What's new

How sharp?

Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Joined
Apr 25, 2020
Messages
71
For those of you that use chavetas, how sharp is it? I purchased this Mezzaluna to use as a chaveta, mostly because of its price. My mistake came after I used it the first day... As I was hand washing it, my little finger came across the blade in a glancing manner. Not a big cut, but it was fairly deep. This mezzaluna is as sharp as a chefs knife!! After attending my cut, I immediately put that knife away and used my pizza cutter. Not as sharp, but I won't have to worry about taking a finger off... lol
 
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
Joined
Sep 1, 2015
Messages
2,640
Location
Central Maryland
I was told to set it to the point where the wood board is not getting so chopped up. It made sense to me. I started with it sharp and knocked it down a little. I haven't put it to the stone in a while now, I just run a mini file over it like a steel to a knife. deep perforation
 
Rating - 100%
3   0   0
Joined
Mar 15, 2016
Messages
2,955
Mine's near as dull as a butter knife. Like Marc L said, saves your board. I run it across that "knife sharpening stick" in the knife rack in the kitchen every couple years, to pretend I'm sharpening it.
 
Rating - 100%
6   0   0
Joined
May 9, 2014
Messages
2,283
Location
Newark, Dull-Aware
Wow! I love that Italian "half-moon". Outstanding handle and shape. And the price is super cheap!

But yer right... the chaveta does not need to be sharp at all. It cuts with a crushing action as it rolled over the leaf. You do want to save your board from abuse.
 
Rating - 100%
12   0   0
Joined
Jul 6, 2016
Messages
545
Location
Bethlehem, PA
Rolled some cigars at AJ's factory in Nicaragua recently, and I can confirm the chavetas they gave us were very dull indeed, couldn't mark up the wood unless you're using all your elbow grease. I do wonder, though, since we were using a wet board, would the chaveta be sharper if you were rolling dry?
 
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
Joined
Sep 1, 2015
Messages
2,640
Location
Central Maryland
Rolled some cigars at AJ's factory in Nicaragua recently, and I can confirm the chavetas they gave us were very dull indeed, couldn't mark up the wood unless you're using all your elbow grease. I do wonder, though, since we were using a wet board, would the chaveta be sharper if you were rolling dry?
.. what?
 
Rating - 100%
12   0   0
Joined
Jul 6, 2016
Messages
545
Location
Bethlehem, PA
Went to AJ's factory with work earlier this year to learn more about production. At one point they sat us down at tables on their factory floor and gave us a mold of bunched cigars to put the wrappers on ourselves.
When most factories roll cigars they wet the rolling board so the leaf sticks and stays in place, and is easier to trim & work with. That makes it easy to just run the chaveta over the leaf in one smooth motion. For rolling events and times when the cigars will be smoked immediately after rolling, however, they use a dry board so the cigar will smoke better right away. I wonder if the chaveta needs to be sharper on the dry board because the leaf won't stay in place as easily. Do you roll at home? Of course I'm sure not every roller and every factory does it the same way, that's just the info we got from the factory supervisor.
 
Rating - 100%
3   0   0
Joined
Mar 15, 2016
Messages
2,955
Went to AJ's factory with work earlier this year to learn more about production. At one point they sat us down at tables on their factory floor and gave us a mold of bunched cigars to put the wrappers on ourselves.
When most factories roll cigars they wet the rolling board so the leaf sticks and stays in place, and is easier to trim & work with. That makes it easy to just run the chaveta over the leaf in one smooth motion. For rolling events and times when the cigars will be smoked immediately after rolling, however, they use a dry board so the cigar will smoke better right away. I wonder if the chaveta needs to be sharper on the dry board because the leaf won't stay in place as easily. Do you roll at home? Of course I'm sure not every roller and every factory does it the same way, that's just the info we got from the factory supervisor.
Having seen thousands of factory rolling videos, and visited a few factories, I'd say "When most factories roll cigars they wet the rolling board" is not what one usually sees in videos or typical factories., including AJ's in Esteli. The very few are usually special cases like complex shapes with complex, stencil-like cuts. Wet boards are a bit more common in Asian places like the Philippines.

Dry:

 
  • Like
Reactions: nic
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
Joined
Sep 1, 2015
Messages
2,640
Location
Central Maryland
Went to AJ's factory with work earlier this year to learn more about production. At one point they sat us down at tables on their factory floor and gave us a mold of bunched cigars to put the wrappers on ourselves.
When most factories roll cigars they wet the rolling board so the leaf sticks and stays in place, and is easier to trim & work with. That makes it easy to just run the chaveta over the leaf in one smooth motion. For rolling events and times when the cigars will be smoked immediately after rolling, however, they use a dry board so the cigar will smoke better right away. I wonder if the chaveta needs to be sharper on the dry board because the leaf won't stay in place as easily. Do you roll at home? Of course I'm sure not every roller and every factory does it the same way, that's just the info we got from the factory supervisor.
Thank you for the clarity. I roll at home dry, moist, and wet depending on air and leaf conditions using chavetas, rotary knives and scissors.
 
Rating - 100%
12   0   0
Joined
Jul 6, 2016
Messages
545
Location
Bethlehem, PA
Having seen thousands of factory rolling videos, and visited a few factories, I'd say "When most factories roll cigars they wet the rolling board" is not what one usually sees in videos or typical factories., including AJ's in Esteli. The very few are usually special cases like complex shapes with complex, stencil-like cuts. Wet boards are a bit more common in Asian places like the Philippines.

Dry:

That's interesting, since i was literally just there a few months ago, and got my info directly from both AJ and the factory supervisor. Guess there's always gotta be someone to argue though huh?
 
Top