Briar grain, aesthetics or heat dissipation?

[RJpuffs]

Another topic I'm sure has been beaten to death, does the grain on a briar pipe have any effect on its heat dissipation? Or is it only cosmetic prettyness? Besides the obvious point that a thicker bowl smokes cooler, of course.

Poll attached, lets see how many answer "Never heard of it" for this poll Note, cobs and meerschaums are obviously exempt!

From what I have heard, a good flowing grain does help heat distribution, i.e. dissipation. The coolest smoking pipe would have vertical grain on the bowl, that flows back along the stem (following the path of the heat/smoke). Looks perfect, and distributes heat perfectly.

Opinions? Facts? Rumors?

[SAjunidog]

I think its a crock of ****, I don't have anything to back that up, it just doesn't sound like it makes any sense to me. It certainly does make a pipe look pretty though.

[DubintheDam]

There is NO scientific evidence to suggest grain makes any difference to the pipe's performance. This is what I have concluded from research done on the web. I can't find the link...but..I found a research that highlighted most pipe smokers could not tell the difference between a High Grade and a Mid Grade pipe when tested blind. The researcher concluded that the physiological effect was the main and only reason smokers thought their high grades smoked better. That said the importance and smoking advantages of a well made pipe is never to be mis-appreciated. On principle I will NEVER buy a new Dunhill pipe.

[Sawyer]

Grain is just aesthetics.

Originally Posted by RJpuffs

Besides the obvious point that a thicker bowl smokes cooler, of course.

Why would a thicker bowl smoke cooler? Cooler to hold? Sure. But wouldn't a thinner walled bowl allow the heat to dissipate into the air instead of holding it in the briar?

[RJpuffs]

Originally Posted by Sawyer

Grain is just aesthetics.

Why would a thicker bowl smoke cooler? Cooler to hold? Sure. But wouldn't a thinner walled bowl allow the heat to dissipate into the air instead of holding it in the briar?

The thickness of the bowl does help absorb and deflect heat - its not so much cooling by contact with the air outside the bowl - but its ability to draw heat away from the burning tobacco and distribute it internally. Briar root is a very dense thing, and doesn't burn easily. You never want your pipe to get that hot in your hands, or it will get burnouts in the bowl.

A bulldog or rhodesian can demonstrate this - the top and bottom of the bowl are thinner, while the middle is fatter. Someone else pointed this out a while ago on another thread, need more heat for a good light at the top; need heat dissipation in the middle for a cool smoke; and need more heat to get a complete burn (white ash syndrome) at the bottom.

[RJpuffs]

Originally Posted by DubintheDam

There is NO scientific evidence to suggest grain makes any difference to the pipe's performance. This is what I have concluded from research done on the web. I can't find the link...but..I found a research that highlighted most pipe smokers could not tell the difference between a High Grade and a Mid Grade pipe when tested blind. The researcher concluded that the physiological effect was the main and only reason smokers thought their high grades smoked better. That said the importance and smoking advantages of a well made pipe is never to be mis-appreciated. On principle I will NEVER buy a new Dunhill pipe.

True, a well made pipe will always smoke well. But the comparison would be between two similar sized well made pipes, each with perfect airholes and drilling, but with different grain.

High end brands probably select the best grained blocks to begin with, and spend more time/effort/skills on the making. Bjarne is a good example, they divert the "lesser" grain to their Viking line which is cheaper and less well made. Some Vikings are quite dreadful as I have learned, while both my Bjarnes are top notch - in grain as well as making.

Personally I never spend more than $99 for a pipe, $80 is about the average price I have paid. Rather than spend $500 on a Dunhill or such, I can get 6.25 pipes at $80 average cost. The quarter pipe would be difficult to smoke, no doubt ...

[RJpuffs]

Whats a grain? Never heard of it. ...... 4 ...... [SIZE="2"]26.67%[/SIZE]

Groan!

[monsoon]

My uneducated

I stated "no" ... that grain does not help in heat dissipation, but I think the answer may be more on the lines of "Yes, however..."

You could think of the walls of the pipe as a heat sink ... and the grain as paths of less-dense wood for the heat to travel. A rusticated or sandblasted pipe could also come into play in this theory as the techniques provide more surface area for heat absorbtion....and more surface area for the outside air to cool.

Though this theory may be true to some extent, I think the reality of the situation is that wood is a great insulator and any heat dissipation due to grain or rustication/sandblasting is too slight to really be a factor.

So ... "No" ... or maybe "Yes, however the difference is too negligable to be a factor."

[EvanS]

Originally Posted by monsoon

I stated "no" ... that grain does not help in heat dissipation, but I think the answer may be more on the lines of "Yes, however..."

So ... "No" ... or maybe "Yes, however the difference is too negligable to be a factor."

Thanks for clearing that up Doug

[monsoon]

Originally Posted by EvanS

Thanks for clearing that up Doug

Indecisiveness has always been my best quality.

[Sir Humpsalot]

Originally Posted by monsoon

Indecisiveness has always been my best quality.

Are you sure about that?

[RJpuffs]

Originally Posted by monsoon

My uneducated

I stated "no" ... that grain does not help in heat dissipation, but I think the answer may be more on the lines of "Yes, however..."

You could think of the walls of the pipe as a heat sink ... and the grain as paths of less-dense wood for the heat to travel. A rusticated or sandblasted pipe could also come into play in this theory as the techniques provide more surface area for heat absorbtion....and more surface area for the outside air to cool.

Though this theory may be true to some extent, I think the reality of the situation is that wood is a great insulator and any heat dissipation due to grain or rustication/sandblasting is too slight to really be a factor.

So ... "No" ... or maybe "Yes, however the difference is too negligable to be a factor."

Except for the last line, sounds plausible

[Alyks]

I don't see how the grain would make that much of a difference in smoking, but then again that might be why I am not making pipes for a living.

[squeeze left]

I don't think grain direction could make a bit of difference to heat dissipation, but it sure can be beautiful. Maybe if the grain were REALLY pronounced, like a blast, it could dissipate heat better, but even then grain direction shouldn't matter. I say shouldn't because I haven't actually tested this.

Approaching this question from an amateur physicist standpoint, I'm not sure heat dissipation is really one of wood's (or briar's) strong points. Wood is really a better insulator than it is a conductor of heat. Personally, I like the fact that tobacco smoke is hot (not too hot of course) but if I wanted a pipe that really cooled the smoke down, I can think of three types: calabashes (with drop in bowls), hookahs, and those metal tobacco pipes with the screw on bowls (can't think of the name off top of my head). Metal and water are both good conductors of heat, and can cool the smoke rapidly enough to make a difference.

I think that in a typical briar pipe most of the cooling effect occurs as the smoke expands from the small channel of the stem and bit into the "chamber" of the mouth - the same principle used in refrigerators and air conditioners. Cigars can get really hot in the last couple of inches - but unlike the pipe the smoke in a cigar isn't compressed into a small channel, so the "mouth expansion" effect is not as pronounced.

The briar itself clearly conducts some heat away (and, with a longer stem like a churchwarden or even a canadian, could do more) but I think the bowl and stem don't do much at all. I mean, cigarettes haven't got any briar at all, and the smoke isn't all that hot.

[SUOrangeGuy]

I have read that grain is a relative new consideration in pipe making. It is beautiful but I doubt it has any real function except as a marker that the pipe is of very high quality. A pipemaker who makes beautifully grained pipes probably knows how to make a great smoker as well.