Curing Chamber from the box up My Build

[Knucklehead]

I want to help out fellow members when I can. Will you take $2 per lb. for the first run?

 

[leverhead]

I've done allot worse than that and still thought I did pretty well. Picking out which leaves to feed it is still hard for me.

 

[workhorse_01]

You got a good woman Don!

Your problems looked at lot like my first run except I had to trash 80%. And I'm having issues with my second run and the problem is I'm on the road and have to rely on my sophisticated high-tech control system: texting my wife and asking her what the readings are and asking her to make changes.

 

[Panda]

I was thinking of using my 1550 Digital Hatcher from GQF for a fermenting chamber, and as a curing chamber if I have some leaf I do not air cure.

https://www.gqfmfg.com/store/comersus_viewItem.asp?idProduct=74#

basicaly everything slides out except the heating unit and fan. and I own one. I am wondering if thses units would perhaps be cheaper and work as well for a curing chamber.

 

[DonH]

If you already have one an incubator would work great as a kiln because the conditions for hatching eggs are almost exactly the same as for curing tobacco. But they are much more expensive than the redneck specials most of us are working on.

 

[AmaxB]

I want to help out fellow members when I can. Will you take $2 per lb. for the first run?

Haha You don't want em...

 

[AmaxB]

I've done allot worse than that and still thought I did pretty well. Picking out which leaves to feed it is still hard for me.

Thank god it likes Green

 

[BigBonner]

AmaxB

Some times the color and quality problems are cause by un ripe leaves . Since I am not good at writing , I will let you read up on it .

http://www.caes.uga.edu/commodities.../Harvesting and Curing Flue-Cured Tobacco.pdf

 

[DGBAMA]

What wattage are your ceramic elements? Working on a dry heat source for my kiln. Thanks.

 

[AmaxB]

AmaxB

Some times the color and quality problems are cause by un ripe leaves . Since I am not good at writing , I will let you read up on it .

http://www.caes.uga.edu/commodities.../Harvesting and Curing Flue-Cured Tobacco.pdf

This PDF in the chart phase 1 95F & 93F & Phase 2 118F & 100F are lower temps than what I have seen that is interesting.
I am seeing the importance of ripe uniform leaf for best results it is a must and leads to a problem if you don't plan your grow
with this in mind. If you want to fill your chamber for best results than the grow plan should be such that you get enough leaf
of a single variety at proper stage of ripe to fill it.
When building a chamber the size should than be determined by a priming and not the patch.

What wattage are your ceramic elements? Working on a dry heat source for my kiln. Thanks.

My ceramic emitters are 220VAC and 650watts I have 3 in my heat box with option of adding a 4th if I want. My chamber is 45 cubic feet - 2000watts will do the job.
Keep in mind ceramic heats up temp control shuts off at desired temp, but the ceramic remains hot for a period resulting in temperature over shoot. That's the down side
the plus side you use less power.
No matter what you use, you will over or under shoot. This is something you need to figure out (the how much) than set temperature accordingly.

 

[AmaxB]

Just could not resist, I planned on not opening the door .....but had to look.
It is looking good 7 PM today will make 48 hrs. All leaves I can see are changing at the same rate. looks like it will be around 72 hrs for full yellow.
Changes I made...
I lowered my racks closer to the floor
I put my sheet metal air de-fuser pans in (not used last batch)
At yellow phase start - set dry bulb temp 95F +- after a 5 hour slow increase from ambient temperature. Wedged exhaust vent open until humidity
....became stable at 83% than removed wedge to allow automatic venting.
Leaves 1 variety all mid and upper stalk.

 

[DonH]

I learned the hard way about mixing varieties during my second run. The Bright Leaf yellowed way faster than the Del Gold. There was more Bright Leaf than Del Gold so I went ahead and wilted before the Del Gold was fully yellowed so I will probably have a lot of the Del Gold dry green.

 

[Knucklehead]

Would it help to stagger your plantings by a couple of weeks so it becomes ripe at different times? (Same variety, planted two weeks apart, maybe three total plantings?)

 

[DonH]

Would it help to stagger your plantings by a couple of weeks so it becomes ripe at different times? (Same variety, planted two weeks apart, maybe three total plantings?)

That's what I'm going to do next year.

 

[DGBAMA]

This PDF in the chart phase 1 95F & 93F & Phase 2 118F & 100F are lower temps than what I have seen that is interesting.
I am seeing the importance of ripe uniform leaf for best results it is a must and leads to a problem if you don't plan your grow
with this in mind. If you want to fill your chamber for best results than the grow plan should be such that you get enough leaf
of a single variety at proper stage of ripe to fill it.
When building a chamber the size should than be determined by a priming and not the patch.



My ceramic emitters are 220VAC and 650watts I have 3 in my heat box with option of adding a 4th if I want. My chamber is 45 cubic feet - 2000watts will do the job.
Keep in mind ceramic heats up temp control shuts off at desired temp, but the ceramic remains hot for a period resulting in temperature over shoot. That's the down side
the plus side you use less power.
No matter what you use, you will over or under shoot. This is something you need to figure out (the how much) than set temperature accordingly.

Thank you. With the crock pot only (water heater thermostat) I was seeing about 20deg variance over 12 hrs. After adding the ceramic more like 12deg. Definitely made things more consistent.

 

[AmaxB]

Thank you. With the crock pot only (water heater thermostat) I was seeing about 20deg variance over 12 hrs. After adding the ceramic more like 12deg. Definitely made things more consistent.

Cut it in half that is pretty good, maybe add a wet / dry bulb and you can use it to zero in on your electric control setting to see how you may have to work with it to maintain the wet / dry bulb.
My last batch I started off holding humidity at 90 - 93% was an error. Yours can be different....
This batch I relieved most of the humidity in the first 10 hrs than held in the low 80% range it mad a huge difference for the good, I'm 2 and a half days in and the part of my leaves that yellow last -the stem butt area are yellowing. Would love to open the door to peak but know the leaf body is or nearly is yellowed and beginning to go to deep yellow. When the stem area has yellowed I'll start drying. In the photo I'm posting you can see the change. The photo does not do it justice there is more yellow than it appears in the photo, but it does give you guys an idea of what I am talking about.

 

[AmaxB]

The Photo
.

 

[AmaxB]

Leaf was yellowed at 72 hrs I gave it an extra 12 for a total of 84 hrs. I want a deep yellow. It has wilted some am starting wilt, the temperature of the tobacco was 99F the last two thirds of the yellowing phase.

 

[AmaxB]

Given location and the many variables that have a direct effect on sensor readings paying attention to the wet /dry bulb temps I have found to achieve an ambient temperature target of 125F my heat box needs to be set 10F high and to reflect the wet bulb my RH need be set to 43% this is in relation to Dry 125F & wet 100F = due point 42%
Am climbing to Dry 135F and wet 105
Think I need to increase my RH a tad to allow the wet to hit 105 will set it at 48%. Could be if I leave it alone it would get there don't know.....

 

[AmaxB]

Didn't change it left the RH alone and it is at 105F on the wet side