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Cigar Molds Thread

webmost

webmost

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I just cracked into my stash of Uppowoc Maks rolled last Spring. These cigars are flat out sublime. They reminded me of a review of Maks Molds which I wrote on the FTT forum, and which I re-post here. Maks is a tobacco farmer and accomplished roller in Slovenia. He has a couple of neat vids, too, showing him, for example, stripping the center vein out of a leaf quick as a wink. Like so many farmers, there are certain times of year when he turns to handicrafts. He makes these two hole 8" x 50rg maple molds that are works of art. This year, hail destroyed much of his tobacco crop, so he's looking to bump some handicraft sales. Farming is a precarious gig in any corner of the world; asked me to review his product here. I have nothing but good to say. Two unique features make them super handy: 1) two holes is just the right size. That's right Come home from work to face honey-dos and dinner and this that the other... you still have time to take the center vein out of one wrapper, one binder, and roll a cigar with each. If you are a beginner, this is especially important. You will learn more & quicker rolling two per night than rolling 20 on a weekend. Think of it as practicing a musical instrument ... nightly is the way to go. 2) they close with threaded cleats that screw down threaded wooden pegs. That's right. No clamp, no foolin. A compact and complete outfit. When I got mine, I bought it directly from Maks and it was shipped from Slovenia. Don carries them now at WLT. Here follows that old review ...

I heartily recommend Maks' Molds

Maks' handiwork is pretty damn nice. Too many years ago, I made my living putting joinery into custom yachts. So I know wood butchery. Here is the best I can say about Maks' work is take a look at this:


When these two cleats that clamp the mold shut reach the ends of their threads, both cleats wind up dead perpendicular across the mold. Now, that's what I'd call careful attention to detail! One cleat has a mark that lets me know it fits in front.

I waxed the threads with Skidmore's, both male and female. Skidmore's is intended to waterproof leather; but I figured a little beeswax would lube the wooden threads, and thus protect them:


I set these on the hearth one evening, and that made the wax sink in nice.


Fit and finish are pretty damn choice


You could make a super long eight inch Churchill in this mold if you liked. I've made a couple 7+


I figured this ought to be just right in the evening after work, is why I got it. I can pull out one binder leaf, one wrapper leaf, and a fist of filler. Wrap and bind one leftwards, the other rightwards, from the right and left wrapper halves. Don't have time on a week night to kick out a batch of ten; but two ought to fit the schedule.

Very nice mold. Fifty bucks includes shipping from Slovenia. Takes about two weeks to arrive... three days travel plus a week and a half sitting first in the Ljubljana post office then the New York post office.

Here's the best part: our resident garmaster Deluxe once sensibly advised that your hands will learn more by a small daily rolling jog than from a periodic rolling marathon. And this is a very true precept. The concert does not make the musician -- daily practice does. A two gar mold like this has proven instrumental in putting this precept into practice. Four or five times a week I find fifteen minutes to bunch a pair... one left handed from the one side of the leaf; the other right handed from the other. When I used to break out my ten slot mold I invariably felt bound to fill the thing up. Filling it up took an amount of time I could only make room for on weekends. Not this. I pull out one binder leaf, one wrapper leaf, a half dozen filler leaves, and they're in the mold before Bearswatter has dinner done. Put the plate in the sink, come back up and wrap them. Extremely convenient. Totally effective.


Get one.

I have a notion to minimalize a rolling kit that will fit in a messenger bag, so as to travel conveniently on a motorcycle. Maks' mold would be an indispensable part of that kit. Gimme a couple ziplocks with leaves, and this:

... compleat.
 
derektherockstar

derektherockstar

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webmost said:
Cracked up? Whatcha mean cracked up?

I'm off a couple days next week. Hopefully I can find a chance to motor on down there, score your mold, and make a review of it on FTT.
Click to expand...
When I tried to register I did not get the confirmation email.

I tried to go back and re-send it or re register and it said I was banned for no reason given
Like before I could even get registered it was weird

 
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