Ring gauge issues

[dvick003]

Does anyone have tips for rolling consistent ring gauge without using a mold? I seem to be all over the place even when I use the same amount of leaf for each cigar. I like freehand cigars and would like to get consistent results. Is it possible?

 

[DIY Pete]

Lots and lots of practice. So is it possible for me? Not yet, not by a long shot.

Pete

 

[webmost]

Does anyone have tips for rolling consistent ring gauge without using a mold? I seem to be all over the place even when I use the same amount of leaf for each cigar. I like freehand cigars and would like to get consistent results. Is it possible?

Entirely possible. First, you start at the age of ten and you learn at the foot of the master. Next, you roll ten hours a day, 100 cigars an hour, ten days a week, for thirty years. Next...

Oh wait... even those ladies stick them in a mold.




I'm not sure then.

 

[FmGrowit]

Pete's right. The only way to free hand roll consistently is with years of experience.

 

[deluxestogie]

Just roll cigars, aiming for the same diameter. It takes a few hundred to approach a reasonable consistency. The leaf needs to be in pretty much the same case for every cigar, otherwise the same filler rolls differently.

Totally aside, I would point out that the only reason for rolling identical cigars is if you plan to sell them by the box, in which case consumers of industrial cigars expect them to look the same. (And why not? All the pencils in a box look the same. All four tires look the same.) For your own consumption, approximating the desired size, and perfecting the roll for perfect draw would make more sense. Your own fried egg doesn't have to exactly fit the bun of an Egg McMuffin (they use a mold for that).

Bob

 

[dvick003]

Thanks for the response guys. I guess I was hoping that I could shortcut the process or learn a " trick". As I feared, there is no replacement for experience...

 

[FmGrowit]

Nothing to fear...getting there is half of the fun.

 

[DGBAMA]

Thanks for the response guys. I guess I was hoping that I could shortcut the process or learn a " trick". As I feared, there is no replacement for experience...

Actually I have a tip that helped me in the beginning.

Get a cheap digital scale. Start with the same weight of filler for each cigar. This takes the amount of tobacco out of the loop. Then work to roll that amount into a stick that has good draw. You now know how much leaf makes that size cigar, and you can focus on rolling and bunching technique for uniform results. The scale removed a variable. Less variables the better in the beginning. After a while, "feel" will develop for how tight to bunch and wrap for a cigar with good draw and appearance, then some time later uniformity.

 

[DGBAMA]

I had the same issue a year ago when I started, look here:
http://fairtradetobacco.com/threads/3646-Table-of-Cigar-sizes-by-weight?highlight=

I wanted uniform without a mold.

 

[dvick003]

I had the same issue a year ago when I started, look here:
http://fairtradetobacco.com/threads/3646-Table-of-Cigar-sizes-by-weight?highlight=

I wanted uniform without a mold.

Thanks DGBAMA. That is useful stuff to know. The fun part is figuring out how much to use of each leaf. That is what makes this so much fun!

 

[MarcL]

Watch how this guy starts with a base amount of filler and then back fills to get where he want to be. un-binding if need be ... feeling density as he binds.

 

[MarcL]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckqzMgWGzaY&t

 

[dvick003]

Thanks for the video. That was a big help MarcL.

 

[Raodwarior]

Look at the size of those wrapper and binder leaves...very jealous here.

 

[charlie G.]

That was a very good video.
Thanks for posting it Marc

 

[webmost]

My question is, how do they get those wrapper and binder leaves so dang flat? They iron them?

Mine come all creased and what not. I have to wet the heck out of the wrappers. I spend a crapload of time just trying to unroll the edges. Every vid I see, they have these immaculate super flat wraps. How did they get that way?

 

[deluxestogie]

On some video, several years ago, a worker sat at what appeared to be one of those double-board, steam ironing boards used by laundries for pressing clothes. I'm sure this was purpose built. The worker first steamed the leaf, quickly flattened it, then brought the two boards together---sssssss! Flat leaf.

Also, the way that wrapper is handled in Indonesia and other areas throughout its curing and packing is focused on maintaining a flat leaf. Don's Besuki is mostly flat. The San Andres is mostly rumpled.

Knucks found that if he performed the final stem drying by stacking leaf onto seedling heat mats, it came out flat.

Bob

 

[Ben Brand]

Tried to iron my crumpled wrapper leaves flat (all my leaves are crumpled), gave up on that idea. I just wet my wrapper leaf stick it my rolling board and roll away, much easier.

 

[webmost]

On some video, several years ago, a worker sat at what appeared to be one of those double-board, steam ironing boards used by laundries for pressing clothes. I'm sure this was purpose built. The worker first steamed the leaf, quickly flattened it, then brought the two boards together---sssssss! Flat leaf.

A mangle. Of course.

 

[charlie G.]

If you think about it the commercial cigar rolling factories have their choice of the utmost perfect leaves from a crop they want to use as wrappers also.
And as said I have seen in a few videos they have 4 to 5 women that do nothing but prep and grade wrappers as their life time jobs.
I think most of all of us do a great job with what we have.