mwaller
Well-Known Member
Wow, that is a serious piece of equipment!
Photo of my tobacco - OldDinosaur
- Thread starter OldDinosaurWesH
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OldDinosaurWesH
Well-Known Member
I have considered insulation, but discounted that idea. This is an engineered device and I'm worried that adding insulation could damage or destroy it. I think the newer machines probably are more energy efficient. But an equivalent machine new costs in excess of $3,000. It does use a fair amount of electricity, $10-15 per month additional, but I only use it for two or three months per year, and it sure improves my tobacco!
Wes H.
This is a small one for use in commercial kitchens and small bakeries. The big commercial bakeries have walk-in proofers.
Wes H.
This is a small one for use in commercial kitchens and small bakeries. The big commercial bakeries have walk-in proofers.
If you buy a piece of wire closet shelving (can be rubber coated) the width of a bread pan, you can slide it in half-way up the cabinet, and hang two tiers of your long leaf.
Bob
Bob
OldDinosaurWesH
Well-Known Member
Bob:
I've been doing something similar to what you suggest with concrete wire and one of my existing pans. I hang two tiers and can put quite a lot of leaf in there and still maintain circulation. It looks like a high wire act's nightmare when I'm done, but it works! Also when I am done kilning a particular batch, I can just get the wire cutters out. Concrete wire is cheap and readily available.
I'll look into the wire closet shelving and see what's available. Living in small town America has its drawbacks. A lot of stuff is not available at our limited local retail sector, and I end up traveling 30 miles to the next biggest town where they have big box stores. If you can't get it at the local lumber yard or general retail store, you're out of luck here locally. Where to look for such an item?
Wes H.
P.S. I have lots of surplus big aluminum pans for this machine if that gives you any ideas. I'm open to suggestions. As I've said before, "two brains working together are always better than two brains working separately." Or something like that. Also, these are commercial sized bread pans. Your cookie sheet at home is probably a 1/4 sheet. These pans would not fit in a home oven, they are way too big for that. ie: if you go to the bakery and order a full sheet cake for someone's birthday, you'd better have lots of hungry people!
I've been doing something similar to what you suggest with concrete wire and one of my existing pans. I hang two tiers and can put quite a lot of leaf in there and still maintain circulation. It looks like a high wire act's nightmare when I'm done, but it works! Also when I am done kilning a particular batch, I can just get the wire cutters out. Concrete wire is cheap and readily available.
I'll look into the wire closet shelving and see what's available. Living in small town America has its drawbacks. A lot of stuff is not available at our limited local retail sector, and I end up traveling 30 miles to the next biggest town where they have big box stores. If you can't get it at the local lumber yard or general retail store, you're out of luck here locally. Where to look for such an item?
Wes H.
P.S. I have lots of surplus big aluminum pans for this machine if that gives you any ideas. I'm open to suggestions. As I've said before, "two brains working together are always better than two brains working separately." Or something like that. Also, these are commercial sized bread pans. Your cookie sheet at home is probably a 1/4 sheet. These pans would not fit in a home oven, they are way too big for that. ie: if you go to the bakery and order a full sheet cake for someone's birthday, you'd better have lots of hungry people!
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Here's a wire shelf that can be shipped from Lowe's. It's 6' long x 12" deep. ~$7 plus shipping.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Rubbermaid-Linen-6-ft-L-x-12-in-D-White-Wire-Shelf/3098543
The heavy, support wires cut easily with a hacksaw. [The Questions section of the listing says they will even cut it for you prior to shipping.] You can cut 2 or 3 of them to a length that matches (or is slightly longer than) the width of the bakery tray. The lower bar has to be cut shorter, to fit inside the inner width between wall corrugations.
You could slide two of these cut shelves into one tray slot, to occupy the entire depth of the cabinet, and have a spare one for times when you also have short leaves.
I use these for hanging strings of leaf, as well as tied hands, in my kiln. Because there are dozens of possible hanging points, strings of any length can be fit. For strings wider than my kiln, I bend the wire of the string in half, form that bend into a hook, then hang the whole string in a "V" pattern.
So, if you are stringing the leaf with bendable wire, it can just go straight to the kiln like it is.
Bob
EDIT: I misspoke when I said rubber coated is okay. Mine are white epoxy coated, as is the one in the listing above.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Rubbermaid-Linen-6-ft-L-x-12-in-D-White-Wire-Shelf/3098543
The heavy, support wires cut easily with a hacksaw. [The Questions section of the listing says they will even cut it for you prior to shipping.] You can cut 2 or 3 of them to a length that matches (or is slightly longer than) the width of the bakery tray. The lower bar has to be cut shorter, to fit inside the inner width between wall corrugations.
You could slide two of these cut shelves into one tray slot, to occupy the entire depth of the cabinet, and have a spare one for times when you also have short leaves.
I use these for hanging strings of leaf, as well as tied hands, in my kiln. Because there are dozens of possible hanging points, strings of any length can be fit. For strings wider than my kiln, I bend the wire of the string in half, form that bend into a hook, then hang the whole string in a "V" pattern.
So, if you are stringing the leaf with bendable wire, it can just go straight to the kiln like it is.
Bob
EDIT: I misspoke when I said rubber coated is okay. Mine are white epoxy coated, as is the one in the listing above.
OldDinosaurWesH
Well-Known Member
Looks good! I'll check it out.
Wes H.
Wes H.
OldDinosaurWesH
Well-Known Member
Bob:
In re: Rubbermaid shelving. I like your idea, and will pursue this. The nearest Lowes is 70 miles. Home Depot is only 30 miles. I looked on Home Depot's web site & didn't find this specific item. But that's not unusual with all the clutter out there when it comes to retailers, SKU's, and the internet. Should I take a chance on Home Depot?
Wes H.
P.S. Harvest is continuing apace. I am having to clean (Clean! isn't that another naughty four letter word?) and rearrange my basement to hang all this tobacco. Originally, I figured no problem, just scale up for the larger numbers based on the space I used last year. Wrong! These suckers are much bigger than last year's. It must be the fertilizer...I 'gotta blame it on something, right? I'll post some pictures when I get further along with my project. My clearcut stumpage is increasing rapidly. Stumpage is an official logging industry term by the way. In spite of the spell checker not liking it.
In re: Rubbermaid shelving. I like your idea, and will pursue this. The nearest Lowes is 70 miles. Home Depot is only 30 miles. I looked on Home Depot's web site & didn't find this specific item. But that's not unusual with all the clutter out there when it comes to retailers, SKU's, and the internet. Should I take a chance on Home Depot?
Wes H.
P.S. Harvest is continuing apace. I am having to clean (Clean! isn't that another naughty four letter word?) and rearrange my basement to hang all this tobacco. Originally, I figured no problem, just scale up for the larger numbers based on the space I used last year. Wrong! These suckers are much bigger than last year's. It must be the fertilizer...I 'gotta blame it on something, right? I'll post some pictures when I get further along with my project. My clearcut stumpage is increasing rapidly. Stumpage is an official logging industry term by the way. In spite of the spell checker not liking it.
From what I've seen, the wire shelving comes in depths of 12" and 16". Two slices of the 12" will fit into one slot of your cabinet. You won't be able to do that using the 16", without a heap of hacksawing.
Bob
Bob
OldDinosaurWesH
Well-Known Member
Bob:
That wasn't my question. Can I get it at Home Depot?
Wes H.
That wasn't my question. Can I get it at Home Depot?
Wes H.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/ClosetMa...-D-White-Ventilated-Wire-Shelf-4717/100040570
Look on the website, and see if they can ship it to the store. 60 miles round trip will cost something close to just having it web-shipped directly to you from either store's warehouse.
Bob
Look on the website, and see if they can ship it to the store. 60 miles round trip will cost something close to just having it web-shipped directly to you from either store's warehouse.
Bob
OldDinosaurWesH
Well-Known Member
Thanks Bob.
OldDinosaurWesH
Well-Known Member
Harvest photos
Photo 1, recent visitors. A pair of whitetail fawns, quite possibly twins. They don't bother my tobacco. I have to be careful when I walk out the back door. If these two are around, and you spook them they can do a bunch of damage to my tobacco by crashing through it.
Photo 2, stumps left from harvesting 35 of 36 Harrow Velvet. One left behind for seed.
Photo 3, yes, I am in there. Bolivia Criollo Dark, and they are 9' tall and still growing. Not for long. I will strip these as soon as I have time. Sometime in the next week.
Wes H.
Photo 1, recent visitors. A pair of whitetail fawns, quite possibly twins. They don't bother my tobacco. I have to be careful when I walk out the back door. If these two are around, and you spook them they can do a bunch of damage to my tobacco by crashing through it.
Photo 2, stumps left from harvesting 35 of 36 Harrow Velvet. One left behind for seed.
Photo 3, yes, I am in there. Bolivia Criollo Dark, and they are 9' tall and still growing. Not for long. I will strip these as soon as I have time. Sometime in the next week.
Wes H.
Youn
Well-Known Member
Very nice visitors!
And very impressive plants! What's the height of this Bolivian Criollo, next to you?
And very impressive plants! What's the height of this Bolivian Criollo, next to you?
ChinaVoodoo
Moderator
Wow, those are awesome looking plants. Great job.
OldDinosaurWesH
Well-Known Member
The Criollo is 9 feet or 2.74 meters. The yields on Criollo have been really good. I should average at least 25 leaves per plant.
I've been busy today.
Photo 1, stumps left over after topping. I'm sure my rose bushes are breathing a sigh of relief.
Photo 2, tomorrow's victims. 19 of a total of 30 Costello Negro's. One left for seed.
Photo 3, fresh hangings in my basement. I "double tier" to save space.
These tops I've been cutting down are very ripe. The tops I cut down three and four days ago are starting to lose their green already. Those previously cut down are in a different corner of the basement. It is getting crowded down there, and I couldn't really get a photo of my other hangings. Too close for a decent photo.
If I counted right, I have 18 Costello Negro's left to cut down, and everything remaining (mostly cigar leaf) after that will be picked, strung, and hung.
Bob: I'm starting to see your way of thinking on suckers. I have lots of them, and most of them look pretty shabby. My volume is much higher than I had originally anticipated, so I doubt that I'll ever have time to mess with those suckers anyway. Except of course, to dig the stumps and put them in the trash after harvest is complete.
Wes H.
And a pesky cricket hitched a ride into my basement. Now I'll have to listen to him (her?) for who knows how long.
I've been busy today.
Photo 1, stumps left over after topping. I'm sure my rose bushes are breathing a sigh of relief.
Photo 2, tomorrow's victims. 19 of a total of 30 Costello Negro's. One left for seed.
Photo 3, fresh hangings in my basement. I "double tier" to save space.
These tops I've been cutting down are very ripe. The tops I cut down three and four days ago are starting to lose their green already. Those previously cut down are in a different corner of the basement. It is getting crowded down there, and I couldn't really get a photo of my other hangings. Too close for a decent photo.
If I counted right, I have 18 Costello Negro's left to cut down, and everything remaining (mostly cigar leaf) after that will be picked, strung, and hung.
Bob: I'm starting to see your way of thinking on suckers. I have lots of them, and most of them look pretty shabby. My volume is much higher than I had originally anticipated, so I doubt that I'll ever have time to mess with those suckers anyway. Except of course, to dig the stumps and put them in the trash after harvest is complete.
Wes H.
And a pesky cricket hitched a ride into my basement. Now I'll have to listen to him (her?) for who knows how long.
mwaller
Well-Known Member
Holy cow! What Criollo are you growing that reaches 9ft?!
OldDinosaurWesH
Well-Known Member
Bolivia Criollo Dark or Black. Seed from northwoodseed. In fact, the germination wasn't as good as most of my other types. The seed catalog says up to 8 feet. They also have the thickest stems I've ever grown.
I keep saying, "IT'S THE FERTILIZER!". My own custom blend. I used to be in that business.
Everything I grew this year has exceeded the catalog descriptions. Most by at least a foot in height. Some types by more than a foot.
Wes H.
I keep saying, "IT'S THE FERTILIZER!". My own custom blend. I used to be in that business.
Everything I grew this year has exceeded the catalog descriptions. Most by at least a foot in height. Some types by more than a foot.
Wes H.
OldDinosaurWesH
Well-Known Member
Today's pickings and cetera.
Photo 1, Mmmm. Fresh raspberries! My everbearing shrub is putting on its fall crop. Now that I have all the tobacco out of the way, I can get in there and pick them.
Photo 2, Debris field left after harvesting Gold Leaf 939 (29 plants), Costello Negro (29 plants), and Ternopolskii 14 (16 plants). There is one row of African Red (8 plants) left unharvested closest to the fence. Those 6 and 7 foot plants in front of African Red are Ternopolskii 14 suckers. Some of those "suckers" are so big that they have seed heads on them. But very little tobacco leaf.
Photo 3, three strings of Ismir Osbas totaling 496 leaves. A lot of work, and not very much tobacco. These leaves are mostly quite small.
Photo 4, Debris from harvesting the last 19 Costello Negro plants. Said debris is now residing in the trash can.
Photos 5 & 6, the other corner of my basement. 44 tops hanging, and three strings I took out of the high humidity room this morning for color curing. The tops were harvested on 9-12 & 9-13 and are showing substantial yellowing in just four or five days. That just means they are very ripe. You can see two rows of "hangers" peeking out from behind the color curing strings. I've got tobacco scattered all over the place.
Total leaf count so far this year 6,373.
Whew! It has been a long (or short depending on how you look at it) weekend. This tobacco is a lot of work!
Wes H.
Photo 1, Mmmm. Fresh raspberries! My everbearing shrub is putting on its fall crop. Now that I have all the tobacco out of the way, I can get in there and pick them.
Photo 2, Debris field left after harvesting Gold Leaf 939 (29 plants), Costello Negro (29 plants), and Ternopolskii 14 (16 plants). There is one row of African Red (8 plants) left unharvested closest to the fence. Those 6 and 7 foot plants in front of African Red are Ternopolskii 14 suckers. Some of those "suckers" are so big that they have seed heads on them. But very little tobacco leaf.
Photo 3, three strings of Ismir Osbas totaling 496 leaves. A lot of work, and not very much tobacco. These leaves are mostly quite small.
Photo 4, Debris from harvesting the last 19 Costello Negro plants. Said debris is now residing in the trash can.
Photos 5 & 6, the other corner of my basement. 44 tops hanging, and three strings I took out of the high humidity room this morning for color curing. The tops were harvested on 9-12 & 9-13 and are showing substantial yellowing in just four or five days. That just means they are very ripe. You can see two rows of "hangers" peeking out from behind the color curing strings. I've got tobacco scattered all over the place.
Total leaf count so far this year 6,373.
Whew! It has been a long (or short depending on how you look at it) weekend. This tobacco is a lot of work!
Wes H.
In Turkey, Izmir leaf that is longer than 7" is considered bad form. To my eyes, they look quite nice. You might consider getting them to begin to yellow, then give them some sunshine. Regardless, I think you'll be pleased with this tasty Oriental. The game with Izmir, like all Basma types, is to grow gobs of small, intensely flavorful leaf.
Bob
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