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My Kiln for fermenting

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chuditch

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Well I started my larger kiln off yesterday after testing all the bits on a small foam box.

It is an old chest freezer with stainless inside which I got for nothing from the local rubbish tip. It would be the 250 to 300 litre size.

I made up a set of seven racks from old fridge racks again from the rubbish tip for nothing.

They are horizontal and attached to some angle iron that was an old bed that yet again I got from the rubbish tip for nothing and mig welded them into the shelving/rack set up.

The inside of the chest freezer is a deep well where I lift my shelving system in and out and on the side a smaller well where I have set up my fan and water container with the bubbling misting thing and above that my light bulb for heat source.

My fan for air circulation is an old exhaust fan that yes I picked up as well at the tip for nothing.

I also cut some power cords off some of the old fridges to use as well.

Now for the things I bought and will post the links for them they all came off eBay.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/311020123899?_trksid=p2060778.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

That is the humidity controller cast me a whole AU$26-45 including postage.

It controls

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/291285102423?_trksid=p2060778.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

Which cost me AU$12 and sits in a shallow 4 litre bowl of water that I change every morning.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/291075563619?_trksid=p2060778.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

Is the temperature controller that cost AU$13-30 posted and controls the heat in my kiln which is a 275 watt heat globe the type that is used in bathroom ceiling fixtures. The light bulb cost me AU$9 and the fitting is just an old screw fitting from a sensor light I had lying around and fitted to the inside lid of the chest freezer.

I bought a plastic box for AU$8 to fit the two controllers into and screwed it to the lid of the chest freezer and fed all the leads for the sensors and power wires through a hole in the lid for the light fitting, fan and the mist bubbling gadget for humidity.

I had a 4 plug power board and plugged my units (fan, temp control and humidity control) into that independently using the power cords I had cut off the old fridges at the rubbish tip.

All electrical appliances here are 240 volt so that is what I have bought and used.:D

It has been running now for 36 hours and I set it for 48 C which on the conversions is 120 F and 75% humidity and it is holding it perfectly and the leaves feel great.

I loaded up my shelves with a kilo of leaves and plan on doing the 6 week ferment.

So my whole out lay was AU$68.75 If you added the cost of the things I already had lying around the power board and fitting for the light bulb you could round it out at say AU$80

I have impressed myself :D

This is my first year as I have said and it looks like I am going to have enough tobacco for my wife's cigarettes for the whole year. I estimate she goes through about 5000 a year to that will be 5 kilo of tobacco I will need.

On my practice runs using a foam box I have fermented 300 grams of tobacco that is her first 300 cigarettes.

So all up at the moment need to make 400 cigarettes and have broken even on the total out lay on the cigarette machine, tubes and the bits for the fermenter so will be well in front by the end of the year.

Next season looking forward to getting my cigar tobaccos into the ground. Have had a few practice rolls with the cigarette tobacco and not turned out to bad but they taste like your smoking a big cigarette so not the best as a cigar.

A question for the people way ahead of me with experience. When I get my cigar tobaccos harvested next year if I dry then kiln ferment like I am with my wife's cigarette tobacco will I get a reasonable smokable leaf for my cigars? I intend to hold and age naturally with most of my leaf but was hoping I could kiln ferment some of my leaf so I could start playing with it and also save myself some money on store bought. I know its a year away but got to say having so much fun at this tobacco thing is great to do and certainly saves some money


:D
 

Jitterbugdude

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A question for the people way ahead of me with experience. When I get my cigar tobaccos harvested next year if I dry then kiln ferment like I am with my wife's cigarette tobacco will I get a reasonable smokable leaf for my cigars?

No, you will not get a "reasonable" leaf for cigars, you will get a FANTASTIC leaf for cigars!.. great job on the kiln.
 

Chicken

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that set-up sounds great.

perhaps one day// ill go all electronic on my kiln..

but for now i just set my settings for a all day cook... and check it after i get off work.
 

chuditch

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Ok back of the old chest freezer.
On the top is the box I used to hose the controllers into it and out of it you can see the cables that go into the freezer to the lamp, the misting bubbling thingie, and the sensors that tell the controllers when to turn on and off.
The big control on the left is the old freezer control no longer in use.
The power board shows the three plugs. One from the temp controller, one from the humidity controller and one to the fan. The runs continuously and uses 35 watts.
The single plug in to the non switch plug to the right of the power board is the bubblier misting thingie. The power comes to that from the humidity controller.

The power board then pugs into a power point and everything is live

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chuditch

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Front of freezer showing the box with the controllers on the top and the idiot turkeys wandering around little realising that they are due to be whopped and turned into turkey ham and turkey bacon.
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chuditch

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this is the old exhaust fan and the lamp for heat.. I have the exhaust fan that way up so it draws the warmer air from above it and blows it down across the lamp and picks up the moisture from the misting bubbling thingie. The fan is on constant and is 35 watts and the lamp is 275 watt edison screw the sort of lamp used in bathrooms as a heat lamp
 

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chuditch

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Bubbling thingie sitting in a plastic tub of water. They are only rated to 43 degrees C and I am using it in 48 degree C environment and so far it is working fine. I was changing the water every morning to keep the water cooler but have started to just drop ice cubes in ever day to keep the water level up and cool the water and it seems to be doing ok. To replace just the part in the water is only about $6 a time as the transformer is outside on the back of the chest freezer so is a cheap replacement if required. I have had it running in a smaller foam box for 6 weeks prior and no harm seems to have come to it so far. It is working far better in the bigger environment. I was using a smaller wattage bulb when I was testing in the foam box as well
 

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chuditch

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The two controllers sitting in the plastic box. I have them set for 48 degrees C (which is 120 F) and for 75% humidity. They turn on a few degrees or percent below the selected values then off a couple of degrees or % above the selected values. I am amazed at how close it always is when I walk past and check.
 

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chuditch

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here is the racks I made from the old fridge racks and some old steel from an old bed frame just mig welded together. I fold the racks upwards which helps with loading the leaf onto them and taking it off of course so just load a shelf then lower the next one load and so on. There was a kilo of dry leaf put onto the racks (2.25 lb) Tested it today with the moisture meter we use for the grain and timber and it is reading 17% across the leaves on all shelves. The leaves feel lovely and are smelling great. From what I have read they should be fermented in 4 weeks but 6 is better. From smoking trials I would agree with that. Smokable at 2 weeks way better at 4 weeks and got to say perfect at 6 and that was when did the testing in the foam box and I seem to be getting a better result in the bigger kiln for humidity control that was a bit lacking in the foam box.
Also my apologies for the photos appearing twice no idea what I am doing wrong there sorry about that.
But I did manage to get the sheep that seems to have fallen in love with me out of the way for the photos she is not that pretty but is behaving like a dog following me around lying at the door waiting and if the doors are left open coming into the house to find me. No sheep jokes now I am Australia not Welsh or a Kiwi. Hi to our Welsh and New Zealand members.

Any help I can give if anyone wants to set up similar more than happy to help
 

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chuditch

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Well my leaves have been in the kiln for two weeks now and have pulled out a 100 gram of them to shred for the wifes cigarettes and they feel and smell lovely. They shredded nicely and are smoking well. A touch harsher than the ones had in the small test kiln for 6 weeks but still another 4 to go in the big kiln. Temperature is never more than a degree either size of 48C and the humidity is between 71% and 78% the humidifier set for 75%. Lifted the racks out yesterday to check all the leaves and no sign of mould and the leaves are at 18% moisture. The leaves are looking a lovely colour and feel so nice and supple.
I am having so much fun with this as a new hobbie and can say the big kiln idea has worked perfect for me I only check the readings on the meters as I walk past the kiln and it so so NOT labour intensive it has been a breeze so far.
 

Knucklehead

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I don't have a kiln, but have seen recommendations by those that do that the leaf is much improved if left to rest for a few days or a couple of weeks outside the kiln. This may cure the harshness you tasted with your last batch.
 

chuditch

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I don't have a kiln, but have seen recommendations by those that do that the leaf is much improved if left to rest for a few days or a couple of weeks outside the kiln. This may cure the harshness you tasted with your last batch.
I think it is because the leaves had only a couple of weeks in the kiln so far. The trial I did with my equipment we were testing the leaf by smoking it of course every week for the six weeks we had it in the small kiln. After the 6 weeks at the high temp and high humidity I left it in the small trial kiln for two weeks at the optimum storage temp and humidity and was to say in one word excellent. Unfortunately that was only a 150 grams tobacco so hasn't last long enough, I have a kilo in the big kiln so that will last longer and have worked out it should easily hold 2kg of leaf comfortable. All trial and experimenting. But still impressed myself that it was smokable after only two weeks in the kiln. The smell and texture is lovely
 

Knucklehead

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I think it is because the leaves had only a couple of weeks in the kiln so far. The trial I did with my equipment we were testing the leaf by smoking it of course every week for the six weeks we had it in the small kiln. After the 6 weeks at the high temp and high humidity I left it in the small trial kiln for two weeks at the optimum storage temp and humidity and was to say in one word excellent. Unfortunately that was only a 150 grams tobacco so hasn't last long enough, I have a kilo in the big kiln so that will last longer and have worked out it should easily hold 2kg of leaf comfortable. All trial and experimenting. But still impressed myself that it was smokable after only two weeks in the kiln. The smell and texture is lovely

I misunderstood. I thought you had finished the run and was experiencing harshness. I earned my screen name the hard way.
 

chuditch

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I misunderstood. I thought you had finished the run and was experiencing harshness. I earned my screen name the hard way.

Ha ha not a problem I think I sometimes (most of the time) try and put to much information to many words then confuse the whole issue. I can certainly recommend the idea of using a kiln for the tobacco it works so well or it has so far. Next year I will be trying my cigar leaf in it. But I firstly have to grow said cigar leaf :)
 

chuditch

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Very nice job you really give me something to think of..

//Hasse W
Your welcome. The tobacco leaf is coming out perfect at 18% moisture. Have been pilfering a few leaves every other day for my wifes cigarettes.The leaves have been in there for three weeks now and plan on another 3 to complete my ferment. What I can do then is start another lot off and have realised I can easily fit in two to three kilo of leaf for the next six week ferment or I can store my leaf that I have just done to keep it at perfect temp and humidity and keep pilfering a few leaves every other day. Sort of need to build another one so can have one fermenting and one ageing at right temp and humidity. The yard will be full of old freezers :)
 
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