Pipe newb "ah-ha!" moments

[LigaPrivadaFanboy]

Post up the shit you've learned the hard way.

For me:

Your first pipe should be a Missourri Meer Cob - STFU and do it - will save you $$$

Packing:
YMMV, but a properly-packed bowl, whether it's a full bowl, 1/2 or 1/4, has a draw that is BARELY noticably different from the empty pipe draw. That way, when I tamp it down (always lightly) over time, the draw never tightens at the end.

Drawing from the pipe:
Take long, slow puffs. So slow that the pipe makes no noise from the air travel. Once you figure this out and get an airy draw again you'll know you need to tamp again. Done right, you get a ton of smoke.

Breakin-in:
Quarter-bowls FTMFW. When you're done, break up the ashes at the bottom carefully with your pipe tool and swirl them around to help start a cake. Don't clean the bowl.

Keeping it lit:
When your draw looses and the pipe might start to whistle, tamp it a little until the draw you expect returns. This pushes your ember back down onto the baccy and tells you if you need a relight.

Avoiding tongue bite:
Dry shit out! Drybox baccy a few days or microwave a plate full of it for 20s. Biotene mouthwash helps you recover too.

 

[UtahRootBeer]

I think you covered alot, my only other one is always carry a pipe cleaner for if it starts smoking wet.

 

[heavyd]

Man Oh Man, I have a lot to learn.

 

[LigaPrivadaFanboy]

Man Oh Man, I have a lot to learn.

Be patient. I'm still an ultra-newb too.

 

[apaniagua]

This has been the perfect thread in almost all my BOTL life. I am starting to smoke pipes in this very moment and this thread fits perfectly for me. Thanks man!!!

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Beef Supreme]

If your smoking the same baccy, just run a dry pipe cleaner, but still let it rest so it doesnt go sour.

 

[YodisMatt]

Great thread, as I get more time with my pipe I shall hope to contribute to this.

 

[Hoshneer]

When you find a tobacco you love and you realize it's extremely hard to find. *sigh*

 

[javajunkie]

good start to this, LPF, and great idea!

it really sounds to me like you are over tamping, but have found a work around with your packing method, which i love! this method works for me at work, when it takes me all day to go through a bowl: quicker to load, and handles multiple rests and lights easier!

as far as breaking in, i am doing the exact opposite. o) full bowls, always smoked down to ash, and a pipe cleaner thoroughly around the inside of the bowl. my aim is to only build cake with a little bit of ash and oils, hopefully taking a slower track that builds a more even and stronger cake. might work, might be shooting myself in the foot, we will have to compare notes in like 6 months.

i will add that a tobacco that doesn't work for you can be saved and revisited later, or blended down with something else. couple aros that just weren't hitting for me flavor or burn wise, blended down with carter hall, suddenly became pleasant and manageable. like club soda or ginger ale into whiskey; not really going to change the flavor much, but makes it more approachable.

also, FOCUS ON TOBACCO! especially as most of us are cigar guys first, a pipe or two, and maybe cobs, is enough for starting rotation. it is easy to be caught by all the shiny designs of pipes, and bewildered by all the myriad of tobaccos out there, but a pile of beautiful pipes without tobacco to smoke is useless. also, the fed is not thinking about taxing the ever loving s#!t out of pipes.

 

[Grrrrr609]

When you find a tobacco you love and you realize it's extremely hard to find. *sigh*

Yea......stonehaven.

Whats urs Rex?

Sent from my SPH-D710BST using Tapatalk 2

 

[Grrrrr609]

I think you guys have covered most of mine


I will add that my baccy tastes changed rather quickly

Love the thread.

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[Hoshneer]

When you find a tobacco you love and you realize it's extremely hard to find. *sigh*

Yea......stonehaven.

Whats urs Rex?

Sent from my SPH-D710BST using Tapatalk 2

It's called Ferndown Black & Tan. I think it's pretty old. It didn't have a date stamp and my shop doesn't sell many tins.

 

[mdwest]

Im fortunate in that my favorite pipe tobaccos are easy to come by... I like a basic black cavendish that one of my B&M keeps in stock quite a bit... and am a real fan of some of the common tins/cans like frog morton cellar, dunhill nightcap, and mac b's virginia #1... I just recommend that new smokers try a wide variety of things and see what they like.. pipe tobacco is cheap by comparison to cigars.. go grab 3 or 4 very different bulk tobaccos... and get a feel for the differences... and then move on from there..

As far as tamping is concerned.. I normally only need to do this once or at worst, twice... per full bowl..... If I get the bowl packed correctly at the beginning, I normally will give it a light tamp within the first few minutes of smoking to get the coal nice and compacted... then will hit it again at about the half bowl point if needed to make sure its burning everything along the edges and that the coal is staying firm... from there it will normally burn all the way to the bottom and leave me with nothing but ash...

for packing, I find that the "frank" method works best for me in most pipes and with most tobaccos.. the key to getting a good burn IMO is selecting the right pipe for the tobacco you want to smoke.. a large, wide mouth bowl is better suited for some types of tobacco.. where a tall, narrow bowl is better suited for others... etc..

I keep a couple of pipe cleaners on me at all times when smoking... at the first sound of a gurgle, Ill push one down the step to get the moisture out... nothing worse than getting a lip full of tar to ruin your smoking experience.. thats some nasty stuff...

smoking tobacco that has had a chance to dry out a little bit cures most moisture problems.. but not all of them.. pipe cleaners are your friend... and they are cheap... keep them around...

 

[thejavaman]

This has been very helpful to me. Gonna have my first attempt soon.

 

[seeker]

dont use your butane cigar lighter on your pipe.

 

[javajunkie]

dont use your butane cigar lighter on your pipe...

...or find one that has both soft flame and torch. it helps. o)

TIP FOR PACKING: the "harry" method! feel free to look it up for in depth, but the basic gist is, place about a bowl full of tobacco in your palm, invert the bowl of your pipe over the tobacco and place right on it, and apply the gentlest of pressure while rotating your pipe in small circles. OMG this works so well! the tobacco spins into the bowl, and frequently leaves a slight void near the draught hole to help prevent over tamping. this is a loose pack, which can slowly be corrected while smoking through tamping. also, it looks really cool! (yes i am a nerd, so what?)

probably not useful for cube cut, but it seems to work for anything else.

 

[seeker]

I've seen the Harry method performed but never actually tried it. I'm to afraid of spilling tobacco all over my porch. That being said it looks like an easy, relatively fool proof method.

 

[LigaPrivadaFanboy]

another good way of making an air pocket by the draught hole is to push a pipecleaner in there and gently "tamp" with it.

 

[Russ622]

Dont take the stem out till the pipe has cooled down
Invest in pipe bits for your stems, avoids chatter and helps when you are wanting to sell one
If you find that you have a pipe that just does not seem to smoke right for you, you pack it right, light it right, smoke it right and you still have issues.... Before you give up on it and sell or trade it, Smoke the hell out of it. Beat the pipe into submission. Abuse it, smoke 2-3 bowls back to back. Rest it for a day and do it it again, make the pipe smoke the way YOU want it to, trust me it will. But once it smokes the way you want it to, try not to smoke more than 2 bowls in one day out of it, and make sure it gets a few days rest.
Packing and keeping it lit problems? Buy Prince Albert aka PA or Carter Hall aka CH. Both very easy to learn your technique, very inexpensive and they taste great.
Think you are tamping to hard? Stop using a tamper or tool, and use your finger.
Cake? BAH! I clean my bowls with a folded pipe cleaner dampened with saliva after every bowl.
Quick easy way to keep your pipes looking shiny? After smoking and while the bowl is still warm, rub the bowl on the sides of your nose and buff with a soft cloth.
Torch lighter? Hell yes, watch the Frank method on the tube.
But the most important thing to remember/learn is this...

Who the heck cares how many times you have to relight, or if you smoke it down to a fine ash. Have to pack and re pack the bowl 5 times? Do it! Who cares? Pipe smoking is for relaxation, and enjoyment. Dont worry about all that stuff you see or read about how this person never has to re-light (bullshit) or they ALWAYS smoke down to a fine white ash (bullshit), I, nor you, should care. As long as what ever you are doing is working for you, you are enjoying your self, then honestly, thats all that matters.


Russ

 

[Agentskull]

To everyone posted here you have given me to confidence to try the pipe Utah bombed me the other week. It was a bit overwhelming reading up on the whole thing. Maybe my Ah ha moment will be stop stressing and just pack the damn bowl.