Henry's Cigar Draw Tools -- UPDATE

[kheffelf]

I received mine in the mail today.

[palm55]

Originally Posted by kheffelf

I received mine in the mail today.

KHEFFELF,

Thanks for the feedback! We sent the tools via First Class Mail (rather than Priority) simply to save you a couple of bucks... But we've been VERY concerned that fellow BOTLs have had to wait so long!!!

BTW... Not 16 hours after Henry was released from the hospital, we were out on the lake fishing... Hooked a nice mess of plump, late-season bluegill, and some 12-inch crappie. He cursed the hospital food he'd endured... between bites, and with a smile on his face.

[kvm]

Mine must have arrived Saturday. It was waiting when I got home today. Thanks palm55 and thanks Henry. I could have used it last night. But at least I have it for next time.

[scotth]

Mine came in today. Look forward to using them!

Scott

[palm55]

Thanks for the reports back! We were (and are) honestly concerned that Henry's Tool Sets are arriving as promised (and he's asked me for proof that they HAVE!).

[G-Man]

I got mine yesterday. They look great. Give Henry a big thanks for me.

[Barcochris]

Got mine Today, They look great. I almost want to find a pluged Cigar so I can use them.


Chris

[scotth]

Originally Posted by Barcochris

Got mine Today, They look great. I almost want to find a pluged Cigar so I can use them.


Chris

Me too! For once I almost can't wait to get a plugged stick!

Scott

[Rod]

When you have a very tight cigar, just poking holes with the tool doesn't seem to do the trick. Well, at least unless you spend 30 minutes poking and re-poking. Bottom line is that there is TOO MUCH tobacco rolled into that wrapper.

The key is that you must be able to REMOVE some of that tobacco down the long axis of the cigar.

My suggestion would be to create some "barbs" on the sides of the shaft pointed toward the handle. This way, it does not make it more difficult to insert the poker, but when you withdraw the shaft, cuts and pulls out substantial amounts of tobacco particles.

This way, you insert the shaft (I suggest rotating the shaft as you insert). If you sharpen the flattened end of the shaft, it works very well, making it easier to insert while rotating. This also helps you line up the shaft with the long axis of the cigar so that you don't perforate the side.

What used to take me, truly about 7-8 minutes on an extremely tight cigar (like a box of Cuban Montecristo #2's that I received) now takes about a minute. As the shaft goes in and out, rotating it slightly as I'm doing that, you can see a stream of tobacco dust coming out from the cigar as the shaft is removed.

I'm a dentist, so I have very fine tools. I used a diamond coated thin stainless steel disk (about the thickness of 3-4 sheets of paper) in my slow-speed handpiece (about 5,000 rpm) and cut the side of the shaft in several places. The disk was used at about 20 degrees to the long axis of the shaft, cutting toward the handle.

Once the cut was about 3/32 deep, I used a utility knife and forced it into the cut. Once the tip of the knife was burried all the way into the cut, I twisted the knife so that the sharp edge extended out from the shaft just a few thousandths of an inch.

I'll try to insert the photos below:

OK, I get it now -- you double click on the thumbnails, and they enlarge.



I don't know if you will be able to click on these to see the photos. If not, what did I do wrong?

I used it for the first time last night, and it was amazingly effective and fast.

This was a brand of poker that has some knurls on it already, but they really didn't do anything. They just could not grasp and cut off tobacco. The way I have it now, it almost acts like a cheese shredder.

The only downside is that you could potentially cut yourself using it, so you have to be very careful. I told everyone in my family about this so that they'll be careful if they use it. I use sharp instruments every day, so I'm used to it.

I'm sure that this technique would work well on Henry's tool. I'd suggest that Henry do something like this on it in the manufacturing phase, but the legal liability would be too great compared to what he makes by selling them (you KNOW that some would end up cutting themselves).

Rod

[Billedius]

do you know what metal Henry's tool is? and how he scribed the rings about every 1.5"?
thanks

[Blaylock]

Originally Posted by Billedius

do you know what metal Henry's tool is? and how he scribed the rings about every 1.5"?
thanks

High-nickel steel which was then replaced with High-carbon steel. The "scribed rings" I do not know.

[K Baz]

Sorry to continue the thread jack but I miss Palm/Henry

[Sigarz]

Originally Posted by Rod

When you have a very tight cigar, just poking holes with the tool doesn't seem to do the trick. Well, at least unless you spend 30 minutes poking and re-poking. Bottom line is that there is TOO MUCH tobacco rolled into that wrapper.

The key is that you must be able to REMOVE some of that tobacco down the long axis of the cigar.

My suggestion would be to create some "barbs" on the sides of the shaft pointed toward the handle. This way, it does not make it more difficult to insert the poker, but when you withdraw the shaft, cuts and pulls out substantial amounts of tobacco particles.
Attachment 46282
This way, you insert the shaft (I suggest rotating the shaft as you insert). If you sharpen the flattened end of the shaft, it works very well, making it easier to insert while rotating. This also helps you line up the shaft with the long axis of the cigar so that you don't perforate the side.

What used to take me, truly about 7-8 minutes on an extremely tight cigar (like a box of Cuban Montecristo #2's that I received) now takes about a minute. As the shaft goes in and out, rotating it slightly as I'm doing that, you can see a stream of tobacco dust coming out from the cigar as the shaft is removed.

I'm a dentist, so I have very fine tools. I used a diamond coated thin stainless steel disk (about the thickness of 3-4 sheets of paper) in my slow-speed handpiece (about 5,000 rpm) and cut the side of the shaft in several places. The disk was used at about 20 degrees to the long axis of the shaft, cutting toward the handle.

Once the cut was about 3/32 deep, I used a utility knife and forced it into the cut. Once the tip of the knife was burried all the way into the cut, I twisted the knife so that the sharp edge extended out from the shaft just a few thousandths of an inch.

I'll try to insert the photos below:

OK, I get it now -- you double click on the thumbnails, and they enlarge.



I don't know if you will be able to click on these to see the photos. If not, what did I do wrong?

I used it for the first time last night, and it was amazingly effective and fast.

This was a brand of poker that has some knurls on it already, but they really didn't do anything. They just could not grasp and cut off tobacco. The way I have it now, it almost acts like a cheese shredder.

The only downside is that you could potentially cut yourself using it, so you have to be very careful. I told everyone in my family about this so that they'll be careful if they use it. I use sharp instruments every day, so I'm used to it.

I'm sure that this technique would work well on Henry's tool. I'd suggest that Henry do something like this on it in the manufacturing phase, but the legal liability would be too great compared to what he makes by selling them (you KNOW that some would end up cutting themselves).

RodAttachment 46281

Very Interesting idea