Picked up the essentials to try pipes. Some questions..

[Elltrain]

Hey guys, I am not a huge poster around CS but I am an extremely avid lurker. I started down the slope about 6 months ago and am completely immersed in the cigar collection hobby.

Wanting to dive a little into pipes a little bit, I picked up a corncob, a tool, some cleaner, and some tinned tobacco.

I have a few questions that I couldn't seem to find answers to on the forum.

1 - About how long does it take to smoke a bowl of tobacco? I realize there are varying sizes and all that, but a general approximation would be good.

2 - I bought some Ashton Smooth Sailing tobacco as my first tobacco to try in the new pipe. Will this be a good blend to start with? I don't want to be turned off to the hobby by choosing a tobacco that will be too powerful or whatnot right off the bat.

3 - I have seen several times that a pipe can only be smoked 1 time per day -- is this true even as a beginner? What does it mean that a pipe is a filter, and what does a 24 hour period do to make it smokeable again?

Sorry if this was too wordy, and thanks in advance for advice

[uncballzer]

1. 30min-1 hr give or take
2. if you like it, then it's good; just be sure to let it dry out
3. this is for briars, you can smoke the corncob, refill it right back up and re-smoke, over and over again.

here's some other links to help you get started.
http://www.clubstogie.com/vb/showthread.php?t=175150

[Emjaysmash]

[Rolando]

If it is a normal size cob (not like a MacArthur - and yes I have owned one) 45 minutes is a good average.

[aliefj96]

Smooth Sailing is a great first smoke, or go to smoke for years to come. That was my first tin purchased and I will always keep extras on hand.

*note - I have smoked the pipe for coming up on a year so I can't really say "years to come", but I can't see why I would ever stop filling pipes with SS

*note 2 - 200th Post!!!

[Senator]

My pipes take anywhere from 1 to 2 hours to smoke...most fall somewhere in the middle.

[dogsplayinpoker]

Originally Posted by uncballzer

1. 30min-1 hr give or take
2. if you like it, then it's good; just be sure to let it dry out
3. this is for briars, you can smoke the corncob, refill it right back up and re-smoke, over and over again.

here's some other links to help you get started.
http://www.clubstogie.com/vb/showthread.php?t=175150

only thing I would add is that the 1 day waiting period is to let the inside of the pipe dry out. Cobs, you don't have to worry 'cause corncob is pretty porous and will dry out very quickly.

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by Elltrain

... and what does a 24 hour period do to make it smokeable again?

Burning pipe tobak produces water vapor. Vapor will pile up in the bottom of a pipe bowl and make the wood soggy. It will also condense, like white lightening in a copper worm, inside the pipe shank and stem as you smoke. Depending on the moisture in the tobak, your personal smoking style, bowl size and the character of your pipe this moisture will cause more-or-less havoc sooner or later. Best policy, according to me, is to dodge the vapor havoc by swabbing the stem out ofter a smoke and letting a (briar) pipe dry thoroughly after a couple of smokes. If you're smoking a goopier aromatic, maybe one smoke is enough to make it swampy. Dry thoroughly means more than one day of rest to me; some say a couple of days and tradition says a week (hence the classic weekly rotation and the seven-pipe rack).

When a briar gets soaked and you contine to smoke, smoke, and smoke, you will have a nasty wet hot puffing experience and, some say, may ultimately damage a pipe. I dunno about damage - I never smoked a wet pipe long enough to see if you can actually steam-crack them or what.

Cobs dry fast and make for good daily-use pipes; meershaum, though fragile in comparison to briar or a cob, can be smoked repeatedly (after cooling) without moisture problems.

You need to read this - it's all here: http://groups.google.com/group/alt.s...d1b87db15204e0

[Rolando]

It is a question of quality. The better the quality of briar the less downtime it needs. You get an inexpensive one that is not as thick or as aged and you better give it severals days to a week... seriously. I have ruined pipes. I figured out a very long time ago it is actually cheaper to pay more for a good quality pipe.

What I do now is pull a couple of pipes and alternate them for 2 to 3 days (alternate meaning I smoke one and then let it rest while I smoke the other) then put them to rest for at least a week. It is overkill but I have enough pipes that they don't have to come out that often and it certainly doesn't hurt anything. When I hit day 4 I do get a little twitchy if I have forgotten to swap them.

[Doc Holiday]

Originally Posted by Mister Moo

Burning pipe tobak produces water vapor. Vapor will pile up in the bottom of a pipe bowl and make the wood soggy. It will also condense, like white lightening in a copper worm, inside the pipe shank and stem as you smoke. Depending on the moisture in the tobak, your personal smoking style, bowl size and the character of your pipe this moisture will cause more-or-less havoc sooner or later. Best policy, according to me, is to dodge the vapor havoc by swabbing the stem out ofter a smoke and letting a (briar) pipe dry thoroughly after a couple of smokes. If you're smoking a goopier aromatic, maybe one smoke is enough to make it swampy. Dry thoroughly means more than one day of rest to me; some say a couple of days and tradition says a week (hence the classic weekly rotation and the seven-pipe rack).

When a briar gets soaked and you contine to smoke, smoke, and smoke, you will have a nasty wet hot puffing experience and, some say, may ultimately damage a pipe. I dunno about damage - I never smoked a wet pipe long enough to see if you can actually steam-crack them or what.

Cobs dry fast and make for good daily-use pipes; meershaum, though fragile in comparison to briar or a cob, can be smoked repeatedly (after cooling) without moisture problems.

You need to read this - it's all here: http://groups.google.com/group/alt.s...d1b87db15204e0

Mister Moo has given you a lot of good information there. Here are a couple more links if you still have questions.
[SIZE=3]http://www.notsoboringlife.com/pipe-smoking/guide-to-pipe-smoking/[/SIZE]
http://www.smokingpipes.com/information/howto/

[Arizona]

Get a couple more cobs and you'll be in great shape. That's maybe a $10 to $15 investment to have a total of 3 cobs. You're smoking experience will be better if you can let a cob rest even just a few hours between smokes or a day is even better.

I have 3 cobs in my rack by my chair. I smoke 2 to 3 bowls per day on average. On a day off at home when I'm not doing a whole lot that day I'll rotate thru those 3 cobs by the end of the day. That way they each get smoked ONCE per day on average. You'll never have a problem if u do this. Of course swab them out with a cleaner each time too.

[Rolando]

I dislike smoking cobs. I own one because it is an essential piece of equipment but I only use it when it is absolutely necessary.


ETA: So much for starting a thread about my 500 posts. That's what I get for not paying attention.