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TheTraveler · 11-10-2008, 10:44 AM

I found a nice little write-up about burnout here: http://www.amsmoke.com/Writings/PIPE...r/burnout.html

As to using alchohol on your pipe cleaner to clean the stem - be sure to let the alchohol evaporate and the pipe dry out completely before smoking again. I only use alchohol to clean the stem and shank about once a month when I do the salt/alchohol treatment on the bowl. Of course if you want to do it more often feel free - to each his own and I'm no expert.

Wiping down the outside of the bowl as well as the shank and the stem will help. Also, consider using a little saliva on the rim of the bowl after smoking; let it sit for 30 seconds or so then wipe it off with a soft cloth (using medium firmness, don't rub too hard) to keep any gunk from building up on the rim.

For cake buildup many recommend the half-bowl method for the first few smokes to give the bottom half of the bowl a jump-start on cake building since according to conventional wisdom the bottom half has a more difficult time building cake. I've never used it myself but maybe I've been lucky so far. With my next new pipe I intend to try it.

Also, I've read that many recommend smoking a tobacco like Prince Albert when building a cake so that it won't lend it's own flavors to the tobaccos you smoke later. That's a fine recommendation since Prince Albert is both good and cheap. If you'd rather jump right into the tobaccos you're interested in I recommend two pipes - one for aromatics and one for other tobaccos. Ghosting from an English blend can interfere with the taste of your favorite Rum & Maple and the flavors of an aromatic can similarly interfere with the exotic tastes of an English or Oriental. Building up a cake with a strongly flavored tobacco will definitely affect the taste of the smoke. A lot of smokers dedicate certain pipes to certain categories of tobacco.

For cleaning the bowl while the cake is forming I just fold a pipe cleaner in half and gently twist it around the bowl a few times. Also be sure that no little bits of tobacco cling to the sides of the bowl. After cake is formed I clean the same way. Once the cake gets pretty thick (larger than the thickness of a nickel) you may need to ream it back down to the thickness of a dime.

Keep in mind that, while I have a few years XP smoking a pipe I'm by no means an expert.

Hope this helps.

11-10-2008, 10:44 AM	#2
TheTraveler giggity giggitty Join Date: Oct 2008 First Name: Jonathan Location: Near a Walmart Posts: 1,813 Trading: (12)	Re: Can't wait!!! I found a nice little write-up about burnout here: http://www.amsmoke.com/Writings/PIPE...r/burnout.html As to using alchohol on your pipe cleaner to clean the stem - be sure to let the alchohol evaporate and the pipe dry out completely before smoking again. I only use alchohol to clean the stem and shank about once a month when I do the salt/alchohol treatment on the bowl. Of course if you want to do it more often feel free - to each his own and I'm no expert. Wiping down the outside of the bowl as well as the shank and the stem will help. Also, consider using a little saliva on the rim of the bowl after smoking; let it sit for 30 seconds or so then wipe it off with a soft cloth (using medium firmness, don't rub too hard) to keep any gunk from building up on the rim. For cake buildup many recommend the half-bowl method for the first few smokes to give the bottom half of the bowl a jump-start on cake building since according to conventional wisdom the bottom half has a more difficult time building cake. I've never used it myself but maybe I've been lucky so far. With my next new pipe I intend to try it. Also, I've read that many recommend smoking a tobacco like Prince Albert when building a cake so that it won't lend it's own flavors to the tobaccos you smoke later. That's a fine recommendation since Prince Albert is both good and cheap. If you'd rather jump right into the tobaccos you're interested in I recommend two pipes - one for aromatics and one for other tobaccos. Ghosting from an English blend can interfere with the taste of your favorite Rum & Maple and the flavors of an aromatic can similarly interfere with the exotic tastes of an English or Oriental. Building up a cake with a strongly flavored tobacco will definitely affect the taste of the smoke. A lot of smokers dedicate certain pipes to certain categories of tobacco. For cleaning the bowl while the cake is forming I just fold a pipe cleaner in half and gently twist it around the bowl a few times. Also be sure that no little bits of tobacco cling to the sides of the bowl. After cake is formed I clean the same way. Once the cake gets pretty thick (larger than the thickness of a nickel) you may need to ream it back down to the thickness of a dime. Keep in mind that, while I have a few years XP smoking a pipe I'm by no means an expert. Hope this helps. Last edited by TheTraveler; 11-10-2008 at 10:50 AM.