re-condition your tuck cutter

[webmost]

BTW -- Three weeks ago I stumbled onto the web site of Tobacos de la Cordillera in Costa Rica & scored a sampler. Just now finished the front lawn, so I sat down on the smoking porch to compose this. Pulled out one of those TdlC sticks called Purisco. Goddam if it doesn't smell zackly like that problematical WLT H2k non-burning wrapper. Dead spot on. I'll be fascinated to see how this performs.

So... get to the subject...

I was able to score just one tuck cutter from Frutiger. It was fairly rough, but salvageable. Re-conditioned it today. Here's the key bit:

See that L shaped pin? That pin holds the whole business together. That pin holds the collar it goes thru onto a shaft. That shaft holds spring, blades, and the whole works. Gotta love the nineteenth century. They invented some awesomely simple shit. Here's the parts exploded view:

This is after some SOS and elbow grease. In fact, this is after some new grease, on shaft, collar, and anything else that swings round.

Super easy to sharpen your blades. Each blade is dished. Here's a view of both blades supine:

... so you simply lay each blade prone on your stone and rub it back & forth. Like so:

The star shaped blade is dished on ones side. You pick your best edge & rotate. But the other blade is dished on both sides, cause you flip it over depending whether you are rolling a fat one. Dish down, rub rub, done before you know it.

To put it all back together, trap your blades on the shaft, slide your shaft into the body, drop your spring and collar over, make sure your spring engages its detents at either end in collar and body, send you L shaped pin into the collar and use that to give your collar a half tun in order to tension the spring, then send it thru. Done.

Mounts with two screws onto the back side of your cutting board thus:

I'll give it a whack at a new roll later this evening.


No, this same smellin wrapper doesn't burn any better than the problematic WLT H2k

I hate windoze. Posted this from my Win10 laptop, which decide to go thru a lengthy update w/ reboot while I was working on this. The update also killed my wireless connection which had to be troubleshot. I don't know how people put up with this Redmond abortion.

 

[blisscigarco]

BTW -- Three weeks ago I stumbled onto the web site of Tobacos de la Cordillera in Costa Rica & scored a sampler. Just now finished the front lawn, so I sat down on the smoking porch to compose this. Pulled out one of those TdlC sticks called Purisco. Goddam if it doesn't smell zackly like that problematical WLT H2k non-burning wrapper. Dead spot on. I'll be fascinated to see how this performs.

So... get to the subject...

I was able to score just one tuck cutter from Frutiger. It was fairly rough, but salvageable. Re-conditioned it today. Here's the key bit:

See that L shaped pin? That pin holds the whole business together. That pin holds the collar it goes thru onto a shaft. That shaft holds spring, blades, and the whole works. Gotta love the nineteenth century. They invented some awesomely simple shit. Here's the parts exploded view:

This is after some SOS and elbow grease. In fact, this is after some new grease, on shaft, collar, and anything else that swings round.

Super easy to sharpen your blades. Each blade is dished. Here's a view of both blades supine:

... so you simply lay each blade prone on your stone and rub it back & forth. Like so:

The star shaped blade is dished on ones side. You pick your best edge & rotate. But the other blade is dished on both sides, cause you flip it over depending whether you are rolling a fat one. Dish down, rub rub, done before you know it.

To put it all back together, trap your blades on the shaft, slide your shaft into the body, drop your spring and collar over, make sure your spring engages its detents at either end in collar and body, send you L shaped pin into the collar and use that to give your collar a half tun in order to tension the spring, then send it thru. Done.

Mounts with two screws onto the back side of your cutting board thus:

I'll give it a whack at a new roll later this evening.


No, this same smellin wrapper doesn't burn any better than the problematic WLT H2k

I hate windoze. Posted this from my Win10 laptop, which decide to go thru a lengthy update w/ reboot while I was working on this. The update also killed my wireless connection which had to be troubleshot. I don't know how people put up with this Redmond abortion.

We turn off Windows Update.
I've been in touch with those guys before, because half my family lives near there, in Costa Rica. I'm surprised they're using Amazing Unburning Habano.
The 19th century was awesome. Thanks for the breakdown on tc sharpening. I've never studied the apparatus on my 20th century device. Might have to someday. Still sharp atm.

 

[TheFlask]

I did the same to mine with not much luck. I'm going to have to re surface the dished out parts I guess. It's more the bottom than the star I think. When I cut one it tears the wrapper an eighth of an inch.

 

[webmost]

I did the same to mine with not much luck. I'm going to have to re surface the dished out parts I guess. It's more the bottom than the star I think. When I cut one it tears the wrapper an eighth of an inch.

Sure you got the blades oriented the right direction?
Wanna mail me the widget and let me work on it?

 

[Dominican56]

Thanks for the info. The thing is made from cast bronze it looks like. Wish my ultrasonic cleaner worked. It would be perfect for this

Thanks for the tip on the “L” shaped part. Intuitively one could think it’s the end of the spring.

I’m going to rip into it today, or soon:

 

[Dominican56]

Pretty clever design. Back in the day, I bet the roller didn’t call maintenance to work on the thing. He/she had to do it on their own, and quickly because they worked piece rate.

 

[Marc L]

Thanks for the info. The thing is made from cast bronze it looks like. Wish my ultrasonic cleaner worked. It would be perfect for this

Thanks for the tip on the “L” shaped part. Intuitively one could think it’s the end of the spring.

I’m going to rip into it today, or soon:

That looks like axle grease. I like to use mineral oil. it's really clean.

 

[ras_oscar]

To clarify: I assume when you sharpen the star and base blades, you surface the flat side on a flat stone? If not, what do you use to maintain the angle on a curved surface?

 

[Marc L]

To clarify: I assume when you sharpen the star and base blades, you surface the flat side on a flat stone? If not, what do you use to maintain the angle on a curved surface?

Nether one of the above tuck cutter look like ether of the blades on them have no thing flat about them. at least in my case with the same type of cutter I have, no thing flat about ether blade. It was a tedious task of going at it with a micro-file carefully to get out the few nicks that were there. These don't need to be so sharp.

 

[Jan Bynens]

To clarify: I assume when you sharpen the star and base blades, you surface the flat side on a flat stone? If not, what do you use to maintain the angle on a curved surface?

I used sand paper rolled in a tube !

 

[TheFlask]

To clarify: I assume when you sharpen the star and base blades, you surface the flat side on a flat stone? If not, what do you use to maintain the angle on a curved surface?

I took some 3/4 round stock and put some sand paper around it to touch up the angle part of the blade and star. Then put the flat on a mirror with wet sand paper. But I think a wet stone would work just fine.

 

[Dominican56]

I'm going to use emery cloth of 220 to 600 grit to get it sharp. I do want this cutter to be pretty sharp. It may not maintain that sharpness, however.
scissors use a shearing action to cut just like this cutter. Just like scissors I can't imagine that dull is a good thing.

 

[Dominican56]

This weekend I’ll get it cleaned up