New Pipe Smoker With A Question? Ask an Old Fart

[schnell987]

The wise old farts have stated that: "Ghost can be banished with salt and Everclear in 24 hours."

Could you explain how to do this process?

Thanks in advance.

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by schnell987

The wise old farts have stated that: "Ghost can be banished with salt and Everclear in 24 hours."

Could you explain how to do this process?

Thanks in advance.

Precise methods vary. Mine:
1. remove and clean stem with bristle and booze
2. put a fluffy pipecleaner down the shank and into the bowl; bend the protruding end upward with an eye to preventing wicking booze from touching the shanks finish
3. secure the briar, tipped, to level out the end of the shank and and bowl lip
4. fill bowl with coarse deiodized (kosher) salt (alternatively, a cotton ball or two)
5. add Everclear to bowl, slowly and carefully to prevent a finish-stripping overflow or popped bubble, with an eyedropper; some folks like to use rum, bourbon, scotch, 91% rubbing alcohol etc.
6. STOP adding Everclear before the bowl (or shank) overfills
7. watch salt turn brown and watch alky and grunge wick up the pipecleaner over hours
8. when dried out, maybe add some more Everclear or remove/replace dirty pipe cleaner and salt; repeat until all is clean/sweet - once or twice usually does it.

All this jazz and more is discussed in the ASP FAQ, too. Excellent resource. You can now cross-check the ASP experts against the CA Old Farts for total pipe security. In fact, without being an Old Fart yourself you can now deodorize your briar, read the ASP FAQ and consider yourself fully qualified to refer other people to the FAQ for very good information. Congratulations.

Now go do a photo essay, clean your pipe and stop bothering me.

[elderboy02]

Originally Posted by Mister Moo

...
All this jazz and more is discussed in the ASP FAQ, too. Excellent resource. ...

Thanks for this link. It answered about 10 of my questions

Originally Posted by schnell987

The wise old farts have stated that: "Ghost can be banished with salt and Everclear in 24 hours."

Could you explain how to do this process?

Thanks in advance.

Give me a bottle of Everclear and 24 hrs. and I'll banish damn near anything.

Im having trouble keeping my pipe lite. I puff every 10-15 seconds or so, but not constantly, but never more than 30 seconds between puffs. But I seem to be losing my light 8 or 9 times per bowl, and in my pipe a bowl only lasts about 20 minutes. Is this common? or is this indicitive of something else?

thanks!

Brad

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by darb85

Im having trouble keeping my pipe lite. I puff every 10-15 seconds or so, but not constantly, but never more than 30 seconds between puffs. But I seem to be losing my light 8 or 9 times per bowl, and in my pipe a bowl only lasts about 20 minutes. Is this common? or is this indicitive of something else?

thanks!

Brad

Probably a simple case of gooey aromatic tobacco or perhaps "frozen flame" that affects so many in Traverse City in December. Can you light a match and then break the flame in half with your fingers? If not...

Most of staying-lighted problems are resolved with practice, patience and half-filled bowls. Follow the tried and true advice about a bowl-filling method that always allows only the slightest airflow restriction, only tamp lightly to keep the burning embers in contact with one-anotherand avoid using an overly moist tobak. Since this is more qualitative than quantitative it means, "keep trying" and it'll all fall into place.

Pipes with crappy enough airflow do prevent a decent smoke do exist but they are far less of a problem than improper pipe-filling technique. Mostly, new-to-pipe people tend to fill the bowl too tightly and tamp too firmly. Also, relights happen. Maybe not a dozen per bowl - but relights may be part of the deal according to the pipe, the tobak and the experience level.

Want a develop a steady burn? Use a cob (or your preferred briar), a proper 1-2-3 fill and some Carter Hall or Prince Albert.

Originally Posted by Mister Moo

Probably a simple case of gooey aromatic tobacco or perhaps "frozen flame" that affects so many in Traverse City in December. Can you light a match and then break the flame in half with your fingers? If not...

Most of staying-lighted problems are resolved with practice, patience and half-filled bowls. Follow the tried and true advice about a bowl-filling method that always allows only the slightest airflow restriction, only tamp lightly to keep the burning embers in contact with one-anotherand avoid using an overly moist tobak. Since this is more qualitative than quantitative it means, "keep trying" and it'll all fall into place.

Pipes with crappy enough airflow do prevent a decent smoke do exist but they are far less of a problem than improper pipe-filling technique. Mostly, new-to-pipe people tend to fill the bowl too tightly and tamp too firmly. Also, relights happen. Maybe not a dozen per bowl - but relights may be part of the deal according to the pipe, the tobak and the experience level.

Want a develop a steady burn? Use a cob (or your preferred briar), a proper 1-2-3 fill and some Carter Hall or Prince Albert.

Frozen flame. Love it. Thanks again! Probably a combination of the tobak and my packing technique, though I think im better at that now, now just to keep it lit!

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by darb85

Probably a combination of the tobak and my packing technique...

Pack a snowball. Pack a lunch. Pack a bearing. Pack a punch. But, please, never pack a pipe.

Filling a pipe by a thoughtful and practiced process allows perfect burns and minimum relights. Packing (ugh!) a pipe insures maximum relights, plugged airways, cosmetically damaged tongues and that sort of newb dissatisfaction with pipes that leaves good pipes resigned to drawers.

FWIW, all this has already been covered in my sig line, below.

The first ex-Mrs. Moo's grandfather used to be the mayor up there back when electricity was new, by the way. I almost died from hypothermia while sailing a Hobiecat on the west bay once in mid-July.

Pack Snow, not pipes. got it. My technique went better today 4 relights only gotta get some lighter fluid for my pipe zippo or im going to own a match company. Im getting there. I love pipes now. good stuff

Oh and ya, sailing on the bay when the water doesnt get much above 65 all year can be cold, but o so fun! thats a pic of me in my avatar sailing on west bay in a race that I won

Now, I need to get some decent tobak. the stuff I have is really wet and sticky. Off to nolans!