameter of the truncated cone should be equal to the length of the rollers.
Next, a wooden frame is made of timber. Suitable with a cross section of 50 x 50 mm. The length of the frame is 700 mm, but the width should be equal to the length of the rollers. The best option is 200 mm. The surface of the rollers should be grooved. The distance between them is 2-3 mm. It is advisable to make an adjustable gap, as the berries can be of different sizes. The roller system is mounted in the middle of the frame on the rods. A gear system is installed from the outside, which will ensure the movement of the rollers in opposite directions.
The frame is mounted on a container for collecting pulp, and a hopper for receiving grapes is mounted on it. The distance between the rollers and the hopper is not more than 10 mm. A handle is attached to one of the shaft rods. The simplest crush for grapes is made by hand.
Electrical device
On the basis of the previous home-made product, you can create electrical equipment that will speed up the process of processing grapes at times. This will require an engine. You can take it from an old washing machine or any other.
Transmission belt, shaft. Instead of manual control, an electric with belt drive is mounted.
Press
Such a manual crush of grapes is simple and low cost. For the device you will need a stainless container with a crane, oak planks, a stainless strip (you can use perforated ones), a car jack, a welded bed. For starters, an internal container is assembled from oak planks. Holes are drilled at the ends of the bars at the top and bottom, fishing line and stainless wire are threaded . It turns out the frame of the future internal capacity. Its height should match the height of the stainless tank. Then, using the strip, the resulting structure is fastened. Between the bars should leave a gap of 2-3 mm. The next step is to make a wooden support for the press. It is also made of wooden blocks.
Its diameter should be slightly less than the diameter of the inner wooden container. A metal container is fixed on the bed, an internal wooden part is installed in it, grapes are poured, a support is placed under the press. As a force, you can use a screw system or a car jack. The second option is more affordable and is available for every car owner. The jack is mounted on a wooden cover so that subsequently the upper part of the bed becomes the second fulcrum. It is also necessary to prepare several bars and planks. When working with a jack, they may be needed. The faucet opens and the squeezing of juice begins. Do not forget to put a container under the stream under the juice.
Centrifugal device
To do this, you need two stainless steel tanks. The outer part is solid with a crane. Internal - perforated. A pressure shaft with blades in the form of blades is mounted in it. When moving with the help of centrifugal force, the berries are pressed against the wall. The resulting pulp enters the lower open portion or through perforation.
Grape crusher with comb separator
The above options are suitable for berries, previously peeled from the ridges. To speed up the grape processing, they mount a comb separator system separately or in an existing crusher. For roller mechanisms, an upper or lower version of the comb separator can be made. To do this, you need a mesh with a cell of 10-12 mm stainless steel. Another shaft with blades in the form of blades arranged in a spiral on the shaft.
The process is simple. Berries at the time of pressing through the net are separated from the ridges and fall on the roller system for further pressure. And the ridges with a screw shaft from the grid go to waste through additionally provided holes. For centrifugal devices, the same system is provided in the lower part of the tanks (mesh and screw shaft with blades). The combing system will help speed up the process of processing grapes at times. We examined several options for how to make a crush for grapes with your own hands. Below we consider the pros and cons of such mechanisms.
Advantages and disadvantages
Homemade grape crushers have several advantages:
- Speed. This is especially true for electrical devices with comb separators.
- Quality. The pulp thus obtained has the best characteristics. Further filtering is facilitated.
- Hygiene Unlike crush, manual and foot methods of processing grapes do not differ in high purity.
- Compactness. Such devices do not take up much space.
- Easy to care. Component parts are easily disassembled and washed.
- Cost. In the economy of a lean man there will always be components for such units, and accordingly, the cost of such devices is minimal. But at the same time unnecessary, old things gain a second life.
As you can see, crushers for grapes have a large list of advantages.
And if you recall that the Russian people have always been easy on invention and inventiveness, then turning an old washing machine into a device for extracting grape juice will not be difficult even for a novice engineer. And if you make this equipment with adjustable mechanisms, you can get not only grape juice, but also apple, pear and others. Such opportunities will increase the range and number of homemade blanks.