Cigarts & Crafts: What do you do with your Cigarbage?

Picture that exact moment when you crack the seal on a brand new box of cigars, and lift the lid. All those cigars, lined up perfectly. The bands, all in a row, full of beautiful colors on embossed paper in an even line across the top row. Even bundle cigars are lined up like soldiers at attention, with their bands in perfect formation. The box smells incredible. Then you get to smoking the first one…It’s pretty common for us smokers to take the cigar band off when we get down to the end of the stick. I take the cigar band off all my cigars – otherwise you’re going to start burning through it when you get into the final third of your cigar. But what do you do with the band? Scratch that. What do you do with any of the garbage that comes with your cigars?

All those beautiful things about the packaging we admired just a few weeks before – boxes, cigar bands, ribbons – they are all, for the most part, thrown in the trash. You could probably save a small rainforest each year with the trees chopped down to make each box and the millions of bands that go around each cigar. So instead of simply tossing your “cigarbage”, as it were, there are plenty of uses for this refuse to make your man cave even more kick-ass than it is already, or even turn a quick buck. Here are just a few projects that will allow you to breathe new life into your old boxes and bands.

COLLAGED HUMIDOR OR BOX – DIFFICULTY LEVEL: 1 of 5

Collaging a humidor or empty cigar box is an extremely easy project to undertake, and is a must-have for any cigar smoker’s man cave. You don’t have to stop at just humidors and boxes, though…imagine having a coffee table or your poker table covered in your favorite cigar bands. No matter what you collage, it has the potential for awesomeness!

Collaging a humidor or cigar box is an extremely easy project and is a must-have for any cigar smoker’s man cave. And, you don’t have to stop at just humidors and boxes…imagine a coffee table or poker table covered in your favorite cigar bands. There is potential for awesomeness!

Lay out your cigar bands before gluing them down permanently. Shuffle them around until you find an arrangement you like.

Apply a small amount of gel medium to the back of each cigar band and place it where you want it.

Apply light pressure to flatten out any wrinkles.

Brush away any excess gel medium that squeezes out.

Repeat this process until your project is covered.

Once dried, apply a thin layer or two of the gel medium.

Let that dry then apply at least two coats of clear, acrylic varnish, which will add a glossy shine.

CLOCK – DIFFICULTY LEVEL: 2 of 5

Though all of these projects can be a little time consuming, it will be well worth it after a couple of weekends when you can show off your revamped cigar cave. But if you want to keep track of exactly how much time you’ve invested into each project, you’re going to need a proper clock. Why not build yourself one?

WALL CLOCK

Drill a hole in the center of the box and install the clock movement according to its instructions.

Glue or screw a hanger on the back. (You’re done!)

FRAME, TABLE OR BAR TOP – DIFFICULTY LEVEL: 3 of 5

Remember, your man cave makes a statement about you. Do you want it to say, “I like the occasional cigar now and again”? Or do you want it to scream, “hell yeah, I freaking LOVE cigars!” To make your man cave a true testament to your passion for the leaf, it’s time to remodel your bar or table top into a surface made completely of cigar box tops. The scope of this one is up to you. If you go with a bar top you’ll need time, patience and a lot of box tops. We’ll demonstrate on this small table. All of the steps are the same.

Pop Up: Ask your friends or local B&M if they have any extra cigar boxes laying around or for sale and buy as many as you can – you’re going to need quite a few. Remove the lids to be used as the bar/table/frame top. The number of boxes you’ll need depends on the size of your surface.

Arrange the boxes like a jigsaw puzzle, making sure each one fits together with one another. Don’t worry about the outer edges yet, you’ll be cutting the edges and shaping the tops to your desired length and width later.

Glue them together face down to ensure the surface is flat. Once dried, make your final cuts. Make sure each edge is straight and smooth.

After making your last cuts, frame your surface with a nice edge. For the finish on the new top of your bar, you can always keep the boxes exposed; I recommend using a piece of glass to go over the bar top, or pour a layer of clear epoxy over the boxes to seal the bar and protect the boxes.

CIGAR BOX GUITAR – DIFFICULTY LEVEL – 4 of 5 (Depending)

But why collage when you can have something completely bad ass? Any man cave would be complete with a custom cigar box guitar propped up in the corner or hanging on the wall. You’ll be the envy of all your cigar-loving brothers if you play them a few chords on a box of Padróns the next time they’re over.

We kept it simple for this demo and started with a basic kit from soundboxguitars.com and customized to our liking.

These are just the tip of the proverbial iceberg, as cigar art can be anything – any project that turns your cigar garbage into something completely unique is a real upcycle. Not only can you say it’s one of a kind, but you can proudly say that you created it with your own two hands. So don’t trash your cigarbage – try out one of these projects, or all of them. Your man cave will thank you.