Tips and Hints for MYO

For all types of machines, Follow these guidelines

  1. Allow your tobacco to dry slightly before trying to use it.  This is crucial.  Slightly means it should have a crunchy sound when you break it up, but not so dry that it crumbles into dust.  Overly dry tobacco will likely pack too tightly to burn, overly moist tobacco will stick to the machine and cause the tube to tear of slide off the machine before it is full(misfire).  In humid conditions, drying may take as long as 4 hours. 15 seconds in the microwave speeds up the process.
  2. Do not overfill the machine.  The amount of tobacco needed for one cigarette is a little more than a tablespoon, but will look like more when you use pipe tobacco.  The tobacco chamber in the machine should feel full, but not so tightly that you cannot compress it further. The tobacco in the chamber will offer the same resistance to the finger that a commercially made cigarette does.  Practice makes perfect.
  3. Only take out as much tobacco as you can roll without it drying out completely before you are finished making cigarettes.  Often the shake on the bottom of the tray will be too finely ground to use, so save yourself some time and throw it away; you're saving plenty as it is.
  4. Keep your tubes in the box and be careful with them.  Using creased tubes is possible by using your fingers to straighten them(pinch and slide from the filter, up), but is more difficult than using perfect tubes.
  5. "Mickey Mouse" your misfires.  They will be short but this saves waste for rookies.
  6. Do not force the machine.  If it does not fire smoothly, one of 3 things is wrong.  Either the chamber is not packed evenly from side to side, the tobacco is too dry or moist, or the machine is clogged or dirty.  If you force the machines, your cigarette will be of poor quality if it doesn't misfire.  In plastic machines and handheld injectors, you may also break your machine.  Unpack the tobacco and try again.
  7. Get a tray.  This can get messy, so get something big enough for the machine, tobacco, and a pile of cigarettes.  24" by 18" is good, about the size of a cafeteria tray.
  8. After the cigarette is filled, pack it by tapping the tobacco down.  Tapping the filter downwards about 5-10 times should do the trick.
  9. If your cigarettes do not fill all the way to the bottom, and you have a machine with a setting for 100's, set the machine to 100 but use the 85mm king sized cigarette tubes. This will help to fill the tube.


 For hand held injectors:
  1. Use the tamping device that comes with the machine.  It makes getting the feel of the proper amount of tobacco easier.
  2. Do not force the machine.  The spoon may bend or the plastic may break.
  3. If your cigarettes do not fill all the way to the bottom, and you have a machine with a setting for 100's, set the machine to 100 but use the 85mm king sized cigarette tubes. This will help to fill the tube.
  4. Be sure the tube is on straight; you will likely rip the tube if the spoon hits it.


For Tabletop Injectors:

  1. Metal machines are tougher and last longer than plastic ones.
  2. If you can access them, oil the internal parts of the machine with a fine oil, such as 3-in-1, but do not get oil on the cutter or oil the tobacco chamber   You will have about 100 oily cigarettes in your future.
  3. Keep the cutter clean.  Moist tobacco will leave a residue on the top of the cutter that will make the machine misfire or lock up.  Clean with rubbing alcohol and paper towels. Alcohol evaporates quickly and if you clean with water you better have a few cigarettes already made until your machine dries.
  4. Always keep your swing of the handle linear.  Do not push down on the handle as you swing.  This will cause the life of the machine to be reduced.  Avoid resting your hand on the handle and focus on keeping every swing parallel to the floor.



For Electric Cigarette Machines:
  1. Use the slowest speed setting available on the machine to get the best quality cigarette.
  2. Auger type machines are known for making cigarettes that look ok at first, but every time you ash, the cherry of the cigarette falls off and burns holes in skin, clothes, and the seat of your car.  Get a spoon type machine that fires like a tabletop injector instead.
  3. If you choose an auger machine, you should do some research on prospective brands of machine and read customer reviews.  They are your best source of knowing if a machine makes good cigarettes.  If you do find a machine that you like, try filing the tip of the auger bit a little, just to take the edge off.  This can help the machine to not shred the tobacco as much, thus reducing the amount of burn holes produced by falling embers.