Progress on the Press

Since making the steel press frame with the steel dragged out of the hedge bottom in 2012, I'd made do with a wooden top beam in not getting around to finishing it properly... and in fact thought I hadn't got enough steel left over for a sliding top beam anyway...
But once I'd put the new clutch in the 4x4 Panda parked up in front of the garage I found I'd cut the steel ready and tucked it safely away underneath the car! I needed some big (free if possible) springs to complete the job.
Well, today I finally got round to tacking the bits together to trial the slide-fit beam. While the springs obtained would return the jack, I didn't think them strong enough to lift the weight of the 12t jack AND the beam...

First spring test then:

Trying to get some tacks to hold...

and in position, with springs mounted temporarily for testing

Snagging a little on right hand side

Drip drip...

Improving the tray set-up:

A washing machine drip tray offered an affordable solution - problem was the raised centre section and what to do with it..? If I left the press squash it, it would most likely crack... so:

 ...armed with some cash I paid my local Direct Plastics a call. I got some sheet for an infill...

 carefully cut base infill

...same again on top side

Hole carefully drilled

to take Vit C tube

being carefull it's a tight snug fit

and finished job

and in use with newly aquired plastic food tray bases (though I could only obtain 5 so still need plywood racks...)

So, a big improvement over the plywood tray and necessary with the bigger food tray bases as racks