Plug Dry Time?

[Davo]

Yo,

So I just stoved a loosely pressed plug I made from some Bright leaf. Depending on how it goes I’ll chuck the recipe up on the blending thread.

However, just wanting to know if anyone has a good idea for how long I should leave the plug out to dry back down to a low case? I know I could slice it into broken flake and spread on a tray and just feel it, but I would like to leave it as a whole plug at this stage.

Cheers

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

Yo,

So I just stoved a loosely pressed plug I made from some Bright leaf. Depending on how it goes I’ll chuck the recipe up on the blending thread.

However, just wanting to know if anyone has a good idea for how long I should leave the plug out to dry back down to a low case? I know I could slice it into broken flake and spread on a tray and just feel it, but I would like to leave it as a whole plug at this stage.

Cheers

View attachment 32827

That's a really tough question to answer. I left a rope out once for 3 weeks in 20%rh, and it molded on the inside. Leave it as long as you think. Be sure the outside is crispy, then put it in a jar overnight, and in the morning see if it's back in case. Repeat.

I can't stress this enough. When making plugs and ropes, it's really helpful to know what it weighed before you added moisture. That way, if you can resist taste testing, you will know it has dried sufficiently when it returns to the original weight.

 

[Davo]

Some good advice there.

It weighed 2oz before I added half its weight in water for stoving (5hours + cool down in a sealed jar inside a slow cooker set on low, roughly 190f). I have another 2oz plug that I pressed at the same time but haven’t added any moisture or placed under heat.

The outside is currently crispy, but I am worried about the inside moulding as I only pressed for 48hours as I wanted the moisture to soak up through the plug.

Maybe I will just slice the plug into thick flakes for drying.

 

[Davo]

Actually just decided to chop plug up for drying. Once it has reached desired case for storage, I will then return it to the press for a few days so I can store as a cake. Best of both worlds.

I have placed sealed jar of my “sober sailor” (dry navy flake) in the sun to see if any moisture comes out of the leaves and cause condensation. If so I will get this plug out and slice to flakes for storage

You can also see the colouring caused from the stoving process if you compare the two pics.