Plug tobacco

[Justin Morris]

Needing a little help here. I purchased 3 plugs of tobacco this weekend here in Franklin and was wanting to see if anyone knew how to wrap them and label them in a period manner, such as how you might buy them at a sutler store.

Justin

[jurgitemvaletem]

Re: Plug tobacco

Normaly I will buy a pouch of loose, usualy Levi Garrett of similar style and make individual plugs myself. The way I do this is with a small cardboard tube about .50" in diameter and 2 inches long. Once I have pressed the loose tobacco tightly in the carboard tube I will remove it from the tube and wrap it in 2 layers of paper. The first layer is the same 3M masking paper used for making cartridges and the second outer layer being regular computer paper. Once it is wrapped in the paper, leaving enough paper on both ends so when folded down they overlap each other and tie a string arround the middle. Then I will bundle them just as I would cartridges using my cartridge bundling jig. I normaly get 10 plugs per pouch and they end up about the size of a cartridge so it works out perfectly. Next I make up a label of my choice using Micrsoft paint including phrases and illustrations that would be found on period labels.

My .02. Not sure if it was exactly what you were looking for considering that your tobacco is already in plug form but what you may be able to do is use my wrapping technique for your single plugs by wrapping them in 3M paper and compter paper and making your own label.

thanks,
Patrick Skeese

[crabby]

Re: Plug tobacco

Justin,

I am assuming you have purchased the square plugs. Most come already wrapped with either a tobacco leaf or faux tobacco. Typically that would be enough to shove in your pocket.

If you were to buy loose chewing tobbaco you could use a toilet paper tube and compress the tobacco in it. This would give a reasonable sized plug. I use a plug press reproduced from one discovered at the Carriage Hill Living History site. The plug come out cylindrical. I wrap the plug in foil lined brown paper (paper from a common lunch bag will work) and tie with string (I do add a label, as this is one of my stock items). There is a picture of one on my web page (see link below.).

Crabby

[moarkcav]

Re: Plug tobacco

http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9802E5DD1E30E132A25756C0A9669D946397D6CF

While it does not cover how it was wraped it is interesting now the less.


Chris Talburt

[Prodical Reb]

Re: Plug tobacco

On the steamboat Artabia thread there were some pics of tobacco plugs that were shippied bulk in a barrel; They were fanned shaped from being stored in the barrel. Steamboat Arabia thread post #5 by Matt W. had the pic of the tobacco.

[Justin Morris]

Re: Plug tobacco

Thank you all for the help. Good ideas. I'll check out your site Crabby, thank you for the help! This should get me on the right track.

Justin