Free Vintage Wine Presses Are Expensive

· 513 words · 3 minute read

I picked up this number 45 wine press because it was free. It came from someone whose parents brought it over from Portugal decades ago, so it’s a cool story, and there really isn’t much technology needed to press grapes. Making things last has always been an interest of mine. Besides, it’s free. It has to be cheaper than just buying one, right? I just wanted to make it usable again without turning it into a decorative tetanus memorial.

After spending around $700 on it, I am here to tell you it was not in fact free.

Here is the rough scoreboard:

ItemCost
Powder coating~$500
New 316 stainless hardware~$100
Driving around Massachusetts with a trunk of rusty wine stuffpriceless

Alright, I know this is boring, so here are the pictures.

The original Facebook Marketplace shot of the Portuguese Number 45 press.
1 / 10The Facebook Marketplace glamour shot. Every bad decision starts with "this has potential."
The press at the start of sanding, with the old finish coming off.
2 / 10This is where the project stopped being theoretical and started becoming dust.
The metal bowl after sanding, stripped back to bare steel.
3 / 10The pan cleaned up nicely. Bare steel, unfortunately, is a very emotional material.
Fresh rust forming on the bowl shortly after sanding.
4 / 10Evidence that wine equipment and untreated steel are not lifelong friends.
The side slats before cleanup, showing the original weathered wood.
5 / 10The wood had character, which is what we say when it needs work.
A board kicking back during planing because it was not fully supported.
6 / 10A useful reminder that planers are eager to give feedback when setup is sloppy.
The side slats after planing and finishing.
7 / 10After planing and polyurethane, the slats looked like they wanted to be in a nicer neighborhood.
Reassembly with new 316 stainless hardware and powder-coated supports.
8 / 10New stainless fasteners and freshly coated supports made the whole thing look a lot less haunted.
The completed refurbished Number 45 wine press.
9 / 10Finished, functional, and much less likely to shed mystery paint into future vintages.
The finished wine press with dog included for scale and moral support.
10 / 10The dog tax.

Materials 🔗

Wine is acidic. That is a large part of its personality.

It also means a wine press is harder on finishes and metal than a lot of other kitchen-adjacent projects. That pushed me toward powder coating for the metal pan and supports. Powder coat is tougher than ordinary paint, stands up better to abrasion, and gives much more even coverage on awkward shapes like this. For the hardware that holds the slats together, I went with 316 stainless because it is much better suited to repeated exposure to moisture and acidic juice than old mystery bolts from the previous century. It’s also cool because it’s the same stainless steel used in maritime stuff.

Nationwide Powder Coating handled the coating work, and they did a great job.

Additionally, I thought I needed something special for a food-safe coating on the slats. As I discovered, though, normal polyurethane is food-safe once it dries.

A few other random things 🔗

  • If you are planing slats, support the board all the way through unless you want the planer to contribute its own design input. Picture 6 is what you get if you don’t.
  • Bare steel rusts immediately after you finally get it clean, which feels rude but is technically fair.
  • I looked for any sort of marking or branding on the press or the iron. I could not find any.
  • The Dog approves of the work.
wine diy restoration woodworking