Dry'in midrib in the kiln.

[Boboro]

I have been dryin midribs in the kiln to hurry up the prosess. This year Im gonna try to get the last of the green out and dry the leaf. May work may not. In the past I have dryed the ribs packed in a box and it worked well.This year Ill try to finish color cure'in in the kiln so I needed somethin that would get more air. I made a box from 1/2" hard wear cloth that is pvc coated. Ill load it up today. Im not sure if I should run the crock pot till I get the green out.

 

[Boboro]

I had some green to dry in this leaf. I hope to get the rest out in the kiln.I put the crock pot in on high and have a 150 watt bulb in it

 

[Boboro]

Im gonna be able to get a lot of leaf in the basket a lot more than the boxes. Ill look in on it and rearange the leaf this afternoon.

 

[Knucklehead]

Good experiment. Keep us posted.

 

[Boboro]

Still got the crockpot goin with no vent.

 

[Boboro]

I took them out suffeled around looked for mold or other weardness. The green is leavein but not fast enuff. I need it to turn fast if this step is goin to be useful. It looks like some of the dryed green may have turned on thease 2 but it could be my imaginion.

 

[Knucklehead]

Are you trying this to free up some curing space in the shed or to beat the cold later on?

 

[Boboro]

Both plus beat the milldew I get If the RH gets to high and stays for a long time.

 

[AmaxB]

I'm liking this
What Temperature & RH have got?

 

[Boboro]

120deg. f. around 70 to 80 dont have a good rh gauge.

 

[Boboro]

opened the air valve to dry it somelast nite. Looked in on it this morin the green is comein out some more.

 

[AmaxB]

If your 120F your tobacco is probably something like 110 -112F maybe bump it up a little and reduce the RH more to get that rib.
Shouldn't have to worry much about mold less the tobacco gets wet.

 

[deluxestogie]

You may want to worry more about the lamina than the rib.

Bob

 

[Boboro]

Once I get the green out I can dry it Quickly At 120degs.Would raisin the temp. help get the green out? Bob I call all that the midrib. Cant spell the other word enuff for anyone to know what I was talkin bout. Hell readin back over this I a'nt sure I do.

 

[AmaxB]

Bob is right get the leaf first than go for the rib.
I find what you are doing to be interesting because you are a fair way along as air cured and jumping into using your kiln to try an speed it up.

 

[deluxestogie]

The duration of each phase of curing, as well as the ambient humidity during each phase, has an effect on the result. It might be good to speed up a particular phase; might not.

Bob

 

[BarG]

The trick to drying is let it dry. dont speed it up, dont slow it down , let it dry.

AIR DRY YEA!

Boboro, thats the only method available now for me.

 

[Knucklehead]

I think he's looking ahead to problems he's going to encounter later in the year with his sucker crops. As temps fall and we get the fall rains. Heating his entire shed is not an option for several reasons, not fully enclosed, not insulated, not sealed, etc. I like the way he's planning ahead and searching for other options to problems before the problems are here. If he can solve the problems now, he won't have to rush around at the last minute making mistakes that could lose a crop. If his space is filled, but not totally cured, he may relocate some of it to the kiln to finish out while making room for newly primed green leaf to hang in the shed. I think he's on to something.

 

[Boboro]

I will have more leaf than I have places to hang it so I need to speed it up. I also have had problems with milldew. The RH can stay high for weeks here. I had a little sour smell in the kiln yesterday so I took the leaf out and let it get some air. Raised the temp and turned off the crock pot. Just a little green left so Ill start dryin this afternoon.

 

[Boboro]

Got most of the green out. Its cookin dry now. I had quit a bit of sour smell, but Ive had that before with no ill effects.