steam juicer: how to do it yourself (DIY)

I got a stainless steel stock pot, and colander insert that fits.
DIY mash tuns show me that the stock pot can be modified to have a spigot.
DIY stills show me that a pressure cooker can be tapped into to siphon off the steam.
I figure I could add a spigot to my stock pot down low,and a second inlet higher, just below the colander basket to allow steam to enter.
Connect to the crock pot, make some steam,add fruit, profit.

Any reason to avoid this? I think I'll save a bunch of cash doing it this way. Plus, if successful, I could scale it up to do huge batches of slightly skanky fruit.

I'm not following.  You're adding steam to the fruit, then the water and fruit is strained for the juice? Or is the steam captured/condensed and this is the juice?

William Bronson wrote: I got a stainless steel stock pot, and colander insert that fits.
DIY mash tuns show me that the stock pot can be modified to have a spigot.
DIY stills show me that a pressure cooker can be tapped into to siphon off the steam.
I figure I could add a spigot to my stock pot down low,and a second inlet higher, just below the colander basket to allow steam to enter.
Connect to the crock pot, make some steam,add fruit, profit.

Any reason to avoid this? I think I'll save a bunch of cash doing it this way. Plus, if successful, I could scale it up to do huge batches of slightly skanky fruit.

I don't think you have the concept worked out, and I wouldn't wreck a stock pot to try this. I have used a steam juicer for over 30 years and teach food preservation techniques, including it's use. If you want to get around spending money on the juicer you can just cook down the fruit or tomatoes in your stock pot (on low heat, stirring frequently), then strain out the juice and bottle it without the solids. The solids may be canned up separately or dehydrated, depending on what you're starting with. In the steam juicer, there is a catch basin between the water pan and the "colander". The catch basin looks a bit like an angel food cake pan, the steam rises through the center cone hitting the fruit in the "colander". The juice drips into the catch basin and this is where there is a tube to tap off the juice directly into bottles. The advantage of the steam juicer is that foods can juice without needing constant attention or straining, and the juice is hot enough to go directly into bottles, capped, and no further processing needed. It is an ideal tool to buy in a group and share. You can read more about food preservation (and see photos) on our web site GeoPathfinder or in our book "Feeding Ourselves" which can be purchased on the site also.

I think your idea may work if I understand it correctly.

You'd use the stock pot to catch the juice and dispense it with a port you add near the bottom.  The colander of fruit would hang inside the stock pot and a lid would keep the steam in.  Another port would be added to the stock pot above the expected high level of the juice to let steam into the contraption.  The stock pot would not be on the stove, it could sit anywhere.  You'd generate steam with a pressure canner and pipe it into the stock pot to cook/juice the fruit.

Assuming you can keep the steam decently sealed inside the stock pot arrangement, I don't see why it wouldn't work.  I'm not an expert though.  Worst you'd have happen is that you'd ruin a stock pot but it may then have other creative uses.

I'm not sure what "skanky fruit" means to you but I wouldn't try it with anything I wouldn't be happy canning or drying.

Mike, you understood and explained my scheme perfectly. Thank you!
Yeah, skanky fruit is just ugly stuff,nothing spoiled.
The stock pot cost about $5.00,one of a set of 4.
The largest one has been transformed into a Tlud to make biochar. I hope to harness that heat to drive the steam juicing process, but it produces too big a flame to use with this prototype.
I'm growing an orchard,and anticipate needing to capture the surplus. Juice and fruit leather could fit the bill.
I think I will try it. Thanks for the inputs!

I hope it works out.  You might be able to skip the lower port and just let the juice collect in the pot until it's time to reload more fruit.  Dump it out at that point.  

Take pictures as you go