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stringing tobaccoo [ best way ive found yet ]

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Chicken

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i start gy using a 4' survey stake [ easilly obtainable from a hardware store by the bundle ] or you can do what i do,, i just grab them off the side of the road. once a project that they were placed there for is over,,,,, no-one comes by to re-claim them.... they are removed by those that clear or mow the right-of-way,,,,

i start by putting a nail on both ends about 4'' from the ends.... and then one in the dead center. to hold and wrap my wire around,

...IMG_20160903_134237397.jpgIMG_20160903_134245015.jpg

i got a nail in the table on both ends that i use to hold the stake still while i work.... run tobaccoo on the wire, spaced a little for air flow,

when u reach the center nail.. give it a good wrap around that nail. and proceed,

IMG_20160903_134322191.jpgIMG_20160903_134354722.jpg

some say to string them back....to,,,face but i dont go that route. i go by the shape of the leaf vs the sahape of the leaf it's next to,

...sometimes i may stab the wire thru the side of the stem if thats the way to get the angle i want,,

heres my finished product and as you can see .. good airflow will not be a issue,

...IMG_20160903_134327840.jpgIMG_20160903_134332456.jpgIMG_20160903_134302392.jpg

ive seen some wild to mild stringing techniques and only one thread mentioning it. so i hope this helps,

and all you got left is to frame your drying area up to compensate hanging the stakes on... ive used 2x4's in the past to make some nice hanging racks with

here they are.. last years grow.notice how i framed it up. to hold the stakes,

...IMG_20150721_175142391.jpgIMG_20150721_175155767.jpgIMG_20150721_175212031.jpg

well thats my hanging technique. and ive found it to be very productive,,, as the leaf dries. ill push them tight on the wire, and add more green leaf to the same stake. thus taking a stake that holds 40+ green leaf. to now having possiblly 60 leaves on it... it's very good for tight spaces. you'll have a lot of leaf hanging in a relative small space,
 

Smokin Harley

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my technique isn't too far off from yours. I use welding wire , cut the end at an angle so it cuts through the stem rather than a blunt poke. pierce a tag ,loop the end around a fat marker and wind the end around cut off a good 24 inches ,cut the end at an angle again and start piercing leaves . I just position them to "spoon " each other with about 1/4-3/8 inch between. Once the wire is full I loop the last end the same way as the first then hang the whole deal up in the barn on nails from rafter to rafter. I had thought of using stakes like you do but I'll do that when I finally build a bigger barn...maybe next year. Looks good buddy
 

Chicken

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the stake prevents any droop... that may occur from using just wire.. plus you can label the stake with a permanent marker,, no need for a tag

come next year just use some spray paint and cover what you had previuoslly on the stake as '' marked '' and proceed fresh, allthough i use fresh wire each time.. you could re-use your wire also,,,
 

Smokin Harley

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I use the wire string to hang it up in the kiln too. I dont unwire it until after it has been kilned. Makes it easy to handle a lot . Stakes wouldn't fit in my kiln.
 

vinconco

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I'm using electric fence wire which is galvanized steel and relatively thin. I string the leaves in this old barn from wall to wall about 12'. I'm getting 150 to 180 leaves per string. Nice dirt floor keeps the humidity up and when the strings yellow I move them to the top floor for stem drying.





Late fall stem drying
 

squeezyjohn

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my technique is almost exactly like vinconco's above ... cutting the galvanized wires to the desired length by using a 45º cut turns the end of the wire in to it's own needle to thread the leaves easily and then suspend from the rafters of the shed using a run of cup hook screws. Plastic plant labels have a handy hole to also string on the wire with which I label the leaf type ... and the leaves don't need to be removed from the wires until the air-cure is done.
 

Smokin Harley

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plastic plant labels!!! great idea...i've had the ones you use with the hole in them . Always wondered why there was a hole . Now I know.
 

Jitterbugdude

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If you are priming a lot of leaf a stringing horse is the only way to go unless you have a lot of extra time on your hands.
 

squeezyjohn

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I don't see how leaf could be hung up any faster than the method I use! I wilt the leaves by leaving them in the sun before putting them on the wire as that makes the base of the midribs less likely to snap all the way across when piercing them with the wire ... then I take them 2 at a time in pairs with the ribs facing each other and use the sharpened wire to push through the pair ... bang bang bang ... job done in 10 minutes.
 

deluxestogie

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Not So Fast

Each variety that I grow typically has 16 plants. I prime 3 to 4 leaves at a time, per plant. So I often have 48 to 64 leaves that will be strung of a specific variety/priming. It turns out that strings of this length are not only easy to handle and move from one hanging spot to another, they also fit handily into my kiln. Not only that, once the leaf is finished and ready for bagging, all the leaf on one string will nicely fit in (and fill) one of my 10" x 30" poly-nylon bags. The Tyvek tag from the wire string is taped to the outside of the bag.

For stringing wire, I purchase 1/4 mile spools of 17 ga. aluminum electric fence wire (from Tractor Supply). One $28 spool last several years. I cut segments to the required size, typically about 1 yard (1 meter) long. The marked Tyvek tag is twisted onto one end, which includes a hanging "hook," then string the leaf from the opposite end. I intentionally cut the wire at a clean 90º angle. This relatively soft and thin aluminum wire easily punctures the fresh base of any tobacco stem, regardless of stem size, thickness or variety. It really does. I begin the puncture with the tip of the wire held at an angle against the stem, then press it into the stem aligned with the stem axis, using my thumb. The wires don't kink. The stems don't fracture. It's a gentle and smooth action.

After priming the leaf of a single variety, I bring the neat stack to my porch, and place it--stems toward me--beside a chair. Each leaf, as it is strung, is quickly inspected, bugs and booggers removed, then individually punctured and slid down to the tag end of the wire, which rests on the floor in front of my feet. I place the leaves back-to-back, front-to-front. Each back-to-back pair is separated by the width of my fingertip from the next pair. Each back-to-back pair is also displaced with a small angle (~20-30º) between the two leaves.

So, how slow is this? Shortly after this forum thread was started, I timed it for several varieties, working at my normal pace, while seated on the porch--a gentle fan blowing. For most varieties, it's about 6 seconds per leaf (inspection and all). For huge, clumsy varieties with massive stems (e.g. Nostrano del Brenta), it takes about 12 seconds per leaf. Guestimating 60 leaves per string, this comes to 6 minutes per string for easy leaf, and 12 minutes per string for stubborn leaf.

Bonus: No punctured fingers or injured eyes. A leisurely experience enjoyed while sitting on my comfortable porch. A foolproof tagging that goes from primed leaf to storage bag.

If you have a huge tobacco crop, then minutes add up in hurry. With a modest crop--say, fewer than 200 plants, speed is not as much of an issue.

Bob
 

squeezyjohn

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I will admit it's taken me a few seasons to get round the punctured fingers thing! And my eyes are safe as I always wear sunglasses ... I'm just cool like that. Once the wires are in place I bend the ends with pliers in such a way that the sharpened ends are protected by the rest of the wire and are not a threat if I happen to move a wire. Fortunately for me all my wires and hanging area has the same length. It could get tricky if it varied.
 

vinconco

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I'm putting on about 200 leaves per hour on the wire I'm using. Using elec fence wire no need to sharpen because it punctures good enough and if I hit my finger, no penetration. My wires are about 12' long and I'm putting approx. 160 leaves per wire now. The dirt floor in the shed helps with humidity and after color curing they move upstairs for stem drying and browning. After I move them upstairs I can put a wood stove downstairs in case of a prolonged rainy period to help keep stem mold at bay. What started life as a "Sheep Shed" has turned into a nice mini tobacco barn.
 

Chicken

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well i got the official bacca curing barn built. but once again i experimented with some unknown strains that didnt exactlly produce good for me, i actually didnt pick the first leaf off them.. 120 plants wasted. but wasted space is what kills me,


but next year i believe is gonna be my best year yet. i got the shed built.. i got the growing area completelly done... from the weedless mat for between my rows. to the weed barrier mat for my rows.... and i installed 6 wobbler type sprinklers for my irrigation system... not to mention my 275 gallon water holding tank. that i can add liquid fertilizer to... anytime i desire....

i still got about 500 lbs. of 6-6-18 '' super rainbow bacca fertilizer '' on hand for next year.... got my propane heating device to cure it with,,,

so im actually looking to bringing all these elements into play next year and knocking it out of the park.

it's took me 5??? 6 years to get it all toghter, but you learn from your mistakes and get better as you go,

but i for-see sucess in every year from now on,
 
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