How to Make a Hydraulic Tincture Press

Herbal tinctures can be an invaluable aid to healing. In an healthcare system that often prioritizes expensive pharmaceutical options, learning to extract the medicinal qualities present within herbs may save both money and lives.

Our press features a heavy stainless steel removable metal plate elevated by a hydraulic jack for pressing. Pressed tincture drains from this plate through a stainless steel tube into an empty glass jar (not provided) via drain holes on both ends of the press. Each press comes complete with two 12x16 pressing filter bags as well as NSF certified clear PVC hoses that can fit onto locally available jars for draining purposes.

Basics

Tincure presses are essential tools for herbal medicine manufacturers. Tinctures are created by soaking decarboxylated plant botanicals in high-proof alcohol to extract their beneficial properties, outlasting dried herbs by being more easily absorbed into the body and lasting much longer than dried alternatives. A tincture is an effective liquid remedy which can be taken both orally and topically to treat depression, insomnia and anxiety symptoms.

Tinctures differ from capsules and elixirs in that they dissolve easily in water, making them easy for the body to absorb quickly and completely. While tinctures can be made by hand with just a rotary herb grinder and jars, a tincture press makes the process even simpler; especially useful if making larger quantities.

A tincture press is composed of stainless steel and uses a hydraulic bottle jack to apply pressure to a jar to extract tincture. You can find such presses both online and at retail stores; some are reasonably inexpensive while others may cost more. DIY versions are possible using household items such as a potato ricer; however, extra work may be necessary before pressing.

The TITAN Hydraulic Tincture Press was created with safety, reliability, and user friendliness in mind. Featuring a bottom mount design that eliminates hydraulic fluid leakage into tincture during operation - making this press safer and more reliable than top mounted presses that utilize automobile bottle jacks; additionally, this press is equipped with a strong, reliable Strongway brand bottle jack built to ISO certified facilities that is tested according to ASME PALD 2009 safety and reliability standards.

It features a sturdy stainless steel platen and boltless, form-fitted and adjustable stainless steel juncture to the jack with an easy lockdown/letdown toggle mechanism for convenient lockdown/letdown of the press. Duplex stainless steel provides corrosion resistance against salts and acids commonly found in many tinctures; two 12x16 pressing filter bags from Filtrona come standard; clear PVC NSF approved 1/2" I.D hoses allow connection of this press with jars/jug stoppers (some drilling may be needed).

Materials

Tinctures are an easy and cost-effective way to store and preserve herbal medicinal properties. Traditional tincture production involves soaking decarboxylated plant botanicals in high proof alcohol (such as Everclear) for 2-6 weeks in order to extract and preserve their medicinal qualities. To get every drop out, press it with a tincture press before pouring.

If you want to produce larger tinctures than can fit into your kitchen, an industrial-quality hydraulic tincture press may be required. Many health food stores stock such presses for around $200-300; others can be found online; alternatively you could build one yourself by following online instructions.

There are various commercial tincture presses on the market. For optimal tincture production, I suggest those that feature a bottom mounted bottle jack which applies upward pressure onto an adjustable stainless-steel plunger - this design eliminates the need for wood blocks as some other presses require. Furthermore, you can easily control how much pressure is applied so marc doesn't reach the top of your cylinder.

One potential drawback of certain screw-type tincture presses is their metal disc not having a full bottom, potentially leading to seepage of tincture around its edges and into contact with the screw, potentially jamming the press and leading to jamming of herb material in between it and metal disc. A wooden disk between these components could prevent jamming.

Other commercial presses utilize an adjustable screw that clamps firmly against the bottom of a glass jar and is clamped by a metal jaw for clamping purposes, providing more versatility for various uses - for instance extracting juice or oils which may then be used in creating various medicinal salve products.

Homemade hydraulic tincture presses offer an affordable solution to pressing alternative medicine. Constructed using standard components found at most hardware stores, these presses can easily be assembled for far less than professional presses costing thousands more.

Design

Tinctures are an effective way of extracting the medicinal properties of plants into liquid form that is easily absorbed through digestion. Pressing marc (solid material found within plants) into an alcohol or glycerine solution increases both potency and effectiveness in treating ailments.

An effective tincture press is integral for making herbal remedies. While there are various kinds of presses available, they all share one trait in common: They utilize hydraulic pressure to compress marc into a smaller volume. As more pressure is applied, more extractable medicine will come out from within it into menstruum.

Electric hydraulic presses use motors to apply pressure on both of their inner and outer cylinders, typically through electric power. Because these presses run off of electricity, they may require professional training in order to safely use. Furthermore, their size often makes them impractical and hard to maneuver for home herbalists; and due to being extremely costly.

Hydraulic tincture presses come in various forms; one being handheld units which utilize body force to apply pressure to marc. While these models are easy to use, practice may be needed before creating high-quality tinctures as this type of device cannot handle more than several pounds at one time.

Hydraulic tincture presses are designed to be safer and simpler to use than handheld devices, featuring a stainless steel pan for holding herbs as well as an elevated metal plate with 12 holes for drainage. When extended with hydraulic pressure, the pressed liquid or paste passes beneath this plate through its tube into an adjoining glass receptacle receptacle.

Hydraulic tincture presses should feature a deep attachment point on their disc to avoid liquid from flowing over the top of the screw and onto its lubricant (usually rancid oil and fine metal dust from friction between it and other metal parts of the press), which could come in contact with herb materials and diminish their quality.

Assembly

If you're making herbal tinctures at home, a press is required to separate marc from essential oil. Tinctures are a potency form of herbal medicine which can be taken orally and taken care of a range of health concerns, while also serving as an efficient and safe method to prepare and store herbs for future use. They're also easy to prepare with dry or fresh herbs - unlike dried or fresh varieties tinctures can remain fresh when stored in dark glass jars - unlike their dried or fresh counterparts Unlike their dried or fresh counterparts there are numerous different types available commercially but making your own press can save money and be achieved in under an hour!

This herb press is a durable, professional-quality piece of machinery designed to provide a solid and reliable platform for pressing herbs. It features a heavy stainless steel removable metal plate which holds your herb while its 6-ton hydraulic bottle jack maximizes oil-pressing capabilities. All parts that touch either herb or tincture are constructed using medical/food grade powder coated stainless steel which makes this press easy to use and rust-resistant.

This bottom-mounted bottle jack configuration on this tincture press ensures there will be no hydraulic fluid leakage during pressing, unlike some top-side mounted models on other presses. Furthermore, its safe operation makes this model much better suited for food-grade processing than automobile-style bottle jacks which weren't tested to meet food-grade processing specifications.

Custom stainless-steel boltless, form-fitted junctures connect the platen to the bottle jack for an incredibly strong and stable unit. Each tubing connection leads directly to a barbed spigot at the top of a pressed platen; an additional tube connects to a water resistant valve that allows users to control how much pressure is applied during pressing process.

This tincture press comes equipped with two 12-x-16 pressing filter bags and clear PVC NSF approved 1/2" I.D. hoses approved by NSF that can be fitted directly onto jars (some may need drilling) to create an efficient closed system, ensuring continuous tincture flow from press to jar without the need to empty and refill regularly.