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.
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
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
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.
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
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