I've just pressed my first BP cakes in a similar way, I havent got a huge press though I've used a 10 inch "G-Clamp" in a bench vice with a long steel tube for a lever.
It doesn't get up to the same sort of pressures as a hydraulic jack, but seems to compress the BP quite well into a homogenous block that can be pushed out of the tube once the pressure has been released.
I used a piece of 15mm marine ply as a blast shield which had the disadvantage of not allowing me to see the pressing as I pressed.
Having read the article above about blast shields I have a coupel of questions:
Anyone know an easy source of lexan in the uk?
Anyone actually had or heard of a BP cake ignitting becasue of the pressure?
Edit:
here's a link to a pic of my first pressings http://www.damian-fe...yro/bpcakes.jpg
Here's a possibility... use two layers this thickness and it will withstand most anything an amateur pyrotechnician would be likely to work with:
http://cgi.ebay.co.u...1QQcmdZViewItem