I have a press similar to boulderbrewer's that uses a 50psi spring. The problem is the pressure decreases as the cheese is compressed and the screw has to constantly adjusted.
Most recipes call for a certain amount of weight to be applied but it should be calculated in psi. If a recipe calls for 50 lbs of weight its probably referring to a 4" diameter mould which would apply ~ 4 psi. Change that to a 6" mould and its only ~1.75psi. To get the same 4psi on a 6" mould you would need to apply 115lbs
I'm building a dutch press which uses a lever arm that constant pressure can be applied and hopefully this will improve my cheese.
Something like this...
Or this...
Or for even more mechanical advantage add a few pulleys...
BTW...I lifted all of these pics from the cheeseforum.org. I hope they ain't copyrighted
Dear mods, if there is a problem with this I'll remove them.