Adventures in home rolling
- Thread starter BrewinHooligan
- Start date
Mold marks are caused by molds that are made of 2 halves that are mirror images. The tobacco gets pinched between the halves and leaves a seam. By contrast professional molds have a top and a bottom. The top has an "U" shaped piece that presses down on the cigar. It leaves a much smaller mold mark. I have always used the pro style and cannot see the mold mark once the wrapper is applied. I know some people rotate their dolls 90 degrees in the mold. I do not. I leave my sticks in the mold for 24 hours, but only because by the time I have rolled up 20 dolls I'm ready to set it aside for a day. Also, I condition all my leaf for a session at the same time. I have found the wrapper benefits from an extra day to absorb moisture. I have seen rolling videos where the torceador rolls up dolls in 1 dozen molds ( 120 dolls) places them in a press, and goes out for lunch. An hour later she came back and wrapped.
As you know, I like to roll plump perfectos. I'll stuff more baccy in the middle than at the ends, so that the middle can swell up in its binder after being removed from the mold, coaxing your finished plumpfecto into a more voluptuous shape. I don't leave them in the mold for more than an hour or two. Otherwise, they'll retain too much mold memory, and so you can't manipulate the shape. I suppose this might tell you something about how long minimum to leave a parejo in the mold, where you do want the blank to retain its parallel sided molded shape.
Right now, I'm wrapping batches of 7" x 50rg Churchills. The blanks were bound up and left in the basement, to be wrapped with those wads of fine old CT shade. These blanks came in bundles of 50, each bundle wrapped in paper, then in tight plastic. I don't know how many years of pressing against each other has squished the dolls out of round... especially the ones on the perimeter. Remember, these dolls have been sitting this way for plenty of time to fix their shape. So I can't rush it. I only have the one two-slot Churchill mold, the one made by Maks, the Slovenian baccy farmer. So I have to mold them two at a time to restore cylindricality. I find that the worse ones require twelve hours in the mold to press back to shape; the not too bad ones maybe eight hours. I suppose this tells you something about how long maximum to leave a parejo in the mold, where you do want the blank to retain its cylindrical shape.
I do wish I had another Maks mold, so's I could pump out more than 4 of these Churchills a day. A great mold. Wish he'd made them 46 rg.
FWIW - I didn't much care for these Churchills at first. Good enough blend; but not my thing. The first two bundles I motored thru were 9" long bunches with super loose feet. The third bundle I'm working thru now, they're 7 1/2" blanks, tight all along, and much tastier. I believe they may have been blent by someone else. They do leave me with a super fine morning mouth.
If you retrieve your bunch from the mold soon enough, you can roll it on the tabla to remove most of the mold mark. OTOH, it's no big effort to rotate them in the mold, either, to press the mark out.
Right now, I'm wrapping batches of 7" x 50rg Churchills. The blanks were bound up and left in the basement, to be wrapped with those wads of fine old CT shade. These blanks came in bundles of 50, each bundle wrapped in paper, then in tight plastic. I don't know how many years of pressing against each other has squished the dolls out of round... especially the ones on the perimeter. Remember, these dolls have been sitting this way for plenty of time to fix their shape. So I can't rush it. I only have the one two-slot Churchill mold, the one made by Maks, the Slovenian baccy farmer. So I have to mold them two at a time to restore cylindricality. I find that the worse ones require twelve hours in the mold to press back to shape; the not too bad ones maybe eight hours. I suppose this tells you something about how long maximum to leave a parejo in the mold, where you do want the blank to retain its cylindrical shape.
I do wish I had another Maks mold, so's I could pump out more than 4 of these Churchills a day. A great mold. Wish he'd made them 46 rg.
FWIW - I didn't much care for these Churchills at first. Good enough blend; but not my thing. The first two bundles I motored thru were 9" long bunches with super loose feet. The third bundle I'm working thru now, they're 7 1/2" blanks, tight all along, and much tastier. I believe they may have been blent by someone else. They do leave me with a super fine morning mouth.
If you retrieve your bunch from the mold soon enough, you can roll it on the tabla to remove most of the mold mark. OTOH, it's no big effort to rotate them in the mold, either, to press the mark out.
Dominican56
CRA #99997657
Bought a Bolavar from a vendor down the street from James Fox.
We had a good time
Dominican56
CRA #99997657
Perhaps Dominican62
I’m aging nicely.
So I just moved and now have a new home rolling challenge to overcome.
Previously my ride to work was 25 miles, 45-50 minutes. I can roll cigars that I like for that time frame. My new ride to work is 13 miles, maybe 25 minutes. I adjusted a blend down to .5 volado, .5 t13, and .25 ligero. Still have half left when I pull in and the smaller stick allows the heat come through...
I'm going to have to find a new time to enjoy my smokes as this short trip isn't getting it done right...
First world problems, sheesh....
Previously my ride to work was 25 miles, 45-50 minutes. I can roll cigars that I like for that time frame. My new ride to work is 13 miles, maybe 25 minutes. I adjusted a blend down to .5 volado, .5 t13, and .25 ligero. Still have half left when I pull in and the smaller stick allows the heat come through...
I'm going to have to find a new time to enjoy my smokes as this short trip isn't getting it done right...
First world problems, sheesh....
- Joined
- Mar 15, 2016
- Messages
- 2,956
Cigarillo Time?So I just moved and now have a new home rolling challenge to overcome.
Previously my ride to work was 25 miles, 45-50 minutes. I can roll cigars that I like for that time frame. My new ride to work is 13 miles, maybe 25 minutes. I adjusted a blend down to .5 volado, .5 t13, and .25 ligero. Still have half left when I pull in and the smaller stick allows the heat come through...
I'm going to have to find a new time to enjoy my smokes as this short trip isn't getting it done right...
First world problems, sheesh....
So I just moved and now have a new home rolling challenge to overcome.
Previously my ride to work was 25 miles, 45-50 minutes. I can roll cigars that I like for that time frame. My new ride to work is 13 miles, maybe 25 minutes. I adjusted a blend down to .5 volado, .5 t13, and .25 ligero. Still have half left when I pull in and the smaller stick allows the heat come through...
I'm going to have to find a new time to enjoy my smokes as this short trip isn't getting it done right...
First world problems, sheesh....
Leave the same time you used to. You will arrive early. Set in the parking lot listening to sports talk radio while finishing your cigar.
- Joined
- Mar 15, 2016
- Messages
- 2,956
Perfection!
Dominican56
CRA #99997657
Quick question:
What’s the most peppery viso and ligero available through the usual 2 leaf sources?
What’s the most peppery viso and ligero available through the usual 2 leaf sources?
Your first rolls still look prettier than my 'been-rolling-for-a-couple-years-now' rolls...First cigars I ever rolled
A year ago when I started rolling I kept one cigar from every batch I rolled, from early March 2015 through about late May, with the intention of smoking each one after it got one year of age on it. Now that time has come and it's time to start burning these bad boys. Objectively they're ugly as sin but subjectively they're beautiful. I'll be sad to see'em go.
Maybe this year is the year I get the hang of it. If not, well there'll be a 2020...
2nd pass - much better than the first. still think i need to get it a bit tighter, probably another 1/2 leaf needed.
This one was
FXSS conn wrapper
Broadleaf binder (package labeled as "various broadleaf binder" so I'm unsure what it actually is)
2x Corojo 99 seco
2x Cameroon seco
both the original and this one will get lit Friday evening.
This one was
FXSS conn wrapper
Broadleaf binder (package labeled as "various broadleaf binder" so I'm unsure what it actually is)
2x Corojo 99 seco
2x Cameroon seco
both the original and this one will get lit Friday evening.
Your using 4 filler leaves, try using less leaf rather than more, my 46 rg rolls only use 3 fillers and i can get them much tighter than when i roll 52 rg which use 4, all depending on leaf size, could be your using 4 small leaves.
Hell yes!! Keep it up. The best thing you can do is keep rolling and learn to let the leaf talk to you and let you know what you need to do. I absolutely love watching new rollers get started. The whole reason I started this thread!2nd pass - much better than the first. still think i need to get it a bit tighter, probably another 1/2 leaf needed.
This one was
FXSS conn wrapper
Broadleaf binder (package labeled as "various broadleaf binder" so I'm unsure what it actually is)
2x Corojo 99 seco
2x Cameroon seco
both the original and this one will get lit Friday evening.
It's a completely different brotherhood on this side
#hrbotl
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