What To Do With a Rusty Tin?

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abecox

Can't Leave
Sep 8, 2010
324
1,704
Cleveland, OH
Hey figured this is the place to ask and a quick search didn't pull up anything recent so I figured I'd ask.

I recently rediscovered the world of pipes after digging out a few boxes of them as I've been cleaning my storage room, I found a good deal of pipes in one box and they seem to still be in good condition though I'm going through and cleaning em all cause they're definitely dusty. I also found a box that had a bunch of various tins and mason jars, a veritable treasure trove! However, the basement that the boxes were in might have flooded (or something leaked onto them) and a few of the tins got pretty rusty, some of them are those twist off style tins but some of them are the american pop top kind, is there a way to tell if a tin got too rusty and lost its moisture without opening it? Some of these are pretty sweet vintage blends, I guess I liked McClelland when I was younger but I dont wanna open em and then have to rush through smoking them if they're still good.

Thanks in advance!
 
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abecox

Can't Leave
Sep 8, 2010
324
1,704
Cleveland, OH
Heres a few of the roughest looking ones
 

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abecox

Can't Leave
Sep 8, 2010
324
1,704
Cleveland, OH
one thing to learn from this: if storing on a floor which could be reached by a flood, store the tins etc in something like a rubbermaid roughneck container :) I hope you are able to salvage the tobacco!
Thing is, it was in a Rubbermaid bin, there's a part of me that thinks maybe something leaked into it cause it was mostly pooled to one side. I know it's not kosher but I also used to smoke a hookah back in my early 20s (please forgive me I was young and dumb) and maybe some of that stuff leaked over the tins.
 
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AroEnglish

Rehabilitant
Jan 7, 2020
5,149
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#62
Thing is, it was in a Rubbermaid bin, there's a part of me that thinks maybe something leaked into it cause it was mostly pooled to one side. I know it's not kosher but I also used to smoke a hookah back in my early 20s (please forgive me I was young and dumb) and maybe some of that stuff leaked over the tins.
Smoking a hookah is not kosher? I still jump in on hookahs whenever my friends are having one.
 
Aug 11, 2022
2,609
20,584
Cedar Rapids, IA
Anyways, my test for a vacuum-sealed tin is to feel whether the flat surfaces still feel sucked-in or not. Try pinching it hard like in your picture of the Royal Yacht tin and see how easily it gives. If it feels pretty solid, the seal is probably still good. If it feels squishy, I'd open it up and inspect the contents.

This test is not perfect, of course, but it gives me actionable steps so that I don't have to worry as much about what's in my cellar. 🤓