Cheapest DIY Rosin Press That Works!

[TheResistance]

DIY Press https://imgur.com/gallery/gu23wUx

Main pieces:

1" wide Revlon hair straightener from walmart- $20

2 ton jack from walmart- $10

JB Weld(2 tubes in package, 500 degree operating temperature)- $5

Scrap metal/new steel

2 pieces of thin wood the dimensions of the plates.

This is how I made my press as quick, cheap, and easy as I could figure out how on a whim.
If you can weld/know a welder then the frame will be easy. Make sure to get the top and bottom of frame square if anything.
Making it is easy to figure out by just looking at the pictures. Make sure to put a piece of thin steel between the jack and the wood under the heating plate to disperse pressure evenly or it will just press through the wood straight to the heating element and crush everything.
If you have any questions or can tell me how to make one easier and cheaper please give me some feedback.

One last thing, I decided to separate the heating plates and frame with wood because I thought there would be too much of a heat sink if they were making contact, may not make a difference but that was my reasoning. Has worked perfectly. Pour the JB weld to it and let everything cure for 24 hours even though the cure time says 15. Keep an eye out for the JB weld to crack and if it does just cover it with more. Haven't had any problems so it was a success!

 

[asdf420]

Now that's how it's done! no overpriced fancy bullshit! I mean, it's always great to know of a way to do things in a way that really gets the job done without having to spend tons

 

[TheResistance]

Thank you very much!

 

[simplywonderful]

Creative minds like you are the exact reason why I love this place I really like that you did not spend time, perfectioning its appearance because the main thing is, that it works. Can I ask you for how long are you using it? Is it reliable? Would the parts quickly wear out? Last time I saw something like manual rosin press, that must be pain in the ass if you are not strongman champion
Im thankful that you shared your idea

 

[TheResistance]

Creative minds like you are the exact reason why I love this place I really like that you did not spend time, perfectioning its appearance because the main thing is, that it works. Can I ask you for how long are you using it? Is it reliable? Would the parts quickly wear out? Last time I saw something like manual rosin press, that must be pain in the ass if you are not strongman champion
Im thankful that you shared your idea

I haven't used it extensively, but so far it has been very successful and it seems that it will be durable and last long enough to be worth the effort!

Since I decided to add wood between the heating elements and steel to prevent a huge heat sink, the first round did cause some minor flaking and cracks in the JB weld adhesive that attaches the two (because of the heating element being slightly pushed into the wood). This did not cause anything to fall apart or move. I just added more of the JB weld to these areas that "settled", and I havent seen any more of this. Very pleased with how it turned out. The only thing that I will change in the future is upgrading the straightener to one of the more expensive 2" wide straighteners so that I could possibly press more material at one time. Thanks for asking!