Pics:
Siphoning...
Final product. About 9 quarts from 3 gallons of starter.
I am thinking about seeing what would happen if I put a quart or so through a coffee filter.
All in all, I would say this has been a very pleasent, interesting experience. Good cider is a bit pricey, at 7.99 a gallon, but heck, that's less than a night out at a pub.
The fermentation bottle did indeed wash out quite well. I just added warm water and shook the livin bejesus out of it. But before I use it again, I will certainly sterilize it.
For any Freepers who are interested, and want to be self sufficient, I would highly recommend trying it. It is interesting, because there are lots of techniques and variations, and I would bet your first attempt would give you something better than you can buy commercially!
You mentioned you were worried about getting your carboy clean. I use a product called "One Step" which my local home brew shop carries.
It eats that gunk away like nobodies business.
Hope it helps.
Merry Christmas!