Plug Preparation

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danimalia

Lifer
Sep 2, 2015
4,385
26,440
41
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
I also tend to try to shave more than slice. I like to use a guillotine cigar cutter as it makes it easier to cut off shavings. If the whole plug won't fit in the opening, you can cut the plug in half lengthwise (with the grain). I just make sure to shave an equal amount from each piece with layered plugs like JackKnife Plug so the blend works as intended.
 

The Clay King

(Formerly HalfDan)
Oct 2, 2018
5,657
51,240
41
Chesterfield, UK
www.youtube.com
I smoke plug everyday. Everyone has their preferred method of preparation. I slice it with an iron blade pen knife by holding the plug in my hand gripped by my middle finger and the other two and then cut the plug so the tobacco collects in my hand. If I am in a beer garden then I go with the thin slices, like wise in the office since I can use something to cut the plug on such as the table, my desk, magazine, junk mail flyers etc. You can cut fresh Warrior Plug so fine that it resembles RYO tobacco.
I don't think I could smoke plug or twist even though this is what would have been smoked in clay pipes originally!
I've been advised not to smoke RYO (e.g. Drum, Golden Virginia) in my clay pipes - and Amber Leaf is HORRIBLE in a pipe!
 

briarbuck

Lifer
Nov 24, 2015
2,287
5,492
Tried this over the weekend on a chunk of 3P's I have been nursing. Used a sushi knife and sliced off paper thin strips. Worked it out with my fingers and had this really nice fine shag. Packed it very loose in a small meer with less drying than normal. Noticeably different (in a better way) than smoking big chunky flakes.
 

mingc

Lifer
Jun 20, 2019
3,976
11,065
The Big Rock Candy Mountains
How thin of a slice can that thing do? I could see using it to pre-prep some plug when going on the road a bit or something (one of the rare times I plan something ahead).
As thin as you'd like. The real question is how uniform you can get the slices. That depends on the firmness of the plug and the steadiness of your hand, which is true for all blades. It helps, of course, if the blade is sharp. The cutter works because it has a nice long and sharp blade that moves on a uniform axis. A soft plug will deform and an unsteady hand will let the plug slide around. But if you have a firm grip on a hard plug, you can do pencil shavings.
 
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rushx9

Lifer
Jul 10, 2019
2,299
17,244
42
Shelby, NC
Tried slicing up some Curly Block with the new pawnshop score giganto-Case. Didn't work out very well as the blade is hollow ground. Pretty much made a pile of tinder.
I've found thin, single bevel blades to be the best for cutting even flakes and coins.
Switched over to the 60's patented gimmicky meat slicer "wonderknife" to get a half decent coin. (basically a bread knife with an adjustable depth guard).
20200701_124615.jpg
 

condorlover1

Lifer
Dec 22, 2013
7,994
26,608
New York
Here are my 'go too' knives for cutting plugs and reaming bowls. They are all ancient and like most things I own inherited from someone in the family who is now no longer around. From top to bottom we have something post WW1. Middle one is my Grand Father on my Mothers side pipe knife probably purchased pre WW1 with an iron blade, pipe tamp in the end and long spiky thing for cleaning out the bowl. You can see the blade has been worn by repeated grinding over the years. The bottom one is another iron bladed knife from my Father which has his initials on the knife handle that I use all the time but it never leaves my office. They all work excellently for slicing plug up!

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