The Tobacco Press That You Already Own

woodsroad

Lifer

Oct 10, 2013

12,945

21,731

SE PA USA

• Apr 29, 2014

• #1

This idea came to me this evening while I was taking a shower. It's where many of my more spectacular inspirations originate.

This is one of those big-assed 1 quart, 13" caulk guns, and it's sized just right for an 8oz jar with 150-200gr of tobacco. This caulk gun will exert a considerable amount of force, albeit nowhere near what a hydraulic press can do. I'm part way into that project. I found some 4" stainless structural square tube and some 1/4" SS plate for the bottom and pressure plate. I'll be using a 30-ton log splitter as the press.
This blend:
Rich and Strange
Virginia: 20%

Cigar Leaf: 15%

Dark Fired Burley: 13%

Oriental: 12%

Stoved Black Virginia: 10%

Latakia: 10%

Perique: 10%

Dark Air Cured: 10%

Shiraz: 30ml
Press on!

 

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woodsroad

Lifer

Oct 10, 2013

12,945

21,731

SE PA USA

• Apr 29, 2014

• #2

Russ Ouellette stopped by our pipe club last night with the 4 new blends that he's formulated for a co-branding adventure with Missouri Meerschaum. All of them exceptional, all quite different from one another and unique in their own right. We smoked and talked for several hours. Russ is always more than happy to talk tobacco, blending and flavor, and the evening left me inspired.
Thanks, Russ!

 

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cobguy

Lifer

Oct 18, 2013

3,742

18

• Apr 29, 2014

• #3

Very clever woodsroad!
That would be a great way to save a few mason jars per TAD as well I suspect.

 

woodsroad

Lifer

Oct 10, 2013

12,945

21,731

SE PA USA

• Apr 29, 2014

• #4

Yup.
I'll bet that Anniversary Kake would be quite interesting in a year or three if you packed it away like this.
Or squash some Burley and you have your own miniature Perique factory.

 

organizedmadman

Can't Leave

Nov 8, 2011

313

0

41

Louisville, Ky

• Apr 29, 2014

• #5

Do you sell your blends? I'd love to try a bit of that!

 

woodsroad

Lifer

Oct 10, 2013

12,945

21,731

SE PA USA

• Apr 29, 2014

• #6

No, it's just a hobby. I've already turned one of my hobbies into a vocation, and I'll be very reluctant to ever do that again!
You should really try this for yourself, not much to it.

 

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pylorns

Lifer

Aug 20, 2013

2,207

677

Austin, Texas

www.thepipetool.com

• Apr 29, 2014

• #7

Worried at all about the glass breaking?

 

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woodsroad

Lifer

Oct 10, 2013

12,945

21,731

SE PA USA

• Apr 29, 2014

• #8

Yes.

So far so good.

 

woodsroad

Lifer

Oct 10, 2013

12,945

21,731

SE PA USA

• Apr 29, 2014

• #9

When there's a lot of cracks to fill.....

 

bryanf

Part of the Furniture Now

Jul 16, 2013

742

10

• Apr 30, 2014

• #10

Brilliant. Thanks for the tip. I might have to give that a try.

 

petes03

Lifer

Jun 23, 2013

6,212

10,660

The Hills of Tennessee

• Apr 30, 2014

• #11

Pretty cool! Let us know how it turns out.

 

dottiewarden

Lifer

Mar 25, 2014

3,053

58

Toronto

• Apr 30, 2014

• #12

Rich and Strange
Virginia: 20%

Cigar Leaf: 15%

Dark Fired Burley: 13%

Oriental: 12%

Stoved Black Virginia: 10%

Latakia: 10%

Perique: 10%

Dark Air Cured: 10%

Shiraz: 30ml

Click to expand...

I'm very impressed woodsroad. It's also very inspiring to see someone so involved in the tobacco they smoke. It shant be long 'fore I'm at it myself.

 

woodsroad

Lifer

Oct 10, 2013

12,945

21,731

SE PA USA

• Apr 30, 2014

• #13

Dot, you can do it.
Go to 4Noggins or P&C today and buy the basic blending tobaccos. 4Noggins has that great sale on Saseni Balken today, so get on over there and do a TAD! Just get a Virginia like McClelland 5100, some Burley, Latakia, Dark Fired and Perique if roll that way, and have at it. It is difficult to go wrong if you stay within established bounds. Once you have a blend or three under the belt, then push the envelope a bit. Work in 150gr batches, it's about as small as you can go and still fine tune amounts in a repeatable manner. Keep good records. PM me and I'll send you a Word file with one of my formulas, if you want to see how I keep track things...

 

yazamitaz

Lifer

Mar 1, 2013

1,757

1

• Apr 30, 2014

• #14

Good stuff Dan.
I missed out on your blends last meeting but I hope you are bringing them for the May 15th meeting. I can't remember if Zach or Sam had some and thought them tasty. I will have to judge myself

 

fadingdaylight

Lifer

Jan 8, 2013

1,189

3

• Apr 30, 2014

• #15

Good stuff, I will have to start doing this, thanks woods.

 

woodsroad

Lifer

Oct 10, 2013

12,945

21,731

SE PA USA

• Apr 30, 2014

• #16

Dan, I'll bring everything that I have to the next meeting, but two of my blends are now in the press! I was able to press 140gr in to one of those tiny (4oz?) Ball jars. It had loosely filled a 16oz jar.
We should really have a separate forum for blenders...

 

lockdown199

Starting to Get Obsessed

May 28, 2013

126

0

• Apr 30, 2014

• #17

Now when you say Shiraz you me wine?

 

woodsroad

Lifer

Oct 10, 2013

12,945

21,731

SE PA USA

• Apr 30, 2014

• #18

Yes, Shiraz wine. It's what I had on hand that was red and dry. I think that it could have used more than 30ml. The large amount of Burley in this blend sucked it up pretty quickly. There was no excess liquid when it was compacted.

 

yazamitaz

Lifer

Mar 1, 2013

1,757

1

• Apr 30, 2014

• #19

Good to hear Dan, I can't wait to try your Va/Per ( if I am remembering right)
Are your intentions to press into a cake/flake, or is there something else you are trying to accomplish?

 

D

davidintexas

Part of the Furniture Now

Jun 4, 2013

679

218

• Apr 30, 2014

• #20

That big ole caulk gun and what you were using it for, Woodsroad, reminded me of the Tim the Tool Man Taylor guy on Home Improvement of years ago