Cleaning your cigar cutter ensures a clean and effective cut of your cigars. You may have neglected your keychain cigar cutter, thinking it does not need regular maintenance. But, a dull or dirty cutter can ruin your premium cigar, directly impacting your smoking experience. This is especially true when cutting different flavored cigars.
This article expounds on when, why, and how to clean your cigar cutter in three different methods. It also discusses whether or not you should lubricate your cutter after cleaning. Read on.
When to Clean Your Cigar Cutter
The first step to ensuring your cigar lasts a long time and functions optimally is by knowing when to clean it. These are major signs that your cutter needs cleaning:
- The blades have built up an unpleasantly sticky substance.
- The caps shred instead of slicing off cleanly.
- The cutter doesn’t open and close smoothly.
Why Do You Need to Clean Your Cigar Cutter?
The purpose of a cigar cutter is to give your cigars a clean, uniform cut. However, if the cutter is dull or dirty, you may not achieve this. Therefore, cleaning your cutter on a regular basis is important to increasing longevity and improving performance
How to Clean Your Cigar Cutter
You will require cotton swabs, rubbing alcohol, and a graphite lubricant. The cleaning procedure is as follows;
- Touch the cotton swab onto the rubbing alcohol and rub all the metal surfaces on the cutter.
- Any tars on the blades will come right up; therefore, ensure you get all the dirt off the blades.
- Repeat the last step with a dry cotton swab to absorb any leftover alcohol.
- Place a small amount of graphite lubricant on both blade sides and open and close the cutter several times.
- Test the cutter to ensure it has a smooth movement.
You can also clean your cutter using warm water. Soak it in warm water, wipe off the blades with a cloth, and remove built-up residue. Also, make sure it’s dry before your subsequent use.
Another way of cleaning your cutter is by using aluminum foil. The scrapbook enthusiasts and paper crafters used this method to sharpen their paper punches. This process does not technically sharpen your cutters. Instead, the metal smooths the blade in a deburring process, resulting in a sharper blade.
Roll some aluminum foil into a tube the same size as your cigar to deburr your cigar cutter. Cut repeatedly, all the way down to its length. After this, you should get a much cleaner cut on your cigar.
Should You Lubricate the Blades?
No, because you are cleaning something that will eventually come into contact with cigars. Even lubricants like vegetable oil attract debris after being applied to the blades, transferring that to your cigars.
You want to keep your cigar cutter in its best performing state; therefore, cleaning it regularly should be a priority. A clean cigar cutter ensures a uniform cut on your cigar; ultimately contributing to your cigar smoking experience.