pipeyeti
Member
Has anyone done it? I would love to see a cigar pen made with a cast cigar complete with band. If anyone has done it how about a pick?
Casting a cigar?
- Thread starter pipeyeti
- Start date
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airrat
Member
I don't think anyone has, at least that I have seen. But I can photoshop one 
BTW its a good idea
BTW its a good idea
pipeyeti
Member
BTW that Tatuaje is one of my favorite smokes. If I was equiped to cast resins I would give it a try. If any one does it succesfully let me know I'll buy a set of blanks from you. I will even provide the stogie.
If I was equiped to cast resins I would give it a try. If any one does it succesfully let me know I'll buy a set of blanks from you. I will even provide the stogie.
Firefyter-emt
Member
As long as you can find a cigar that is smaller than the OD of the finished pen, then it will be easy as long as the cigar holds up in the resin. Honestly, it's a pretty dang cool idea and I may just look into this some more!
I bet the Gentlemans pen would work....
Would a cigar shop mind if I started to measure thier cigar with calipers??
I bet the Gentlemans pen would work....
Would a cigar shop mind if I started to measure thier cigar with calipers??
pipeyeti
Member
Actually no need to measure as cigars are sized by ring gage. so a 50 ring gage cigar is 50/64 and so on a 44 ring gage would be 44/64. All cigar boxes are marked with the size of the cigars and even if they are not the guys in the cigar shop will know.
WriteRev
Member
I've done a little work on this. Moisture in the tobacco can be a little tricky with PR, and I had some trouble with the band ink bleeding into the resin. I am waiting for my Alumilite to arrive to see if that helps (along with the faster setup time). Even though it didn't work right the first round, it looks promising.
I picked up some smaller (and cheaper) cigars to cast with. My idea is to switch the bands to something more impressive when I get it right. I'll post a picture if it works.
Steve
I picked up some smaller (and cheaper) cigars to cast with. My idea is to switch the bands to something more impressive when I get it right. I'll post a picture if it works.
Steve
airrat
Member
Steve
You mentioned the moisture in the cigar. Alumilite has a bubbling effect with moisture. There are a couple threads in the past that talk about it.
You mentioned the moisture in the cigar. Alumilite has a bubbling effect with moisture. There are a couple threads in the past that talk about it.
Firefyter-emt
Member
Could you microwave the cigar to dry it maybe??
I am sure smokers of fine cigars cringe with the above post!
I am sure smokers of fine cigars cringe with the above post!
WriteRev
Member
Thanks for the reminder Tom - I had forgotten about the bubbling issue.
I do have one drying as part of the experiment. I'll probably try the microwave too.
One advantage of using a cheaper cigar is that if successful, I can quickly explain that while the cigar band may be impressive, no good cigars were harmed in the making of the pen.
Steve
I do have one drying as part of the experiment. I'll probably try the microwave too.
One advantage of using a cheaper cigar is that if successful, I can quickly explain that while the cigar band may be impressive, no good cigars were harmed in the making of the pen.
Steve
pipeyeti
Member
Let us know how it works out.
airrat
Member
<h1>ACK</h1> if you look closely at the nib of my picture above. IT has a crack!!!!!!!!!!! OH well guess I can repack the brass and see about smoking it. [] I don't smoke how does one go about lighting up a stogie?
] I don't smoke how does one go about lighting up a stogie?
airrat
Member
Steve no problem just didn't want you to waste supplies.
broitblat
Member
I tried this once, but didnt' get enough penetration of the resin into the cigar. I've been planning to try again by cutting some small slits into the wrapper, but haven't done it, yet.
-Barry
-Barry
Firefyter-emt
Member
Barry, what did you cast at for preasure? Maybe you could cut the cigar and drill the hole first? Although, that may make the tobbaco float...
el_d
Member
I have toyed with the Idea of removing the leaf wrapper on a cheap cigar and wrapping a Cedar blank with it. Or even using the cedar with the end rough. I have a nice Cuban Cohiba band ready for the "Cigar Pen" when I get around to it. I made a cigar punch with another Cohiba band but the ink kinda ran when I used the CA on it.
broitblat
Member
I snipped the ends and cast it at about 40 PSI. Admittedly, I don't have a lot of experience with casting or with pressurizing in particular, and this had been one of my earlier attempts. So far, I have a pretty high failure rate with casting in general :-(. It's certainly possible that more pressure would do a better job.
I think it would be difficult to drill the cigar without stabilizing it first. I think it would disintegrate on you.
-Barry
airrat
Member
Would the method of casting a snake skin blank work? If you just cast it wont it sink to the bottom or float to the top?
How hard would it be to get a tube down the center.
How hard would it be to get a tube down the center.
WriteRev
Member
My first attempt at this was to glue the leaf wrapper to the tube and then cast. It's a lot harder keeping the wrapper together than I would have guessed.
If it wasn't for this day job, I might have this figured out by now!
Steve
Jarheaded
Member
Steve,
Just do like I did.... retire....LOL
I had a bunch of cigars sitting in the glove box in my pickup that were as dry as could be and I threw them out. They were cheap cigars and I don't even smoke. If you live in an arid area, just let them sit out for a few weeks and they will dry out, I am going to put a few on my wood dryer to see what happens. I also found a way around the CA making ink run. All I do is glue it down with Elmers white glue, it drys clears and won't run. I have some time and will work on this one,to see it happen would be great and very profitable.
Last thing, HF has pots for $39.99 now. I just ordered 3 using key code RY7527.
Good luck,
Johnnie
Just do like I did.... retire....LOL
I had a bunch of cigars sitting in the glove box in my pickup that were as dry as could be and I threw them out. They were cheap cigars and I don't even smoke. If you live in an arid area, just let them sit out for a few weeks and they will dry out, I am going to put a few on my wood dryer to see what happens. I also found a way around the CA making ink run. All I do is glue it down with Elmers white glue, it drys clears and won't run. I have some time and will work on this one,to see it happen would be great and very profitable.
Last thing, HF has pots for $39.99 now. I just ordered 3 using key code RY7527.
Good luck,
Johnnie
Please oh PLEASE, don't use a Cuban! Give me time to have a few, and I can send a ring if anyone wants though!
Jarheaded
Member
I'll take it.
If you are not in an arid climate, you could hook up a vacuum to the pressure pot and let it sit for a while to vacuum dessicate the cigar before casting.
Also if you are not using Alumilite which sets too fast to try this, you could pull a vacuum on the casting first then finish under pressure which may help to force resin past all the leaves.
Also if you are not using Alumilite which sets too fast to try this, you could pull a vacuum on the casting first then finish under pressure which may help to force resin past all the leaves.
bruce119
Member
This is work still in progress. A friend asked me about modeling a cigar that his son smokes. I worked on this off and on for several weeks. I still don't have all the bugs worked out but getting closer.
My first problem was the label. These cigars are expensive up to $50.00 each. I only had one label and it was a little big. So I had to reproduce the label literally redraw the font. I have an Alps printer so I was able to reproduce the gold foil. I happen to live near cigar shops and was able to talk them into giving me some tobacco leaves.
I went about this like a snake skin. Wrapping the tube and casting not as easy as it sounds. After many failures I still don't have all the bugs worked out. I am still getting some dark areas from wetting. Last try I used color preserver they use in fishing rod building to stop the resin from wetting the thread and making it dark. It worked pretty good but I still got wet spots. Maybe another coat will do the trick. Boy casting bugs take a lot of time to work out.
Oh the pen kit is a Gentelmans kit.
Bruce
My first problem was the label. These cigars are expensive up to $50.00 each. I only had one label and it was a little big. So I had to reproduce the label literally redraw the font. I have an Alps printer so I was able to reproduce the gold foil. I happen to live near cigar shops and was able to talk them into giving me some tobacco leaves.
I went about this like a snake skin. Wrapping the tube and casting not as easy as it sounds. After many failures I still don't have all the bugs worked out. I am still getting some dark areas from wetting. Last try I used color preserver they use in fishing rod building to stop the resin from wetting the thread and making it dark. It worked pretty good but I still got wet spots. Maybe another coat will do the trick. Boy casting bugs take a lot of time to work out.
Oh the pen kit is a Gentelmans kit.
Bruce
rhahnfl
Member
Looks like you are closing in on it. I like the results so far.
Mather323
Member
What was the name of your color preserver that you used?
R2
Member
That is looking really promising![]
[]
bruce119
Member
I used U-40 color Lock 2. Igot the ides from my fishing rod building days. Some resin still got past it that is the dark spots the [picture hides the bad spots. The resin soaks into the skin and wets it. The same problem the label casters have with wetting paper. I have a few more ideas. But this takes a lot of time and gets exspenive exsperimenting.
I don't really think stabizing an actual cigar would work. I can see lots of problems. I have a lot of ideas but boy the development process takes forever.
Thanks
Bruce
Jarheaded
Member
Bruce,
If you were to lighten the color of the leaves before casting, would they still be too dark or would they possibly darken to the color that you are looking for? I know that a cigar left out in the sunlight will fade in color as well as dry out and crumble. Being in a major tobacco producing state(CT), it may be possible to find a lighter colored leaf to begin with. Just a few ideas swirling around in an already over-cluttered mind. I will get a crayon and scribble down any other ideas I get on a napkin and put them in a drawer somewhere for you. It's late and I'm tired.
Johnnie
If you were to lighten the color of the leaves before casting, would they still be too dark or would they possibly darken to the color that you are looking for? I know that a cigar left out in the sunlight will fade in color as well as dry out and crumble. Being in a major tobacco producing state(CT), it may be possible to find a lighter colored leaf to begin with. Just a few ideas swirling around in an already over-cluttered mind. I will get a crayon and scribble down any other ideas I get on a napkin and put them in a drawer somewhere for you. It's late and I'm tired.
Johnnie
txcwboy
Member
You can buy the labels online. There is many FAKE Cohiba bands out there and they sell them online . I even saw the website a while back.Shouldnt be too hard to find.Love the idea though.
Dave
Dave
pipeyeti
Member
in tghe summer I go thru a fair number of cigars. I can providelots of bands. The most popularwould be the cuban cohiba(btw real cigar guys can spot a fake cohiba band right off), Tatuaje, dunhill,anything Fuente particularly rhe opus X would be very popular with cigar crowd. Like I said if you are going to market them to cigar smokers stay away from counterfit bands.
rincewind03060
Member
I have no casting experience whatsoever, but though I'd through this idea out.
How about stabilizing the cigar first with thin PR under vacuum or pressure whichever is appropriate and then casting the result?
How about stabilizing the cigar first with thin PR under vacuum or pressure whichever is appropriate and then casting the result?
If you're looking for genuine Cuban bands, I do live in Canada, so that would be a good excuse for me to buy myself some Cubans! Someone give me an excuse!
txcwboy
Member
What about taking them to a cigar shop that has a roller and have him roll it on the tube for you ? Then cast it. I really like the idea though being a cigar smoker myself.
Dave
Dave