Making Press-Cake

[deluxestogie]

A 5" x 5" block of tobacco (25 in[sup]2[/sup]), regardless of its thickness, could be crushed into Perique by 35 psi, which would translate to 875 pounds directly applied. Press cake should be achievable with 1/10 that psi, so a mere 87.5 pounds would suffice. There's no real need for hydraulic anything, or even a mechanical jack. If you're doing a wine barrel full of tobacco, then go big, but for most home pressing, practically any hand-actuated clamp will get the job done (including the caulking gun).

I believe the only tricky part is finding or making a well-fit follower for the container of your choice.

Bob

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

A 5" x 5" block of tobacco (25 in[sup]2[/sup]), regardless of its thickness, could be crushed into Perique by 35 psi, which would translate to 875 pounds directly applied. Press cake should be achievable with 1/10 that psi, so a mere 87.5 pounds would suffice. There's no real need for hydraulic anything, or even a mechanical jack. If you're doing a wine barrel full of tobacco, then go big, but for most home pressing, practically any hand-actuated clamp will get the job done (including the caulking gun).

I believe the only tricky part is finding or making a well-fit follower for the container of your choice.

Bob

If 87.5lbs is enough weight to make a 5"x5" brick of tobacco at 3.5psi, I'll be a monkeys uncle.

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

MacBaren's says they put 55 tons (metric, I presume) on a brick which is 40cm x 40cm and 1m thick (15.7" x 15.7" x 40") . That's 490psi. I think there's a big difference between pressing tobacco which is in case and tobacco which is in high case. Something to do with the elastic strength of the leaf, and cells rupturing.
https://mac-baren.com/the-production-of-flake-tobacco

 

[deluxestogie]

If 87.5lbs is enough weight to make a 5"x5" brick of tobacco at 3.5psi, I'll be a monkeys uncle.

I'll still respect you, regardless of your nephew. Now I'll have to actually press a brick.

Bob

EDIT: While increasing thickness has zero impact on the psi, the thicker the material to be pressed, the longer it will take at the same pressure.

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

I'll still respect you, regardless of your nephew. Now I'll have to actually press a brick.

Bob

EDIT: While increasing thickness has zero impact on the psi, the thicker the material to be pressed, the longer it will take at the same pressure.

The ability of a mixture to resist elastic deformation under compression has an impact on how much force needs to be applied. Consider a fifty pound weight on a pillow. Now imagine a 50 lb weight on a stack of 20 pillows. In the first example, the pillow would likely be completely compressed. In the second, the 20 pillows would only be partly compressed. It might even be that three pillows are compressed in an uneven fashion depending on where they lie in the stack.

 

[greenmonster714]

Thanks for posting that MacBaren article. Good reading. I had no idea they used that much pressure or for that long.

 

[deluxestogie]

I'll make up a compressed stack of whole leaf cut into rectangles of 2" x 6" (12 in[sup]2[/sup]), aiming for a final block about 1" thick. The leaf will be well cased in 50:50 Seagram's VO Canadian Whiskey and water. This I will press between a cement floor and a plank, using a 5 gallon bucket of water (41.75#) as a direct weight. This should generate ~3.48 psi, which will be maintained for 1 month. The rectangular stack of leaf will be contained within a folded Ziploc bag, with the closure left open.

It will either work or not work. We'll see.

The plug will be composed of:

• WLT Lemon Virginia
• WLT Red Virginia
• WLT Samsun
• WLT Basma
• BB's Burley Red Tips

Bob

 

[Leftynick]

My last attempt on making a brick of tobacco turned out to be a brick of mold. Would likely to attempt this if my current crop doing nicely.

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

My last attempt on making a brick of tobacco turned out to be a brick of mold. Would likely to attempt this if my current crop doing nicely.

That's a shame. I recommend that when doing processes where you add moisture to the tobacco, you weigh the tobacco first so you can afterwards tell if it's dried or not. Bricks and ropes and such are difficult to estimate moisture content in without cutting them open.

 

[burge]

I think it helps for us as we live in a drier climate China. in High humidity I would not be adding extra water.

 

[Leftynick]

That's a shame. I recommend that when doing processes where you add moisture to the tobacco, you weigh the tobacco first so you can afterwards tell if it's dried or not. Bricks and ropes and such are difficult to estimate moisture content in without cutting them open.

I sprayed water honey mix to the tobacco prior to the pressing. I think the pressure wasn't strong enough that is why it mold.

 

[deluxestogie]

Common mold species are obligate aerobic organisms. The cannot grow in the absence of oxygen.

For mold to grow, all of the following have to be present:

• viable mold spores
• a reasonable ambient temperature (~40-118ºF)
• oxygen
• a nutrient source
• sufficient water to allow metabolism

Bob

 

[burge]

Not too sure how you pressed the tobacco. I mentioned in previous posts my fist literally hand press is not to get the tobacco overly wet just super moist. In a dry humidity there is really nothing to worry about. So with what Bob and said Oxygen is a key factor, I need to be creative with the new lemon. I know in aging its important to dry out and remoisten the leaf. When I go to BC fishing the tobacco absorbs the humidity if that makes any sense Here it dries out really quick and that extra moisture really gets the flavor from the tobacco. If you are pressing tobacco in a vice it has to be airtight. I learned that from reading on making perique.

 

[Levi Gross]

I just made this box for pressing tobacco leaves it’s 5 inches deep 1 foot long 6 inches wide. These are the inside dimensions I am hoping It will serve as a good pressing box. It’s made out of native Oak

 

[deluxestogie]

The box looks sturdy. At 12" x 6", you've got 72 in[sup]2[/sup] of surface. So whatever weight you apply, divide that by 72 to get psi. For a minimum 30 psi to make Perique, that would require about 1 ton. For basic press cake (~3 psi), that's 200 pounds applied.

Bob

 

[Levi Gross]

The box looks sturdy. At 12" x 6", you've got 72 in[SUP]2[/SUP] of surface. So whatever weight you apply, divide that by 72 to get psi. For a minimum 30 psi to make Perique, that would require about 1 ton. For basic press cake (~3 psi), that's 200 pounds applied.

Bob

Thanks Bob! I believe that’s easily achievable. Would you happen to know how much pressure the average man can apply with a c-clamp?

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

My box is about a quarter that size, and for a plug of in-case tobacco to stick together, I'm pushing the limit of the 2x4 frame that the 4 ton jack is pushing on. Press cake requires much less pressure, but still.... A tip is to reinforce the frame and box with linear fiberglass tape. Another is to use parchment paper rather than wax paper.

Now, if your tobacco is sopping wet, and you use some sort of sticky casing, that's another story. Because tobacco loses its ability to act as a spring when wet, it compresses much easier. Shouldn't be a problem aside from the juice leaking out.

 

[greenmonster714]

Holy Cow that's a big press box..lol. You should get a nice size plug outta that. American engineered...go big or go home..lol. Nice box Levi.

 

[Levi Gross]

My box is about a quarter that size, and for a plug of in-case tobacco to stick together, I'm pushing the limit of the 2x4 frame that the 4 ton jack is pushing on. Press cake requires much less pressure, but still.... A tip is to reinforce the frame and box with linear fiberglass tape. Another is to use parchment paper rather than wax paper.

Now, if your tobacco is sopping wet, and you use some sort of sticky casing, that's another story. Because tobacco loses its ability to act as a spring when wet, it compresses much easier. Shouldn't be a problem aside from the juice leaking out.

Thanks for the good info China. I wasn’t sure on the dimensions I was just thinking of what my de-ribbed leaves look like and then building around that. Bob just gave me a crash course on figuring PSI. I have a plan for a few more boxes but this is the first. I had no idea how to figure PSI. And do you know how much pressure is being applied on yours? I also asked Bob about how much pressure the average man can apply with a c-clamp? I don’t plan on casings or sopping wet I just want some nice flakes like yours.

 

[Levi Gross]

Holy Cow that's a big press box..lol. You should get a nice size plug outta that. American engineered...go big or go home..lol. Nice box Levi.

Thanks green monster. I just hope China forgives me for crashing his thread. LOL. I was hoping for a 1/2 inch cake to shave flakes off of.