What are we looking at here? Why did you double-up on the tube?
Casing your own tobacco.
- Thread starter Altreac
- Start date
- Thread starter
- #42
I suppose this will be the 'final' update on the pollen press. Not the project, just this specific press.
Don't buy one.
I broke it.
So, check this sequence out:
This is Brightleaf Virginia - Sweet leaf, with the main stem pulled.
Shredding the leaf/Getting ready for the plastic bottom piece with parchment paper.
Everything is in place.
Tobaccos in the tube. Still no issues.
Manually pressed down with the plunger.
Drop the plastic cap on the manually pressed tobacco.
Couple layers of wax paper on top of the plastic.
Then.....while tightening up the press...*snap*
The metal you see in the rod threads....is the cap threading. The threaded rod now slides freely up and down inside the cap.
Well damn.
Don't buy one.
I broke it.
So, check this sequence out:
This is Brightleaf Virginia - Sweet leaf, with the main stem pulled.
Shredding the leaf/Getting ready for the plastic bottom piece with parchment paper.
Everything is in place.
Tobaccos in the tube. Still no issues.
Manually pressed down with the plunger.
Drop the plastic cap on the manually pressed tobacco.
Couple layers of wax paper on top of the plastic.
Then.....while tightening up the press...*snap*
The metal you see in the rod threads....is the cap threading. The threaded rod now slides freely up and down inside the cap.
Well damn.
- Thread starter
- #43
*grin*
I intentionally didn't explain what you're seeing.
What you're seeing is a commercial cigarette...inside a standard tube.
They've gotten so small that they slide inside RYO tubes.
There used to be no difference.
What I was alluding to with the comment about packs is this: While they were going through, reducing the tube diameter size, they must have realized that they smokes were starting to rattle around in the pack. That's when they starting coming out with the 'new', 'redesigned' packs. Not because they wanted to change up their presentation. But, I submit (my opinion), that they changed their pack sizes to accommodate their smaller tubes and call it 'innovation'.
- Thread starter
- #44
So.
My solution:
I was planning on getting one after this first bracket. What can you do I guess.
Just a touch over 100 usd. $159.99 CAD + 15% tax.
2 ton arbor press.
Cut my plunger from the metal handle of an old rubber mallet.
I'll keep using this cylinder until I'm done my first bracket.
Then, maybe something a little bigger.
Don't think it's going to break this time though.
My solution:
I was planning on getting one after this first bracket. What can you do I guess.
Just a touch over 100 usd. $159.99 CAD + 15% tax.
2 ton arbor press.
Cut my plunger from the metal handle of an old rubber mallet.
I'll keep using this cylinder until I'm done my first bracket.
Then, maybe something a little bigger.
Don't think it's going to break this time though.
Be careful not to "overpress" with that thing. I've seen youtube videos of guys using an arbor press for tobacco, and the result was a plank of tobacco you could probably shave with if you honed it up.
I looked into those, but ended up going the homemade box press route.
I looked into those, but ended up going the homemade box press route.
- Thread starter
- #46
Noted.
I guess I'll just have to get a feel for this one. I tried not to put too much force behind it.
I guess we'll see in a week.
True. It's going to be trial and error but before long you'll know what feels right when tensioning. Great thread.
I never figured overpressing could happen but I did it by leaving my C-clamp/soupcan press together for a few months. It wasn't too bad but the result doesn't rub out, it breaks up into thick hard shards that are difficult to pack/smoke well.
- Thread starter
- #49
Curious. Would it be possible to add some extra hydration to soften up the hard shards, then rub them out and re-dry them to where you'd like?
If I do overpress the tobacco, has anyone had any success with correcting, urrr 'honable' tobacco pucks/bricks etc?
Recommendations?
I was a touch frustrated at breaking my pollen press, so I didn't think about measuring my compression depth. I'll think about trying to mark the outside of the cylinder to attempt to replicate my previous compression depths. Should be doable easily enough. I'm a fan of measurements.
I'm also still using the original plunger. I removed it from the threaded rod and just dropped it down the tube before I set the plunger on it. So other than the device generating the pressure, the equipment is the same. If I measure my plunger depth based on the other plugs I think it should be good.
I really appreciate the positive feedback...after I started having problems with the press...metal transfer and eventual breakage it gets easy to want to quit...despite the good results. But...I've gotten enough 'good threads' that it's worth it.
I've been thinking about what to press after I'm done my initial bracket. I think I may find a pvc tube that's the same (slightly narrower) diameter than the 125 ml mason jars. I think they should fit around 85-100g of plug fitted. I'll try to pack a few cans of my cigarette blend, but try to size them to be a perfect fit from the pvc mould in the arbor press. If I get a good size mould, I'll just have to cut the plugs to height, seal and age them. Then every mason jar should be 3, may 4 packs worth of pressed, aged tobacco.
If I do overpress the tobacco, has anyone had any success with correcting, urrr 'honable' tobacco pucks/bricks etc?
Recommendations?
I was a touch frustrated at breaking my pollen press, so I didn't think about measuring my compression depth. I'll think about trying to mark the outside of the cylinder to attempt to replicate my previous compression depths. Should be doable easily enough. I'm a fan of measurements.
I'm also still using the original plunger. I removed it from the threaded rod and just dropped it down the tube before I set the plunger on it. So other than the device generating the pressure, the equipment is the same. If I measure my plunger depth based on the other plugs I think it should be good.
I really appreciate the positive feedback...after I started having problems with the press...metal transfer and eventual breakage it gets easy to want to quit...despite the good results. But...I've gotten enough 'good threads' that it's worth it.
I've been thinking about what to press after I'm done my initial bracket. I think I may find a pvc tube that's the same (slightly narrower) diameter than the 125 ml mason jars. I think they should fit around 85-100g of plug fitted. I'll try to pack a few cans of my cigarette blend, but try to size them to be a perfect fit from the pvc mould in the arbor press. If I get a good size mould, I'll just have to cut the plugs to height, seal and age them. Then every mason jar should be 3, may 4 packs worth of pressed, aged tobacco.
I hadn't considered it as a hydration issue, but I suppose hydration could make it more cooperative. In that case I merely need to give it time, New England spring/summer humidity means anything not sealed in a mason jar will get thoroughly hydrated.
Kilroy6644
Smoking a corn dog in aviators and a top hat
Shame to hear about the pollen press. It looked like it was exactly what I wanted, too.
- Thread starter
- #52
Way I see it is water makes things expand right? I'm just tossing out what comes to mind on that one. I figure if it's too hard, if it gets wet it'll soften up a bit. And we can always re-dry stuff. (That's something I absolutely love about tobacco...it's just so resilient overall, could be dry enough to rub to dust, but add some water and it's elastic again).
But, it was just a thought and possible avenue to correction. (Hopefully I haven't) If I've overpressed this batch, I guess I can try it out. Either way, I'm totally just speculating.
Kilroy6644, Thanks. It's silly, I almost feel as if it was my fault it broke. I keep having to remind myself, it's not my fault. I was using it to press stuff as intended. But...QC failed as happens sometimes with those online auctions.
I'll keep my eye out for something similar, or a way to replicate pressing small batches. Although I'm guessing some metal pipe and a large C-Clamp would replicate the process pretty well.
- Thread starter
- #53
Real quick update.
Life is currently in the way. Or vice versa pending your point of view.
Haven't forgotten this thread, but I have been away from home for a week and change already. May not be around for the rest of the month.
I'll get back on track when I've got some free time.
Just didn't want anyone to think I'd just up and dropped out.
Lvife first.
Cheers all.
Life is currently in the way. Or vice versa pending your point of view.
Haven't forgotten this thread, but I have been away from home for a week and change already. May not be around for the rest of the month.
I'll get back on track when I've got some free time.
Just didn't want anyone to think I'd just up and dropped out.
Lvife first.
Cheers all.
Thanks for keeping us posted.
Hope everything clear up for you soon enough.
Hope everything clear up for you soon enough.
Life has been happening to me a bit too, hence why I lurk daily but almost never post. For me it's nothing bad, just too busy for much of this here. I hope it's the same for you.
- Thread starter
- #56
For me, it's ur, 'different'.
Long term it will be amazing. For the time being I'm urr...comitted? Under observation anyways.
Due to a verbal misunderstanding.
The end result though so long as everything goes well with Mental Health (which it will, don't need these services, but based on the nature of the misunderstanding, laws have to be followed. No violence in either direction. Just something I was saying concerned my Chain of Command. But the statement was taken WAY out of context.
Positives: 3 year, CAF 3b medical release, with off-site placement for this first year, then 2 years paid/fully funded School of my choice.
It's a major opportunity for me. A few hoops to jump through, but in the end, I'm being handed a very high honour from the Canadian Navy.
In addition, I'm Reg Force Army. So being hooked up like this through the Navy is huge.
I think everyone here at B&B that's run across me knows that I'm a super high energy, high functioning individual.
Last year I scored 97% on the Human Adult Intelligence Scale (Weschler/Wimms I think it was called). Neural Cognitive Assessment anyhow. I rocked it, without trying.
Highschool? Dropped out with 3 credits left (2 electives/1 English).
I've got a pretty hefty Learning Disability (LD). But, I'm super high functioning. But lately (last 13 years) I've been messing with fairly advanced Theoretical Physics. Personal Interest.
Anyhow, I believe I'm on to a very important mathematical proof. I was a bit excited, my excitement was not my normal behaviour. Thus my current situation.
Either way. I'm fine, and the CAF is going to pay me to go to school. There's enough stats on me between school, CF Aptitude test and my MOC training scores.
I'm the type of person that confuses other people when I don't ace tests. Always have been.
So...yeah. That's the basic gist of it.
.oO(even in this thread, I've been perusing the National Library of Medicine website, reading thesis', disertations and research papers, just on tobacco. Probably 5000 pages from nlm.gov.)
Long term it will be amazing. For the time being I'm urr...comitted? Under observation anyways.
Due to a verbal misunderstanding.
The end result though so long as everything goes well with Mental Health (which it will, don't need these services, but based on the nature of the misunderstanding, laws have to be followed. No violence in either direction. Just something I was saying concerned my Chain of Command. But the statement was taken WAY out of context.
Positives: 3 year, CAF 3b medical release, with off-site placement for this first year, then 2 years paid/fully funded School of my choice.
It's a major opportunity for me. A few hoops to jump through, but in the end, I'm being handed a very high honour from the Canadian Navy.
In addition, I'm Reg Force Army. So being hooked up like this through the Navy is huge.
I think everyone here at B&B that's run across me knows that I'm a super high energy, high functioning individual.
Last year I scored 97% on the Human Adult Intelligence Scale (Weschler/Wimms I think it was called). Neural Cognitive Assessment anyhow. I rocked it, without trying.
Highschool? Dropped out with 3 credits left (2 electives/1 English).
I've got a pretty hefty Learning Disability (LD). But, I'm super high functioning. But lately (last 13 years) I've been messing with fairly advanced Theoretical Physics. Personal Interest.
Anyhow, I believe I'm on to a very important mathematical proof. I was a bit excited, my excitement was not my normal behaviour. Thus my current situation.
Either way. I'm fine, and the CAF is going to pay me to go to school. There's enough stats on me between school, CF Aptitude test and my MOC training scores.
I'm the type of person that confuses other people when I don't ace tests. Always have been.
So...yeah. That's the basic gist of it.
.oO(even in this thread, I've been perusing the National Library of Medicine website, reading thesis', disertations and research papers, just on tobacco. Probably 5000 pages from nlm.gov.)
- Thread starter
- #57
Looks like I'm outta here June 3rd. Little longer than expected, but no real change to the circumstance overall.
Getting rather irritated waiting around with literally nothing happening at all.
Either way, I'll get back to this sometime after that. I want to finish my bracket. This'll throw a touch of variance in that this current batch is going to have been pressed much, much longer than intended.
But the long press will give us a comparison too.
Couple more weeks. Then a few days home to get home back on track...then back to tobacco.
Right now though, I'm waiting on some cotton filters to mess around with using a rolling machine while I'm in the hospital.
My wife's been making me my RYO smokes and friends are delivering them every few days. So I still have premium leaf coming my way.
Getting rather irritated waiting around with literally nothing happening at all.
Either way, I'll get back to this sometime after that. I want to finish my bracket. This'll throw a touch of variance in that this current batch is going to have been pressed much, much longer than intended.
But the long press will give us a comparison too.
Couple more weeks. Then a few days home to get home back on track...then back to tobacco.
Right now though, I'm waiting on some cotton filters to mess around with using a rolling machine while I'm in the hospital.
My wife's been making me my RYO smokes and friends are delivering them every few days. So I still have premium leaf coming my way.
- Thread starter
- #58
OK, Back at this a bit.
Here's what's happened in my downtime.
This is the first out of the arbor press. It's Brightleaf Virginia
Not stellar, but not terrible either. I had to scrape it out though, so that's why it's all crumbled like that.
Next:
Mini tobacco press. I just whipped this together in 30 minutes or so out of scrap:
Press with plunger in it.
10 Grams of my cigarette blend. Just for the trial of the minimold.
I could definitely squeeze more tobacco in there, but I think 10 grams will do for a first go.
And Pressed:
I guess we'll see how arbor press round 2 goes.
This is my tobacco blend, so I will probably end up injecting it into tubes for comparison.
Here's what's happened in my downtime.
This is the first out of the arbor press. It's Brightleaf Virginia
Not stellar, but not terrible either. I had to scrape it out though, so that's why it's all crumbled like that.
Next:
Mini tobacco press. I just whipped this together in 30 minutes or so out of scrap:
Press with plunger in it.
10 Grams of my cigarette blend. Just for the trial of the minimold.
I could definitely squeeze more tobacco in there, but I think 10 grams will do for a first go.
And Pressed:
This is my tobacco blend, so I will probably end up injecting it into tubes for comparison.
Glad to see you back on this!
Hope everything goes well for you
Hope everything goes well for you
- Thread starter
- #60
First results out of the minimold:
Cracking the Minimold for the first time.
First glimps into the mold.
A tobacco 'wafer'.
I'd say this first short press with the minimold turned out pretty well.
I rubbed out 0.7 grams and rolled a smoke with it. You can definitely taste the difference, even after only a day and a half.
Rubbed out nicely, and the smoke was smooth and tasty.
I'm probably going to try and press a larger load of cigarette tobacco before I get back to my primary bracketing experiment.
Looks like 30 grams fits in the mold if I pack it in fairly tightly before the pressing. Definitely a maximum for the little press. I'm going to leave this pressed for a bit longer. Maybe a week. And if I get my act together, I'll stem the last few varieties of leaves I haven't touched yet. That'll be the end of the first phase of this experiment. Then I gotta wait a year.
Cracking the Minimold for the first time.
First glimps into the mold.
A tobacco 'wafer'.
I'd say this first short press with the minimold turned out pretty well.
I rubbed out 0.7 grams and rolled a smoke with it. You can definitely taste the difference, even after only a day and a half.
Rubbed out nicely, and the smoke was smooth and tasty.
I'm probably going to try and press a larger load of cigarette tobacco before I get back to my primary bracketing experiment.
Looks like 30 grams fits in the mold if I pack it in fairly tightly before the pressing. Definitely a maximum for the little press. I'm going to leave this pressed for a bit longer. Maybe a week. And if I get my act together, I'll stem the last few varieties of leaves I haven't touched yet. That'll be the end of the first phase of this experiment. Then I gotta wait a year.
