screens vs filters

[jonogt]

i think that filters mask the taste of the smoke to much, so i've never been to interested in one of those, but i wouldn't think that a screen would.. or does it? i have issues sometimes of particles coming through and they can be kind of gross. do all pipes have room alloted to hold a screen in the stem tenon area? how does that whole situation work? how do you tell which size you need exactly? do you jsut have to measure it or is there an indicator of some sort?

Screens are meant for the bottom of the bowl. i've never used one before because i get small bits of ash in the mouth when my pipe is done and it doesn't effect me. I just spit and move on. There not too expensive so try them see if they help your problem, they shouldn't effect taste unless they are really gunked up.


Root

[croatan]

I've been smoking a long time and have never used a filter or a screen (thought those were for other kinds of pipes ). What kind of pipe and tobacco are you smoking that you're having particles come through the pipe?

[burninator]

Never had any particles come through my pipe...unless I pull on it without having cleaned it lately. I don't use filters. It's just a place for all the bad junk to build up so you can taste it later.

[omowasu]

Originally Posted by croatan

I've been smoking a long time and have never used a filter or a screen (thought those were for other kinds of pipes ). What kind of pipe and tobacco are you smoking that you're having particles come through the pipe?

+1!!! Actually, I would never put a screen in my pipe - there is a risk of burning the metals (or covering them in pipe juice), which can then corrode and end up in your mouth. The Grabow filters help a little if you are just starting, but personally I would just draw slower....

[caskwith]

I have a few pipes that have space for filters but i have never had any need for one, i suppose they might help stop pipe juice getting up to your mouth, but then a pipe cleaner down the stem solves that problem anyway.

Personally i see it as a needless expense but i would be interested to try one someday and see if it makes a difference.

[LSU Tiger]

In some localities, a pipe screen is drug paraphernalia and illegal. It is here in Louisiana.

[petewho]

The search function revives an old thread...

My dad gave me two of his old pipes. He likely hasn't smoked either since the 1980's. One is a Ropp Cherrywood pipe (very interesting, non briar). The other is a Savinelli Roma 310. Both are well used and in need of a major cleaning.

Here's the odd part - both have screens in the bottom. Not quite all the way down in the heel, but up slightly from the bottom. Almost as if to guarantee an air-pocket with every bowl. I didn't ask about them - I'm sure I'd get some lengthy rant about how "that's the ONLY way to smoke a pipe!" or something like that. I want to remove them, clean up these pipes, and use them.

Has anyone ever bought an estate pipe that had a screen in it? What did you do? I am thinking I'll have to yank it out, ream out the cake and start from scratch. Obviously there will be no cake where these screens touch the sides, and likely none below them. I'm also pretty sure taking the screens out will scrape out any cake above them.

I've thought about leaving them in and see if dad was on to something good, but there's two problems with this: The Ropp smells of aromatic (the Sav smells of English though) and I don't want ghosting - so it has to come out for cleaning. And number two, I don't want to decide these screens are a good idea and have to actually buy more because of the stigma that goes with pipe screens for illegal smoking.

Any thoughts?

Oh, by the way, also got an Old Boy along with the two pipes! It seems to have a slow leak so I'll need to address that. But I'll get back in the search function to try and find info on that...

[petewho]

Originally Posted by petewho

My dad gave me two of his old pipes....

Well, I went home on my lunch break, loaded a bowl of Cornell & Diehl Star of the East in my Comoy's, and had a seat...

I yanked the screens out of both. To my surprise things looked pretty normal inside the bowls - relatively even distribution of cake despite the objects in the bowls. I cleaned the Sav out with pipe cleaners, then cleaned up the mouthpiece with Magic Eraser.

Right around the time I was done cleaning the Sav, the pipe I was smoking started to get a little hot. So I said WTF and loaded the Sav and fired it up at the same time - it's a nice smoker!

The cherrywood pipe has a crack in the bowl so I think it will just have a place on my shelf with other cool things my dad has given to me.

The Old Boy performed flawlessly despite its 30-ish year age.