RYO Grinder For Pipe Tobacco?

ignaciojn · May 1, 2019

Lately, I've been dabbling in the world of RYO tobacco. And I found this grinder thingie the stoners seem to love (yes, I'm that out of the loop).
My question is, does it work well for pipe tobacco? I'm thinking you could get a uniform nice cut for the more messier blends.
I've never used (or even looked at) one of these grinders, so I don't know if it will make the tobacco too small.

jyrreb · May 1, 2019

A couple months ago I came across a picture on Instagram of someone breaking up flakes using a grinder. The ribbon it produced looked so perfect I was tempted to buy one. I haven't tried it myself but would also love to hear someone's first hand experience.

briarbuck · May 1, 2019

The type of grinder you are showing would turn the leaf into a very very fine powder. Probably like moist sawdust if you wanted an analogy. There may be one that does not grind things quite as fine as that one would. I know lots of people use an electric coffee grinder with good results. Also give you more control over the size of the grind.

ophiuchus · May 1, 2019

Hmmm ... maybe you should just buy one and try it out. Then you can tell us how well it works. :mrgreen:

ignaciojn · May 1, 2019

Hmmm ... maybe you should just buy one and try it out. Then you can tell us how well it works. :mrgreen:

Yes, that would be the sensible solution. : puffy

:
The thing is, in my town I can only get the cheap chinese knock offs. I would have to buy it online. And probably I will.

But it doesn't hurt to check with the pros first.

briarbuck · May 1, 2019

Guys, I have one. There are better solutions unless you want to make snuff. lol

thefishguy · May 1, 2019

I have one that has diamond shaped teeth. It works very well and the finished cut is little cube cut flakes. Ground flakes come out very similar to rubbed out war horse bar. Razor wire is the brand I believe. Works great for ropes too.

Edit: Teeth look the same as the one pictured.

aldecaker · May 2, 2019

The one I use is made of wood, and instead of teeth has what look like nails inside each half. A few twists turns flake into a perfect ribbon cut.

mso489 · May 2, 2019

My wife gave me a little hand grinder in a draw-string bag in a box. I didn't think of it as as a stoner thing, but I will say it works nicely for small quantities, a bowl or three at a time, for flake, coin, plug or rope, when you want an even burn or to mix it with other fine cut leaf. My only experience is with tobacco.

gatorlope · May 10, 2019

This. Is interesting to me because I have some cured tobacco leaves and I’ve just been crumpling up and sticking in my pipe from time to time. They smoke, I dump the ash on my plants and they’re tax free! Still, I wonder how it would be if I shredded them up a bit.

Chasing Embers · May 10, 2019

Guys, I have one. There are better solutions unless you want to make snuff. lol

I have one too. Works perfectly.

This. Is interesting to me because I have some cured tobacco leaves and I’ve just been crumpling up and sticking in my pipe from time to time.

You want one of these.
https://youtu.be/NIc_b8NkqNU

Chasing Embers · May 10, 2019

And before anyone says that a grinder isn't very piratey.

mortonbriar · May 10, 2019

Oh, you meant a grindAAARRRR

Chasing Embers · May 10, 2019

Exactly! :clap:

pepesdad1 · May 10, 2019

Yes, they work just fine for flakes...better have some decent wrist co-ordination as you twist it back and forth comes out just the way you would want it for smoking in small/tall pipes or wide pot shaped pipes. The pieces are pretty small so if you have a wide open draw you may get a few particles in the stem/shank.

mso489 · May 10, 2019

Mine does not grind the leaf into dust or snuff at all. The pieces are smaller-cut loose tobacco, but not tiny pieces at all. The grinder has teeth on the top and bottom and will grind more or less, as you wish. I usually grind up about three pipe bowls worth, and the drying time for the extra bowls is all to the good, makes for a nice even burn.

cigrmaster · May 10, 2019

You who use a grinder are all blasphemers. If you want lowly ribbon cuts, just buy them. Don't take a perfectly good flake and desecrate it in a grinder. The pipe gods are watching.

Chasing Embers · May 10, 2019

Mine does not grind the leaf into dust or snuff at all.

Same. I've tried to grind it to dust just to see if it would and never got any finer that pictured above.

cosmicfolklore · May 10, 2019

Those grinders mentioned are just small versions of this...

I have seen guys using those small pocket grinders for rope and flakes. But, when I want to grind down a pipe tobacco, I use an electric coffee grinder that I have dedicated to it. There is a member of our pipe club, a surgeon , that uses one to grind down his flakes. He turned me onto it. There is something different about grinding down a flake, verses just using ribbon. The flake process adds a different type of aging to the tobacco, and the burn of smaller pieces makes smoking it much easier. But, I don't do this very often, just when I want something different. Mostly I will cube cut an entire tin of flakes or plugs when I open it, and then dry it down slowly to my perfect level of dryness. But, giving it a whirl in the grinder gives me that something different that I am looking for when I want a more even burn but with the taste of aged flake. But, then sometimes I will fold and stuff, but I have to have my hands free for smoking flakes like that. YMMV

cosmicfolklore · May 10, 2019

I can get the tobacco rather fine by using an electric grinder, but I have to just grind it for a long time, with very sharp blades. But, it is more snus or "dip" sized chunks, not exactly powder. I'd be interested in how I could get the tobacco ground down that fine as snuff. I use some of it in the barn as a pesticide, and grinding it that fine would be a handy thing to know.

RYO Grinder For Pipe Tobacco?

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