Home made press for crumble cake?

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DireWolf

DireWolf

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Saw a video this morning by that Dagner guy on U Tube, using a what looked like a stainless steel simple press - machined plates and a square SS box tube.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3X2S0FlG794" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" allowfullscreen ></iframe>

May be a curse word or two.

I've seen a few with plastic, but they never seemed too strong. Seen a couple with metal, and they didn't look this good. I'm friend's with a machinist that can do anything.

Thinking about it to meld flavors, impacts on aging, just play around with stuff. Mostly screw around with cheaper bulk blends, or whatever. That Jay guy said something about pressing two tobaccos together (Mississippi River and FM Cellar), and if was great - that sounds interesting to try stuff like that.

Anyone have a home made press and play around with stuff like this?
 
Yuppers, I have a tube press and one I made out of black walnut.

I like the tube best, it's easier to 'charge' and unload. Plus, I like the twist look I get out of it. The walnut box seems to be harder to extract the block from.


The tube is a white vinyl core from the wife's Stabilizer material she uses on her embroidery machines. It's tough enough to take some severe pressure.

Whatever you use, keep in mind, it's not necessarily all about pressure. Time will meld attributes as well, it just takes longer. Pressure speeds it up. Heat speeds it up. Heat AND pressure really speeds it up.

(i.e., what may take months to blend tobaccos together loose, will take weeks under pressure, days heated, then pressed. Professional manufacturers tend to rush production so as to get from leaf to tin in as little time as possible, so they will press with tonnage to get flakes, plugs, cakes. Patience will do the same with less intensive practices. )

I started by using a Foodsaver vacuum sealer, and got great results, although not as visually appealing as perfectly cubed blocks. Did the same job however. I still store some of my blends after they are pressed, in Foodsaver bags, (after wrapping them in waxed paper).
 
With views and zero replies, I thought "I bet that Ozark Wizard guy has tried it."

:lol:

I think I can cobble together some round, 4" diameter stock, a base, and an insert.

Likely just use a big C clamp, and press it for a week or two.

May get some mylar bags if it works and play with aging one or two things.

It's all about playing with things, and seeing what happens. If I can get a stainless press for a case of Icehouse silos, why not?
 
Ozark Wizard":73l1hqg8 said:
Yuppers, I have a tube press and one I made out of black walnut.

I like the tube best, it's easier to 'charge' and unload. Plus, I like the twist look I get out of it. The walnut box seems to be harder to extract the block from.


The tube is a white vinyl core from the wife's Stabilizer material she uses on her embroidery machines. It's tough enough to take some severe pressure.

Whatever you use, keep in mind, it's not necessarily all about pressure. Time will meld attributes as well, it just takes longer. Pressure speeds it up. Heat speeds it up. Heat AND pressure really speeds it up.

(i.e., what may take months to blend tobaccos together loose, will take weeks under pressure, days heated, then pressed. Professional manufacturers tend to rush production so as to get from leaf to tin in as little time as possible, so they will press with tonnage to get flakes, plugs, cakes. Patience will do the same with less intensive practices. )

I started by using a Foodsaver vacuum sealer, and got great results, although not  as visually appealing as perfectly cubed blocks. Did the same job however. I still store some of my blends after they are pressed, in Foodsaver bags, (after wrapping them in waxed paper).      
Click to expand...
This one?
 
Yah, that one.......

I saw your post following my post saying you had not gotten any replies, so PMed you the post.


Sorry for the redundancy :drunken:
 
Ozark Wizard":05h5mc2j said:
Yah, that one.......

I saw your post following my post saying you had not gotten any replies, so PMed you the post.


Sorry for the redundancy :drunken:
Click to expand...
Yeah.

Nobody *else* posted anything. :lol:

After the casing with rum discussion, I got the impression that if no one had tried it - you seem to enjoy blending/tinkering, and likely had at least tried it a few times.

I'm thinking a simple c-clamp set up to just tinker with (maybe a pound at a time, max).

I'll likely lose interest if success is limited. :)
 
As you may have read on another post, I'm a cheap SOB. My tests in blending tend to stay under 4 ounces. Even with keeping my investment in failure down to a quarter pound, I still have more "disaster weed" than I could smoke in a season... 4 ounces is plenty to give a blend a decent chance to do something, and not have spent too much..

You may find that playing with casings and toppings can be pretty straight forward. Add rum, taste rum. etc... If you want to dip into VaPers or English blending, that's when it gets interesting.
 
I'm thinking more of - I have 2 ounces of a blend that I don't like. Add come toasted black cav and press. See what happens.

Or - two bulk blends that I do like, and think might be good together - ounce of each, press, see what happens.

Also interested to see maybe the difference in a pressed #5100 red cake vs. a ribbon cut after a 6 month or year age.

I'm not interested in making my own English blends right now. Just playing around.

I figured I'd throw it out there to see if others had tried it before. I had seen a few U-Tube videos using various leaf and blends. I have enough property to grow some too, if I ever get the itch.
 
Sounds like you are on the right track......

I started blending due to finding some products being too intense, so I toned them down by diluting them with straight Burley or Virginia. Kinda like hamburger helper........

Growing tobacco isn't too tough, just have to watch for bugs and mildew if your environment tends to be wet. ( I lived in Oregon for about a quarter of a century, had trouble with tomatoes there. Could only imagine the issues with tobacco, but never tried it there)

Had a small plot of tobacco here last year. Once I got it dried, I bundled it and am storing it until this years crop is baled and stored.

I've been trying to help a young man in Arkansas with his endeavours. He is young. Thinks "aged" means about three weeks old. I talked to him about how to make a Perique type of weed, and he keeps either rushing it or turning it into something akin to cooked spinach........ One should not rush....

Let me know how you do, eh?

 
As OCD as this guy seems I wonder why he did not weld the press plate to the screw of the clamp? He made a movement slot for the bottom so this seems strsnge !! One would have to be really focused on more than smoking to go to all that work !! :twisted: :twisted:
 
DireWolf":bpazbi7k said:
With views and zero replies, I thought "I bet that Ozark Wizard guy has tried it."

:lol:

I think I can cobble together some round, 4" diameter stock, a base, and an insert.  

Likely just use a big C clamp, and press it for a week or two.  
Click to expand...
Thats exactly what I use - works a treat.
I line the tube with baking paper first - makes it very easy to remove the tobacco after pressing and keeps in the moisture!
 
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