Pipe FAQ/101/Getting Started

[nimravus01]

I came across this page, and, thought the info was interesting enough to belong on the pipe 101 thread. Nothing established pipe smokers don't already know, but, may help those with interest in starting.

http://www.tobacco-cigars.com/index9.shtml

[nimravus01]

Also, I found this chart of pipe shapes and names. You can click on a shape on the chart and it will bring up a page with more details about that shape. That should help you keep up when people start throwing around words like, billiard, apple, prince, brandy, etc.

http://www.aspipes.org/shapes/shapes.html

[JohnnyFlake]

This is a little long, but very well worth reading, especially for those that are reasonably new to the pipe. NOTE: this article is too long to post at one time. So this is part one. Part two follows in the next post

The Art and Science of Smoking

Smoking a pipe is such a common custom today that we tend to forget it is both an art and a science developed over four centuries.

It is an art in that a pipe is smoked for pleasure and pleasure only. It is a science in that the pipe bowl is a small furnace which, like any other furnace, must be properly fueled, fired, and cleaned in order to operate at its best. Unless these techniques are mas­tered, the smoker will find little joy in the use of his pipe.

Smoking in its earliest days was recognized as an art, and no man was considered a gentleman until he could smoke properly. Tutors and professors of smoking appeared on the scene, who, for a price, would teach the novice the fundamentals and mysteries of the art. The complete course began with a history of smoking, and included the technique of inhaling through the nose. The course ended when the student had mastered the skill of blowing smoke rings in the air.

The gentleman of fashion smoked at all times and at all places, in the theater as well as on the street. He carried in his pockets a complete smoking kit—a tobacco box, a pair of tongs for lighting his pipe with a burning coal, and a tobacco stopper for pressing the fired leaves firmly into his pipe bowl—all elaborately wrought of expensive materials. His pipe, however, was the same clay pipe smoked by common laborers and poor men in general.

Perhaps the most interesting time for the avid pipe smoker came during the Victorian period. The nineteenth-century gen­tleman would have to retire to a special smoking-room, don a smoking-cap and jacket to protect his hair and clothes from the vile odor of tobacco, and puff away until interrupted by the ladies of the house. If there was no smoking-room, he would have to smoke secretly by his bedroom fireplace, surreptitiously blowing the smoke up the chimney so that no offensive odor would remain.

Fortunately, the modern smoker can enjoy a pipeful either in private or in public. Moreover, he'll always have a pleasant smoke if he is familiar with the art and science of smoking—-breaking in, filling, lighting up, and cleaning the pipe.

Many a man who is attracted to pipe smoking gives up the practice after a few days because he finds little pleasure in his pipe. He finds that his tongue feels burned and is bitter-tasting, that the bowl becomes too hot to hold, or that the pipe will not stay lit. As a result, the would-be pipe smoker gives up in disgust, and the fraternity of pipe smokers has lost a friend. The fledgling smoker simply failed to realize that a pipe must be broken in and smoked properly before it will yield an enjoyable smoke.
To derive maximum pleasure and satisfaction from a pipe, the new smoker should follow a few important but simple steps:

1. The first step in breaking in a new pipe is to moisten the inside of the bowl with a little water applied with the finger. This will permit the carbon, formed by the burning of the tobacco, to cling to the walls of the briar and act as insulation against the heat of the first light-up. If the inside of the bowl has been precharred (or caked) by the pipe maker, however, this step should be eliminated.

2. Next, fill the bowl about one-half full of good tobacco. Fill the pipe gradually, tamping down each layer of tobacco firmly with the finger.

3. Now light the pipe evenly all around. Igniting the tobacco will cause it to rise up slightly in the bowl. Tamp down the tobacco with a metal tamper and relight evenly once again. If the bowl is packed correctly, you will have no trouble in keeping the tobacco lit.

4. Itis extremely important to smoke the first few bowlfuls slowly. Indeed, it is always best to puff patiently away, no matter how well your pipe is broken in.

Form proper habits of filling and smoking your pipe from the moment you purchase it. Smoke the pipe slowly until the tobacco is burned down to the very bottom of the bowl. This not only prevents overheating, but also forms an even, protective cake on the walls of the bowl.

After smoking a few pipefuls, gently remove the ash or "dottle" from the bottom of the bowl with a pipe-smoker's "spoon." Be careful not to damage the thin, newly-formed cake. Now fill the bowl about three-quarter full and smoke it. Gradually increase the amount of tobacco until you have filled the bowl to the top. You'll find that your pipe will have gained that treasured posses­sion—a regular, even cake from the bottom to the top of the bowl.

The cake is an accumulation of porous carbon, which fulfills two important functions: the carbon acts as a protective coating that helps prevent "burn-out," and is largely responsible for the sweetness of the smoke. It also blends into the smoke the flavor of genuine briar. This combined effect gives a pipe the mellow flavor which pipe-smokers always strive to achieve. The carbon cake should be developed slowly and evenly, and should form a uniformly thick lining on the pipe bowl. If your pipe is properly filled but still goes out occasionally while being smoked, it may be because you've packed the tobacco too tightly.

Once the protective cake is formed, don't remove it. However, after much smoking, even a well-broken pipe can develop an uneven cake. Too thick a cake may also become a menace to the life of your pipe. It can cause the pipe bowl to crack, because the carbon cake expands and contracts at a different rate than the briar. The different rate of expansion can create a tremendous pressure on the briar, especially if the pipe has a thick cake and is smoked rapidly, generating a great deal of heat.
The excess carbon must be removed in a simple but important operation called reaming. The ideal pipe reamer is one which fits the sides and bottom of the pipe bowl perfectly. Any good pipe shop will have a number of reamers that do this job effectively and are adjustable to fit any bowl.

The cake in the bowl should be reamed to the proper thickness (about one-sixteenth of an inch, or the breadth of a penny). Use the reamer sparingly, so that an even thickness of cake remains along the inner surface of the bowl.

The cutting edges of the reamer should be razor sharp. A dull reamer may force the smoker to chip and gouge the somewhat brittle cake. If the cake is inadvertently chipped down to the bowl wall, then the entire cake will have to be removed and a new cake slowly built up through smoking. To guard against this, avoid using knives and razor blades. Use the instrument specially designed for the job—a sharp, close-fitting pipe reamer. If a knife is used, go easy and be sure the job is smooth.

After smoking a new pipe for the first time, allow the ashes to remain in the bowl until cold so as not to disturb the newly-formed carbon cake. When the pipe has been well broken in, remove the ashes and "dottle" (the unsmoked tobacco at the bot­tom of the bowl) immediately after each smoking.

Some manufacturers coat the inside of the bowl with a pre­pared carbon cake mixture. This may or may not do the job. The vital ingredient in the cake mixture is usually sugar, which contains a great deal of carbon in its chemical structure.

pipe smoking
Complete burnthrough, resulting from the pipe's owner having held the pipe in a downward position. This forced heat from burning tobacco to con­centrate at a particular point of the bowl wall.

pipe smoking pipe smoking pipe smoking

The reamer should be an exact fit for the shape of the new pipe bowl.
The reamer is inserted into the bowl, to cut away the cake which has become too thick.
Following the reaming, only 1/16" of carbon cake should remain.

pipe smoking pipe smoking

Reamer inserted at in­correct angle.
Reamer inserted too close to one side.

pipe smoking pipe smoking

Knife used instead of a properly-shaped reamer.
Reamer not same shape as the bowl.

CORRECT AND INCORRECT PIPE REAMING

As the sugar burns, only the carbon remains, and the carbon absorbs the bitter green taste of tobacco bite. Similar to this method is the one of breaking in pipes with honey, which, consisting largely of sugar, has the same effect as sugar.

However, the newcomer may well prefer to break in his pipe himself, slowly, so as to give his pipe a chance to develop a natural cake lining in the pipe bowl. He will then enjoy the satisfaction of a mellow smoke, properly filtered through the cake lining and subtly blended with the flavor of briar.

To break in a new pipe so as to insure a pleasant smoke, just proceed as outlined:

1. Moisten the inside of the bowl with a little water applied by your finger tip.

2. Fill the bowl one-half full with good tobacco, evenly packed from the bottom of the bowl to the top.

3. Light the tobacco evenly, with a wooden match tamp down the burning tobacco and relight evenly again.

4. Smoke the pipe slowly, so as to create an even cake.Smoke the pipe down to the bottom of the bowl, taking long draws and removing the pipe from your mouth between puffs.
5. Allow the pipe to cool, and remove the ashes by slapping the bowl on the palm of the hand. The bowl or bit may break if knocked against a hard object, such as a metal or glass ashtray.

Make sure that the inside of a new pipe is clean and smooth. Any irregularity or rough spot (fuzz) on the inner surface of the bowl could be the start of a charred spot. Once charring begins, it usually continues until the pipe burns out and consequently be­comes worthless.

[JohnnyFlake]

Part two, as promised!

Why do pipes burn out? The answer is simple: heat. A briar pipe is not made of metal or asbestos; it's nothing more nor less than a wooden bowl and it will burn or char if it gets hot enough. To keep a pipe from burning out, care must be taken to prevent intense heat from reaching the bowl. This can be done by smoking slowly, and thus keeping the temperature of the tobacco down. Slow smoking will also allow a cake to form, which will protect the walls of the bowl from the excessive heat.

Well-made pipes are usually guaranteed against defects in manufacture and burn-outs which may result from such defects.

Good briarwood absorbs very little moisture during any one smoke, because the pores of the wood are very tight. Normally, after a few smokes, a pipe should be put away for a few days to allow this moisture to evaporate. If a new pipe is smoked too frequently, the moisture will have no chance to evaporate, and will accumulate in the bottom of the bowl, where the pipe is cooler. This yields a soggy pipe, sometimes called a pipe with a "wet heel."

The neophyte pipe smoker should also practice "smoking dry." This means that he should keep his saliva away from the bit. Any wet saliva entering the stem will increase the chances of having a foul-smelling pipe, with a bitter taste.

Excess moisture in the stem will also cause a gurgling sound every time you draw on the pipe. You can reduce the amount of saliva entering the pipe and maintain a dry bit by not holding the bit too far inside the mouth. Ordinarily, placing an object, such as the bit of a pipe, in the mouth will start a natural flow of saliva. If you swallow this excess saliva, instead of spitting it into the stem, the saliva flow will gradually decrease. This may take a little practice, but it will eliminate an annoying source of moisture.

FILLING THE PIPE

A man should fill his pipe the way an experienced woodsman builds a fire. Otherwise he is inviting trouble—in the form of a burned-out or burned-through pipe bowl. Before you even look in the direction of the tobacco jar, blow through the mouthpiece to make sure that the stem is clear. Then glance into the bowl to make sure that all the ashes and stale tobacco from your last smoke have been knocked out.
The simplest way to fill your pipe is to thrust it into the tobacco pouch and tamp in the tobacco with your fingers. The tobacco should be loose at the bottom of the bowl and firmly packed at the top. There is an old rule about filling pipes which expresses this principle very well: "Fill your pipe first with a child's hand, then a woman's, and finally a man's." After each pinch, insert your finger into the bowl and feel that the packing is of the cor­rect firmness. When the bowl is full to the brim, use your thumb to press down and even out the surface tobacco.

A final press with the index finger will insure the proper pack­ing so that the pipe will draw and smoke properly. An evenly packed and distributed surface will make it much easier to light the pipe.

If the pipe is packed too loosely, you will have to draw on it continuously just to keep it lit. If the pipe is too tightly packed, it may become too hot. If it is unevenly packed, the bowl will heat unevenly and may scorch the bowl or cause it to crack.

Check the draw of your pipe before lighting it. If it draws too freely, press in another pinch of tobacco. If it draws with difficulty, the pipe must be emptied and refilled. It may also be that a shred of tobacco is blocking the opening from the bowl into the stem. This is rarely the case with coarsely cut tobacco, but with the finer cuts some care must be taken in placing the first pinch.

Combustion in a pipe can be compared to that in a coal stove or furnace—the more draft, the hotter the fire. Therefore it becomes essential to smoke slowly. The more rapid the puffing, the more quickly the tobacco will burn and the hotter the smoke. Pause between each puff, puff gently, and you will enjoy a cooler smoke.

LIGHTING UP

There is no simpler way for two strangers to strike up a conver­sation than for one to ask the other for a match. A match is used very matter-of-factly by most of us. We strike it, light our pipe, blow it out, and discard it. But matches were not always readily available. The early colonists in America had but two methods of lighting a fire: one, with flint and steel, and the other by rub­bing firesticks together, a slow but reliable way. When an early settler, John Brereton, visted in 1605 what is now Rhode Island, he wrote:

"They strike fire in this manner: every man carryeth about him a purse of sewed leather, a Minerall stone (copper) and with a flat Emeric stone (flint) tied fast to the end of a little sticke, gently he striketh upon the Minerall stone and within a stroke or two, a sparke falleth upon a piece of Touchwood and with the least sparke he maketh fire presently."
More than two centuries later, Charles Dickens, in describing the same slow process, wrote, "On a damp day, with luck, one might get a light in half an hour."

Many types of matches were invented in the nineteenth century to supply a world dissatisfied with the stubbornness of the tinder-box. One very useful type was the "Drunkard's Match," created by the Diamond Match Company in 1882. The splint of the match was treated so that it would not burn beyond its midpoint. In this way a tipsy smoker could avoid burnt fingers.

One of the earliest matches, the "Lucifer Match," was three inches long, and tipped with antimony, sulphide, gum and starch. Lucifer matches were struck by being drawn through a pleat of sandpaper, and they ignited with a series of small explosions and a shower of sparks. These matches smelled so that one manufac­turer printed this warning on his boxes:

"If possible, avoid inhaling the gas that escapes from the com­bustion of the black composition."

This warning still applies today to the modern pipe smoker. Let the tip of the match burn off before touching the flame to the tobacco in your pipe; otherwise, you may inhale a mouth­ful of choking sulphur and phosphorous fumes, and ruin your smoke.

Always use matches when lighting a pipe—preferably long wooden kitchen matches, not paper matches. Several good me­chanical lighters are on the market today, They provide a steady, sizeable flame that lights the tobacco evenly. Of course, if you happen to be sitting near a warm hearth with a fire in the grate, simply pick up a glowing coal to light your pipe. This is prob­ably the most satisfying way of lighting up. Leave the ember on the surface of the tobacco until the pipe is properly lit. If you prefer, keep the ember in the bowl until the pipe is smoked out it will add its own flavor to that of the tobacco.

When lighting the pipe, keep the bowl upright; place the heat of the match on the tobacco; and draw strongly. The flow of air will draw the flame downward into the bowl and ignite the to­bacco. Don't turn the pipe to one side or place it upside down. This will result only in unevenly lit tobacco and burnt briar. By drawing the flame into the bowl, you can see exactly which areas need lighting. Circle the lighted match over the tobacco in the bowl so that the entire surface becomes aglow; then the tobacco will burn evenly and smoothly down the bowl as your smoke progresses.
How does a pipe burn tobacco? When a pipe is lit, the heat of the flame causes the organic compounds in the tobacco to react with the oxygen in the air; the result of this reaction is primarily water vapor, carbon dioxide, and a carbon residue. But the pipe bowl is not a perfect combustion chamber, and not all of the tobacco becomes reduced to those three substances. As the heat flows through the bowl, it produces a number of other effects. First, the heat dries out the tobacco directly below the burning zone. Second, the heat vaporizes oils out of the tobacco in the burning zone. Third, the non-volatile carbonaceous material is burned to ash.

When the pipe is lit, some moisture, oil vapor, and some smoke particles from the hot zone condense on the surface of the cooler tobacco below, on the cooler bowl, and in the stem. As the hot zone burns on down inside the bowl, part of this condensed ma­terial is revaporized and part is burned off. Some collects at the very bottom of the bowl and forms a "dottle"; this should be removed after each smoke so that the pipe can dry out thoroughly. This will insure the sweetness of the next smoke.

Several factors make the difference between a cool and a hot smoke. The faster you smoke, the hotter the pipe and its contents become. This, it must be repeated, makes it obligatory to smoke slowly. A second factor is the importance of having a dry pipe. A pipe should "rest" between smokes to allow the circulation of air to carry off any moisture collected in the bottom of the bowl.

CLEANING THE PIPE

A pipe smoker who pays strict attenton to the cleaning of his pipe will get a more enjoyable smoke every time. This ritual is one of the many pleasant activities that goes with pipe smoking, but should be carried out regularly and carefully.

Be very cautious when removing the stem from the bowl for a cleaning. In a new pipe the fit is often so tight that the stem or wood will crack if care is not taken. Always remove the stem by twisting it, never by pulling. Don't grasp the stem by its tip; in­stead, get a firm grip near the point where the stem enters the shank of the bowl. Never remove the stem while the pipe is still warm.

In general, the pipe should be cleaned after every smoke by running a pipe cleaner through the stem and removing any ash or tobacco residue in the bowl. It should then be placed in a pipe rack with the stem pointing up and the bowl down. This will allow air to circulate through both stem and bowl.

After several smokes, a more thorough cleaning job is in order. Remove the stem (as previously described) and run a pipe cleaner through it. Now double up another pipe cleaner and swab out the shank boring. If your pipe has a metal filter, wipe off any moisture with a piece of tissue paper. Be lavish in the use of pipe cleaners—it pays dividends in sweeter, cleaner smoking.
When the carbon cake has become thicker than one-sixteenth of an inch, it should be trimmed down by the use of a special reamer found in any good pipe shop, and whose use was detailed earlier in this chapter. If the cake is allowed to become too thick, the difference in rate of expansion between the briar and the cake could result in a cracked bowl.

By observing the techniques described in this chapter, you may be sure that pipe smoking will be a happy and rewarding experi­ence.

[Blaylock]

RevZeek,

Welcome to the Pipe Forum at CS.

Not sure but if the draw on the cob is tight, you may still have the filter in it...if so, take it out and throw it away.

Hope you enjoy your "first bowl"!

[IHT]

i've also had brand new cobs (2 of the last 3) that the airway was obstructed by whatever material they didn't finish drilling out of the airway.
i used a couple pipe cleaners for that.

i also had 2 where the stem part that's shoved into the bowl didn't have all the wood carved out of it, so i had to do that as well.

lastly, i've got one where the bend in the stem is causing a harder draw than my others... they all still smoke good.

[RevZeek]

Thanks for the info guys! I forgot to take the filter out (man...I felt like an idiot on that one! ) also I had the problem of the obstructed airway that I cleared up the same way you did.

My first bowl was with some George Washington Pipe Tobacco (I don't have it in front of me right now.) The guy at the local B&M said it was a mild one to start with. Not much in the flavor dept. but aroma was amazing. After packing, and lighting according to the advice in this thread I enjoyed a really good bowl! No problems with tamping or relighting and got about 6 or 7 good draws before having to re-light! Thanks again y'all!

[Blaylock]

Originally Posted by RevZeek

Thanks for the info guys! I forgot to take the filter out (man...I felt like an idiot on that one! )

The reason I suggested that was cause it happened once to me...but I wasn't about to admit it ...um, wait, forget I just said that!



After packing, and lighting according to the advice in this thread I enjoyed a really good bowl!

Glad you enjoyed your first bowl!

[F. Prefect]

Originally Posted by RevZeek

Thanks for the info guys! I forgot to take the filter out (man...I felt like an idiot on that one! ) also I had the problem of the obstructed airway that I cleared up the same way you did.

My first bowl was with some George Washington Pipe Tobacco (I don't have it in front of me right now.) The guy at the local B&M said it was a mild one to start with. Not much in the flavor dept. but aroma was amazing. After packing, and lighting according to the advice in this thread I enjoyed a really good bowl! No problems with tamping or relighting and got about 6 or 7 good draws before having to re-light! Thanks again y'all!

Congrats on the first bowl. Here's something you might try if you're having problems with the pipe going out. If you feel the "coals" are starting to cool, put your thumb tightly over the top of the bowl to the point of almost totally restricting the airflow, and then lessen the pressure slightly and allow air to flow into the bowl. ( you'll want the draw to be much tighter than normal) What this does is increase the speed of the air entering the bowl and in a way, sort of "fans the flames" in a similar manner to a bellows. It takes some practice, but it will cut down on the re-lites.

F. Prefect

[F. Prefect]

Originally Posted by OilMan

I tried this trick last night. It seemed to work. THanks for the tip

Good to hear. With some practice you'll learn when it will probably be of some help, and also how long you'll need to puff with the restricted airflow. Too long, at least with some blends, can actually get the fire going "too good" and produce a tongue burn that you won't notice until the following morning. But you can usually tell by the increase in the volume of smoke when it's time to back off and return to "normal puffing".

F. Prefect

[Subotaj]

If your tobacco is too dry, just cut quarter of fresh apple and put it with your tobacco for 1 or 2 hours.

It's actually works..
Enjoy.

[bigkev77]

This is a challenging hobby, if that is the word to use. I have been smoking a few months now and all of a sudden I have lost my technique. I am sure it will come back, but right now nothing works for me. Tons of relights, smoking wet, smoking hot, Flavors just aren't there for me right now. I can't wait for those wonderful cool smokes and big flavors to return. Anybody been there?

[IHT]

Originally Posted by bigkev77

This is a challenging hobby, if that is the word to use. I have been smoking a few months now and all of a sudden I have lost my technique. I am sure it will come back, but right now nothing works for me. Tons of relights, smoking wet, smoking hot, Flavors just aren't there for me right now. I can't wait for those wonderful cool smokes and big flavors to return. Anybody been there?

maybe temps and humidity in your area of arkansas have gone up? that would require more drying time of the tobacco before lighting up (i believe).
i live in a very humid area (KC is humid, i live a couple miles from the Missouri river), so in the summer, i make sure i dry my tobacco out before smoking.

[uncballzer]

Here's a tip I've picked up along the way, not sure if it's been noted before or not, but IHT noted something similar in either this thread or another similar one.
If the tobacco seems like it's starting to go out, cover the bowl with your thumb, or something (like a small match box) if it's too hot for your thumb, and slightly purge (blowing air back through the pipe). It should pick up a little in the amount of smoke. Once that happens, slightly draw on the pipe while the bowl is still covered. This really gets the tobacco lit back up and good bellows of smoke going. This saves a lot of relights if you get the technique down.
It almost has become second nature to do this while smoking, and has cut down on the relights in my experience (which isn't near the amount of some of you guys), but it's a good tip for someone starting out and running out of matches like I was.

[CigarMonkel]

Hey guys, so i skimmed through this and learned A LOT of stuff, but i noticed people were talking about different cuts of the tobacco. Not the type but how they were cut? I was wondering what the differences where in the cuts and also, please correct me if im wrong, but you do not need to break in corn cobs, correct? unless you wanna keep em for a long time?