Pipe Noob... A Million Questions Pt. 2

[rhmalone]

Ok, so I've actually smoked 2 bowls now and in doing so have 2 quick questions.

1. once you've smoked a bowl, and you smoke another, or do you need to let the pipe rest for a time?

2. while you're smoking should you tamp the tobacco before every relite or should you not disturb the tobacco after the initial lite?

[Emjaysmash]

I'm by no means an expert, but here are my answers:
1. If your are smoking one bowl right after another I dont think you need for it to rest, however if you leave it longer then 10-15 mins, I would wait to msoke the pipe atleast a day. (This is my opinion, im sure others could thell you better)

2. I usually tamp down the ask before relighting, as it makes it easier to relight if needed.

[Curly Cut]

what he said. both answers are good.

the reason for the pipe resting is so it'll cool off and dry out. if you smoke back to back bowls, that's alright as the bowl is still warm and moist. if you let it cool off, the expansion/contraction could cause weakening of the briar. i'm not a scientist at all, but i believe that is the reason why ppl say you need to give your pipe a rest.

as far as tamping goes, i only tamp a few times... when i do a quick re-light, and it doesn't really help, then i'll tamp. since i'm not in a smoking contest, i only re-light for a couple puffs, not 5 or so to get a raging fire going... so, if it doesn't take off after a couple puff re-light, i'll either knock out some ash, or i'll tamp and re-light.

Being very new to this as well.

I found that if I over tamped my ash that I started to get an ashy taste in the pipe. So now I knock the top layer of ash out before attempting to tamp or relight. Seemed to help a fair bit.

So much to learn..............I love it

[Curly Cut]

and concerning tamping... i prefer a tamper with a big round tamping area, and something i can hold and "twist/rotate" between my fingers as i tamp. the twisting helps gently break up the tougher chunks of tobacco ash, forming a better layer of insulation... a "pipe nail" is about as small as i go... actually, if you have a couple bucks and a cheap ass miter box, you can make some kick ass tampers in minutes. just buy the solid ash dowel rods from a home depot/lowes, cut one end at a 45* angle, then the next one about 4" down straight across... that's 2 tampers with 45* edges to help tamp away from the edge of the bowl, and they're easy to hold and twist, and a lot more surface area than a czech tool.

edit: what size dowel is up to you. you don't want something bigger than the chamber... i think i went with 5/8", as i don't have any bowls thinner than 3/4", and if i do, then a nail works fine.

[rhmalone]

While I'm no woodsmith, I'll keep that in mind. I saw on a YouTube video the guy talking about the ability to twist and tamp. Good stuff to know.

[Curly Cut]

and the purpose isn't to press down hard. then you'll end up pluggin your pipe (like a plugged cigar), if you tamp too hard. the purpose is to keep the burning tobacco in contact with the tobacco below it that's not burning... that way it will burn...

[rhmalone]

In my efforts to avoid plugging, I think maybe I'm not pressing down hard enough. The draw seems really wide open, but maybe this is to be expected with a pipe. More experimenting is needed. Thanks Curly Cut for the advice.