What am I doing wrong?

[Barcochris]

I have been really enjoying Pipe smoking but I am having trouble keeping it lit. Last night I smoked a bowl of 04 Xmas cheer. I let it sit out to dry a bit, then used a semi Frank method to pack the pipe. I just kept having to tamp and relight. I really enjoyed to bowl but I think it would of been better if I did not have to relight all the time.

some pointers would be great

[Quick_nick]

Pipe smoking can be tedious and finicky. Tamps and relights are common even multiple ones can be common. Nature of the beast.

[fireman43]

It's part of the obsession. A lot of it depends on the particular tobacco as well. Some bowls I can get going and rarely have to relight. Others I have to lay the flame to every few minutes. As far as advice.....Try the 3 step pack method (Daughter/Mother/Father). I use it almost exclusively. It will take time to get packing down to second nature. It's all part of the learning curve. Also, when you tamp be careful not to overtamp, which winds up packing the tobacco even tighter. All you want to do is flatten the burnt ash onto the unburnt tobacco.

[bigkev77]

I am still a newb so this is just my two cents. Some tobak's, I have to just gravity feed and leave it at that, no tamping to pack. Char lite and just smooth the ash and relight. This works for me on those troublesome bakkys. I don't know if this is the "right" way but I figure eveyone smokes with a different technique so every packing method doesn't necessarily work for everyone. Keep experimenting till you find what works best for you with those tough smoking bowls.

[sgresso]

I have been smoking for a while amd i still have this issue with some tobacco's
I bet that since i have been smoking pipes there is maybe 10-11 bowls that i have smoked without a relight.
Just relax and enjoy the smoke.

[weetone]

Good stuff here. My advice, just don't stress about it. I smoked two bowls today. The first one was an absolute bitch - I just could not get it to light. The second one, I just chucked in the tobacco, did a quick charring light, tamped very lightly and was good except for one or two relights.

I found, with that experience, a couple things:
1. If the tobacco is shaggy at the top of your bowl, it will light easier, and more evenly.
2. Don't pack the bowl tight, it burns a whole lot nicer if you're not dragging on it like a cigarette.

[Cruiscin90]

The franking method can be difficult, so you may be messing up in your technique.

make sure you're using the "child-woman-man" touch method (that sounds so wrong, I know) to load the pipe. YOu may not be setting up the draw right.

Make sure you're lighting it right. get the lighting method down with the match. You may want to switch to a pipe zippo if the match is messing with you - the zippo lights more powerfully, if it's full.

[Barcochris]

What is the child women man method. I am not sure I have heard of that one. is it how hard you push on the pack?

[Strangg1]

I just recently started as well. I first tried the Frank method and it can be difficult to get it right. I have only managed to do it properly couple of times, the rest of the time I ended up re-lighting way too much.

The method I use is to fill the bowl to the top without any packing or pressing. I fill it slightly above the top of the bowl.(1/8th of an inch?) I then pack it half way down. I refill again, slightly above and pack it a 1/4 way down(Or half of what was left after the first pack). My final fill I do the same, fll to just slightly above, but pack it so it is just slightly below the rim.

Do the char light, pack it back down, and the the final light. Using this method I rarely have to relight. One other thing I have noticed that helps keep a pipe lit concerns tamping. If I draw at the same time I tamp, it helps keep the tobacco lit. I noticed quite often that when I tamped during a smoke that it could cause the tobacco to start to go out. If I draw and tamp and the same time, it prevents this.

I do not recall where I heard this method of loading a pipe, but so far it has not failed to give me a nice bowl with very few, if any re-lights. If I have to re-light it is usually at the bottom of the bowl. One thing I did steal from the Frank method video was his method of lighting using a torch lighter. It works very well, and there is no charring of the rim if done correctly.

I do not know if this works for all tobaccos, obviously un-rubbed flakes/plugs require a different method of packing, but I haven't gotten that far yet.


~S

[Strangg1]

Originally Posted by Barcochris

What is the child women man method. I am not sure I have heard of that one. is it how hard you push on the pack?

Yes, it is bascially how had you push during the packing steps. First pack: pack with the hand of a child. Second pack, pack with the hand of a woman. Final pack, pack with the hand of a man. To me it wasn't very descriptive. Never having been a woman, and it's been far too long since I have been a child. It just seemed very vague to me, however, some folks understand right away and know what to do. I just wasn't one of those folks. I'm more technical, and when I heard/read about the method I posted above, it was much easier for me to get, as it was pretty precise as to how far down to pack and how much to fill the bowl.


~S

[RJpuffs]

Originally Posted by Barcochris

What is the child women man method. I am not sure I have heard of that one. is it how hard you push on the pack?

Correct. Conventional wisdom (or something similar to that end) dictated this technique many millenia ago. Start with the empty pipe, bowl opening UPWARD. It would difficult to fill the bowl otherwise. Drizzle (or gravity feed) your favorite tobacco into the bowl till its full. Some tobacco prefers to be dried out, some does not, your taste and baccy choice dictates your drying time and decision.

First the child's touch - use your forefinger (toes would work too, but would be more difficult) to "touch" the top of the tobacco and it will settle down further - don't push or pack.

Then drizzle more tobacco up to the brim again. Now the woman's touch (or, if your woman is stronger than you, as in my case, reverse gender references) - touch the top of the tobacco a little more firmly. Again, don't be pushing it down, we ain't dialing a phone here.

Finally drizzle more tobacco into the bowl, over the brim, making a happy mound above the rim. Now comes the man's touch (see gender reference above) - firmly pack it till level with the rim of the bowl. It helps to draw gently through the mouthpiece (using your mouth, of course) during this last step. It should draw with minimal (or no) resistance. If not, dump and start over. If you have a mound still sticking up, pull some out and return to the pouch/tin.

It also helps to have some "dust" or really-really-really dried out tobacco handy. Sprinkle it on top like pixie dust - it will ignite with a happy whoosh and give a nice start on the charring light. Allow the charring light to go out completely, tobacco bits will be curling and poking out. Use the tamper (finger NOT recommended with hot burning things) to SPREAD the ash around evenly, edge to edge. Burnt ash is like a catalyst, it helps the tobacco under it to burn easier. Relight - and enjoy!

A note on tamping - the idea is to SPREAD the burnt ash and let gravity pull it down onto the next layer of (unburnt) tobacco. Do not PRESS as you will screw up the careful packing you have spent the last hour setting up. Be especially careful around the edges, you should get a flat EVEN disk of ash, or you get uneven burn.

If you notice the pipe keeps going out, you are packed too loose, and you need to use a stronger touch next time on the man's part above. Every baccy burns differently.

Also note that some tobacco blends need to be packed REALLY loose (all MacBarens, for example), skip the man's touch in that case (soft touch on step 3).

Additionally note that if you are smoking a flake by stuffing'n'folding into the bowl, this method does not apply.

[Arizona]

I used to do the 3-step method too. Have tried the Frank method also. But lately what's worked great for me for quite some time, gives a good smoke every time and is simpler is this...

I use a tobacco pouch to load my pipe. I dip the pipe into the pouch and set it down in the corner of the pouch. I shake the pouch softly and let the tobacco drop down into the bowl til it's brimming over by perhaps half an inch. Then I pull the pipe out and softly press the tobacco that's brimming over down into the bowl til it's level with the top. I light and puff it for maybe 30 seconds. Tamp and relight and you're done. I get a cool, smooth smoke from this method and it's simpler than the others.

Usually after the tamp/re-light I get about a 10 minute puffing session and it goes out. Thats about when I'm ready to set the pipe down for a rest anyways. A short time later when ready to puff again I tamp, shake out the ash and then re-light. The rest of the bowl usually goes smoothly. Sometimes a third light might be necessary depending on bowl size.

The nice thing about this method is that the draw is perfect every time. The biggest/most frequent mistake newbie's make is packing it too tightly. That gives a smoke that's hard to keep lit, is sometimes hot, etc.

Let me know if this works for anyone else...?

[squeeze left]

Puff faster. No matter how you pack your pipe it will go out if you let it sit too long between puffs.
Just be careful not to get it so hot it scorches your tongue.

[Cruiscin90]

Originally Posted by squeeze left

Puff faster. No matter how you pack your pipe it will go out if you let it sit too long between puffs.
Just be careful not to get it so hot it scorches your tongue.

I suppose it would help to take fast puffs, but only in the first 10 or so seconds of smoking. The tobacco should be well-lit at that point, and then you can start to take long, cool drags from your favorite pipe

[squeeze left]

Seriously, this was a problem for me too. I was having multiple relights even with Sam Gawith's Dark Birdseye - reputed to "never go out" - because I would wait a minute or two between puffs, as I would normally do with a cigar.

I'm not sure, but I think the difference is that tobacco in the pipe isn't getting air to burn unless the smoker keeps puffing (unlike the old cigar, where the burning tip always gets at least little oxygen.

Now I take "long, cool drags" but much more often than before!