First time using a mold

[Nathan Esq]

I just got my 48x7 mold and I'm wondering how snug the sticks should be. They were forced in there pretty tight. I put the top on and stood on it for 5 mins then piled 2 tool boxes on it.

 

[PressuredLeaf]

I just got my 48x7 mold and I'm wondering how snug the sticks should be. They were forced in there pretty tight. I put the top on and stood on it for 5 mins then piled 2 tool boxes on it.

For me, I like them to be relatively easy to remove and flip. If you over pack them, the binder tends to tear, and the are a pain to remove without bending/breaking. A great check is to remove one and give it a draw. That will be a pretty good indicator of the final draw.

Now days I tend to shoot for too loose over too tight. Drawing on an over packed cigar is annoying as hell.

 

[GreenDragon]

I find about 20-25 lbs of weights sufficient. If you need more than that you're probably packing too tight, which is easy to do the first few times using a mold. Nothing sucks more than a beautiful cigar that won't draw.

 

[Nathan Esq]

So the first 4 came out ok, one split but wrapped fine. So far so good. I've bought a "La Promesa" and found I like mine better. It was bitter on the tounge and tight draw, I've come to like the lighter draws. Thanks guys.

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

I try to roll them so they draw well and fit almost perfectly. I find i never end up with cigars that are too tight, but I sometimes do get cigars that have soft spots.

 

[Nathan Esq]

I did ten, they were a little to fat. I pressed them but they expanded as soon as I took them out. I figured the purpose of the mold is to make an even stick, and I still need to bind for tightness. I added the binder kind of loose, and wound up with the same sticks tha went in, but much prettier than usual. LoL

 

[GreenDragon]

I find it takes at least 2 hrs in the mold (with a flip at the 30 minute mark) to retain shape. I usually leave them in overnight. Try increasing the case a little bit more and leave them in the mold overnight to set.

 

[MarcL]

It sounds like your coming along well.
Here are some weights to look at.

Table of Cigar sizes by weight?

I have seen a list of named cigar types that list length and ring gauge, for blending it would be useful to know about how much each one weighs, so if I want a Corona for example, I can start with the right amount of Bacca to make the size. Anyone seen or have this info?

fairtradetobacco.com

It seems that cigar size comes to 15 grams.
I don't actually weigh so much. I do like to set the draw in the head/shoulder. The draw I like just seems to tight for the burn.
The same amount of leaf can be over and under bound as for as RG size going into the mold. One will cause it to creased and the other will not really be pressed so much.
Getting the feel for it is where you want to be.
So I'll say, find what is to much and, not enough and, you can always take it apart if you want to re-do it. You may loose the binder in the process if its to dry.

 

[MarcL]

I will rotate the first time 2 or three minutes in to keep the side crease from establishing. Further rotation times increase to 20 minutes and go up.
Rotation angle is past 110º to fold over on the crease.

I saw your sticks.. keeping them in the mold to let dry before wrapping will help to set them.

 

[GreenDragon]

^^^What Marc said. ^^^

Often I will roll in the evening!and leave the cigars in the mold overnight. In the morning I will take the lid off and leave them in the bottom of the mold during the day, to dry and set, then wrap that night.

 

[Nathan Esq]

I think I had better luck with newspaper strips because the drying time was faster. I'll leave them in there overnight next time. Either way, I'll smoke'em up. LoL. I tried weighing leaf out and didn't account for trimming, water weight or something and they came out too small. No matter what I always have cigars to smoke.

 

[tullius]

yup, good advice above.

I roll the dolls to pop into the mold with a little pressure, rotate touch past 90 degrees, leave in the mold 2-4 hours min, overnight usually. I weigh all my bunches per that great chart @MarcL posted, it's very helpful when moving quickly between vitolas: if you go with the piles of filler at the finished cigar weight, and then bind and wrap, I find it accounts for reasonable trimming. I use sliding quick bar clamps and a slab of wood on each side of the mold/stack of molds to equalize pressure. In winter at least, the dolls do dry out in the mold, but not too much or too little in the winter, will have to see what happens in the summer. I am using the great plastic molds avail. from WLT.

If binder is getting cut or split from the press or draw is too tight, the mold is overloaded: if soft squishy weak spots in the sticks, it's underloaded.

You'll get it, it's a feel.

 

[waikikigun]

I did ten, they were a little to fat. I pressed them but they expanded as soon as I took them out. I figured the purpose of the mold is to make an even stick, and I still need to bind for tightness. I added the binder kind of loose, and wound up with the same sticks tha went in, but much prettier than usual. LoL

When using a mold you should bind to a much looser draw than your final intended draw. The mold and the pressure on it and the time in the mold set your final draw. If you learn to do it this way you will get the smoothest stick with the best draw. If you bind too tight and your bunch is too small then you won't get sufficient smoothing pressure on the bunch and won't get the max benefit of letting the mold equalize the bunch.

Just look at a few dozen pro bunching videos on youtube, and you'll see that the bunches are much bigger than the slots.

 

[Ben Brand]

Rolling cigars for a few years now. I weigh all my cigars, makes the cigars consistent. Got a cheap digital scale, and 99% of my cigars are smokeble. That`s just how I do it. Enjoy.

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

When using a mold you should bind to a much looser draw than your final intended draw. The mold and the pressure on it and the time in the mold set your final draw. If you learn to do it this way you will get the smoothest stick with the best draw. If you bind too tight and your bunch is too small then you won't get sufficient smoothing pressure on the bunch and won't get the max benefit of letting the mold equalize the bunch.

Just look at a few dozen pro bunching videos on youtube, and you'll see that the bunches are much bigger than the slots.

This makes me nervous. I have rolled so many without a mold that I am very confident when I roll them to fit in the mold with minimal compression. But then my cigars are often a little lumpy. Rolling big and loose means I will start screwing them up again. But then I look at your cigars and wish mine were like that, so I should probably try.

 

[waikikigun]

This makes me nervous. I have rolled so many without a mold that I am very confident when I roll them to fit in the mold with minimal compression. But then my cigars are often a little lumpy. Rolling big and loose means I will start screwing them up again. But then I look at your cigars and wish mine were like that, so I should probably try.

Maybe it would be less nervous-making to think of, for a start, making them just a little bit bigger and looser, for a start?

Bunching for a mold and bunching for hand rolling are pretty much the same skill if you think along the lines of "I want a medium draw 50, so I'll hand-roll a light draw 56."

 

[deluxestogie]

To the extent that cigar rolling is as much an art as a skill, the method by which you achieve your desired cigar may not be the same as the method of someone else. The ideal bunch in my mind's eye may be a mote in yours.

Bob

 

[Nathan Esq]

2nd time seems to be much better. I left them in over night, rolled them longer and thinner. They seem to have a nice draw and no expansion immediately after removal. Thanks everyone!

 

[tullius]

That looks better. If you're going for a rounded head, don't forget to push each one up snug to the round end of the mold when you put them in and when you turn. Like the one on the right.