Re: New Pipe Smoker With A Question? Ask an Old Fa
 

95% of the time I like to smoke tobacco that is drier than most would like. Other people will take the tobacco right out of the tin to the pipe as wet as it comes. It is really a matter of personal preference (like most things concerning pipe smoking). If you like you're tobacco to be a bit damp and springy then that is how you like it and no one should convince you otherwise. If you like it as dry as a bone then that is great too. Try experimenting with different moisture levels and see what you like. You may find you like one blend as dry as the desert but other blends you like to have quite moist. Part of the enjoyment of pipe smoking are the intricacies and experiments. Just remember to have fun and be patient.

Cheers
Nick

Re: New Pipe Smoker With A Question? Ask an Old Fa
 

I never approached it from %rh; I just do it by a combination of touch and experience with what works and what doesn't. How useless is THAT advice?

Like a cigar, when it's too wet the stuff might taste a little sour and will surely keep going out. Unlike a cigar, you'll maybe get a gurgle in your pipe or, worse yet, you'll get some nasty drool roll back into your mouth. I hate too-wet tobak. If it's too dry, the smoke may run to the hot side and too-hot can snarf the flavor.

There is this conventional wisdom general rule about giving pipe tobak a pinch and seeing if it wads up or springs back. I lean to medium-dry - a pinch springs back but doesn't quite fall apart. A general rule, however is about as useful as solid brass billiard balls. Different types and textures of pipe tobak vary widely in feel, springiness, ideal moisture:taste ratio, etc. It seems like it comes back to trial, error and, finally experience.

There could be a great rule about rh% but I carry tobak with me, sometimes for days or weeks, and the touch-method works for me anywhere, anytime.

Re: New Pipe Smoker With A Question? Ask an Old Fa
 

Ah, got it. Thanks for the tip :tu

Didn't think about letting it develop.

Re: New Pipe Smoker With A Question? Ask an Old Fa
 

Alright old farts, I have a question being a noob and all...

When I am smoking my corn cob, I have gotten it to stay lit for most of the bowl, but after I tamp or dump (depends on my mood, I guess) for the last time the tobacco stays lit and after a few more sips, it goes out. Is there something that I am doing wrong or is this just the nature of the pipe? there is usually about 5 minutes or so worth of tobacco let when this happens.

Thanks for the help, old wise ones.
Posted via Mobile Device

Re: New Pipe Smoker With A Question? Ask an Old Fa
 

If it is like many corncobs I have seen, the draught hole is high. This causes the final "5 minutes worth" of your bowl to be near or below where the stem comes through. You aren't going to be drawing enough air THROUGH the tobacco to keep it lit. Not much you can do with it which is one of the reasons cobs are cheap.

Re: New Pipe Smoker With A Question? Ask an Old Fa
 

Sorry if this has already been asked.....

What are some good non flavored baccy's for a pipe newb to start out with? I bought a sampler of Boswell flavored a couple years ago, and then switched to cigars. Now want to get back into the pipe a little more.

Re: New Pipe Smoker With A Question? Ask an Old Fa
 

A clever BOTL on another board hit good-starter highlights with:

For VA: Rattray's Hal O The Wynd or Samuel Gawith Full Virginia Flake
For English: GL Pease Westminster or Samuel Gawith Squadron Leader
For Va/Per: AC Peterson Escudo or pipesandcigars.com Anniversary Kake
For Burley: pipesandcigars.com Butternut Burley

These are tested winners that most pipe smokers will acknowledge as top-drawer examples of their class. Or not. Personally, I like Squadron Leader (SL) a lot but think it's either oriental or an atypical english blend. I suggest SL but also a more classic alternative for english tobak, Stokkebyes Proper English.

Re: New Pipe Smoker With A Question? Ask an Old Fa
 

Thanks Dan:tu

Re: New Pipe Smoker With A Question? Ask an Old Fa
 

Anything for Hockeytown; I love all Red Wings - even the ones made in Ohio. (The above advice came from morefifemusicanyone, BTW.)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...es/redwing.jpg

Re: New Pipe Smoker With A Question? Ask an Old Fa
 

What is the "purpose" of very long pipes like these:
http://www.davidspiwak.com/Antique%20Pipes.html
I saw some paintings of pipes like these on a recent trip to Europe/Russia and wondered why these style pipes are not used anymore (seemingly).
Thank you for your help. :tu

Re: New Pipe Smoker With A Question? Ask an Old Fa
 

Great question!

The purpose of the longest, skinniest one is to smoke opium. Not my area of expertise but I've seen them around over the years.

The (now novelty) porcelain/tree-branch pipes were probably the bees knees until some bright boy figured out that briar made for a cool, long-lasting pipe chamber. Briar is recent on the scene - late 19th century; tabak started arriving in europe, I would guess, in the mid-1600s. Clay, metal and porcelain worked until something better came along.

This is strictly a guess; it'll hold water until something better comes along from a better guesser OR an actual pipe scientist. :)

Re: New Pipe Smoker With A Question? Ask an Old Fa
 

Great answer!

Could you explain the long pipe vs. short, why have these long tobacco pipes gone "out of fashion"? Or have they not? I've heard that longer pipes cool the smoke more, is this their purpose? Or is there another advantage?

Re: New Pipe Smoker With A Question? Ask an Old Fa
 

someone did an actual test in temperature of the "smoke" from a churchwarden compared to a normal sized billiard and there wasn't a discernable difference in temp of the smoke/steam - not one that would be noticeable by the tongue.

i have a neighbor that loves his churchwarden pipes, but i attribute that to his pure laziness of not wanting to lift his arms to hold the pipe up by his chin - he'd rather fold his arms, rest his pipe on his forearm... any excess movement might make him pass out.
(not sarcasm - i have a pic of him smoking a churchwarden with his arms folded, pipe resting on his arm)

Re: New Pipe Smoker With A Question? Ask an Old Fa
 

Not a pipe newbie but I do have a question to ask for those older and wiser inmates. I've picked up a handful of estate briars at antique shops, yard sales and flea markets over the last year. All but two of them had a wad of unsmoked tobacco left in them and all but three had a crazy-thick cake on them. My questions are:
. Have smokers' habits changed that much in the last twenty years?
. Did 'old-timers' make a habit of leaving unsmoked tobacco in the bowl?
. Am I making too big a deal over these neglected pipes when compared to the (assumed) larger number of well-maintained pipes still in smokers' rotations?
. Why, oh why, did 'old-timers' leave such thick cakes in their pipes?

:pi

Re: New Pipe Smoker With A Question? Ask an Old Fa
 

I've wondered about those guys too. My take is they weren't thinking too hard. I have purchased a couple of trashed estate pipes of real quality that were, fortunately, recoverable. Mostly, though, the trashed ones I see were pipes without any particular merit then or now.

Take a not-too-whippy Grabow from Sparta, NC, fill it with goop-oid aromatic drugstore stuff 10-15 times a week and, voila - caked thick and nasty in a year. Two years and maybe 11 pipecleaners later you're halfway thru a smoke and think, "Feh! This pipe tastes like dog pooter. I will go back to General Hardware and buy a new one." Old stinky, half-smoked and never cleaned, goes to the back of the dresser drawer until 40-years later when the kids are cleaning things out. I got a great Brakner like this recently - most of the rest have been Grabows or no-names.

Re: New Pipe Smoker With A Question? Ask an Old Fa
 

Thanks, Dan. I was thinking along those lines too. Hey, their loss is certainly our gain! :)

Re: New Pipe Smoker With A Question? Ask an Old Fa
 

By way of introduction, I used to smoke pipes back in the '70s, but sort of got away from the habit when my favorite tobacco disappeared from the scene. My pipes all got packed in an old cigar box and disappeared somewhere in the house when we did some major remodeling in the late '80s.

I decided to try pipe smoking again recently, but since I can't find my old pipes right now, and I missed out on some of the recent sales in the WTS/WTB/WTT thread, I headed over to Ebay. I picked up a couple of estate pipes that look decent and will try them out when they arrive.

While searching, I came upon this device: "PIPE CLEANING RETORT - Item #270434301489". Has anyone ever used something like this to clean pipes, especially estate pipes that are especially dirty?

Thanks in advance! I'm sure that I'll be back with more questions for you esteemed "Old Farts", as soon as my "new" pipes arrive next week! :D


:dance:

Re: New Pipe Smoker With A Question? Ask an Old Fa
 

A retort will clean out a pipe faster (a whole lot faster) than a conventional bowl treatment with cotton ball (or coarse kosher salt) and Everclear.

If you're a pro and need to regularly clean pipes and/or can't wait 12-hours for a salt/booze treatment a retort does the trick. I think salt (or cotton ball) and alcohol does as well, just slower. If I had to sanitize pipes often I use a retort; for infrequent (civilian) needs, a soak is less bother.

Re: New Pipe Smoker With A Question? Ask an Old Fa
 

Thanks, Dan! I know I read the kosher salt and everclear method here somewhere; do you have the link available without having to go through 9 pages of posts (if it's in this thread...)?

I'm hoping that my "new" pipes will be here next week, and I'll be able to join the ranks of CA pipesters! :D


:dance:

Re: New Pipe Smoker With A Question? Ask an Old Fa
 

i own a retort and have used it a few times (need to use it again soon).

you end up boiling the alcohol in the end of the retort, the vapors go upward into the pipe, then turn back to liquid (which is plenty hot/steamy), and it does a better job of penetrating the pores of the wood and whatever type of gunk is built up inside the stem areas. it helps remove the 'ghost' a whole lot faster/better than a standard "salt/alcohol" treatment, or the old fart way of "smoking out the ghost" does.

be careful if you do it. you can melt the end of the stem (button) and the insided of the bit. let it cool before you go reaming the stem/bit with a bristle cleaner (or any cleaner), or you could end up with stem goop blocking your airway, and then the pipe isn't smokeable unless you send it to someone who can open up the airway of the bit again.

i need to use it more often, not that my pipes need it, rather to get better at it. there have been some moments while using it. all the vapor comes out the top of the bowl, through the cotton ball, reforms into liquid on the outside and ruins the finish; i melted the button on my Big Ben; almost messed up the inside of my Karl Eriks airway by running a cleaner through it too early.

i'd suggest getting one if you smoke often; change blends in pipes often; or are looking to refurbish a lot of older estate pipes.

Re: New Pipe Smoker With A Question? Ask an Old Fa
 

What C'Cut said about a retort - use carefully and consider it has a learning curve.

This site gives a good look at a professional approach with some helpful photos.

I was a gifted retort (home made from test tubes and surgical tubing) but my sorriest used pipe purchases - I mean ultra-grungies - have so far ended up clean and sweet with kosher (non-iodized) salt and 190-proof Everclear treatments. I suspect stories about cracked bowls and salt involved treatments using higher water content fluids (like 80-proof booze or maybe 70* rubbing alcohol) and extended soaking but I dunno, really. All I know is my method has been good for years and dozens of pipes. The booze and cotton ball guys never report a problem so who knows. I think that Everclear-190 and a wicking pipe cleaner pulls crud out of the pipe and then evaporates so fast that the briar won't saturate with residual water and, thus, has no opportunity to swell and crack.

My pipes get stinky enough for a cleaning with alcohol about once or twice a year. The nose tells all. After reaming, if needed, I use a method like this:

1. stick a loose-fit fluffy thru the stem and down into the bowl;
2. nearly top the bowl with kosher coarse salt (or cotton) - don't top it off or you might not see rising alcohol until it's too late and overflows;
3. secure the pipe at an angle, stem end slightly higher than the rim of the bowl, such that it won't move or tip;
4. carefully eye-dropper Everclear into the bowl quitting before an overflow;
5. come back in an hour and see brown grunge wicking up the fluffy from the stem; carefully remove the fluffy and replace with a clean one; refill the bowl with Everclear as needed.
6. Repeat until pipe cleaners are coming out clean(ish).
7. Assuming the salt (cotton) goes pretty brown allow the bowl to dry out (a few hours or overnight) dump the salt (cotton) and repeat the process. Take care the bowl is dry when removing the salt (cotton) so no alky dribbles on the pipe finish.
8. Finish the stem and shank with alky-dipped bristle cleaners.

Voila.

For my once a year deal, this usually takes one load of salt, several pipe cleaners and a couple of booze toppings while reading, surfing or watching TV over a couple of hours. For a screwed estate pipe that was globbed with aromatic I-don't-know-what it might take several replacements of salt (cotton) in the bowl and 20-30 pipe cleaners. For the totally screwed pipe (or for a pro who doesn't have hours to monitor and sanitize a pipe) I can see why a retort is a time-saving tool. I'm not sure one is worth the effort for just-folks like me who thoroughly cleans a pipe or two mon,th while slouching around the den.

Spit and a paper towel (or soft toothbrush) cleans rims.

A few hours of bleach soaking cleans the most oxydized vulcanite (assuming there are not logos on the stem that bleach will ruin);
some swear by Magic Eraser to clean vulcanite - it never works for me;
wet sanding with Micro Mesh polishing paper is the bees knees (grit 3500 to 12000) to clean vulcanite for me;
rubbing gritty toothpaste (Arm & Hammer) with an electric toothbrush (not the one you stick in your mouth that evening ) or damp wet paper towels cleans less nasty stems and polishes very well;
a final wipe with olive oil and things look spectacular.

I am not a carnuba waxer but, if you have a low speed flannel wheel, it'll lay on a shiney hard finish. Beware standard buffers - they can melt stems and remove pipe nomenclature in a blink.

Re: New Pipe Smoker With A Question? Ask an Old Fa
 

I have a question for you experienced pipe smokers:

How much does humidity affect pipes that are being stored in a rack?

My "Mini-ManCave" is located on my screened-in back porch. Humidity varies every day, and I wondered if there was a chance that my pipes could be damaged while resting in a rack on the shelf out there, especially in the warmer months. I plan on taking them inside when the weather gets cold.

Any comments?




:dance:

Re: New Pipe Smoker With A Question? Ask an Old Fa
 

Since nobody who knows anything has answered yet I'll kick this off with a non-expert opinion.

Briar is remarkably resiliant and can handle extremes in temperature and moisture. While your pipestems might get snugger or looser as humidity varies I can't imagine up-north temp and humidity will hurt the pipes. I've bought some great "estate" pipes that were probably in someones garage for 30-years - who asks? Exposure to UV/sunlight isn't a good thing for finished wood or vulcanite; the possibility of mold exists if the pipes stay too damp for too long; and swings in humidity and temp don't help the fine tolerances that make up a good pipe.

I sometimes leave a pipe or two on the back porch for a day or two and some sit in the car for days. No problems. But I'd not leave my pipe rack and pipes on the porch. I like them out of direct (or even indirect) sunlight, in a dry/steady environment and away from the weird things that happen on my back porch.

Are your pipes stinking up someone elses living space? I can relate. But they still ain't going on the porch.

Re: New Pipe Smoker With A Question? Ask an Old Fa
 

I'd like to ask a newbie question. What do many of you mean when you talk about rubbing out some tabak before filling your pipe bowl?

There are some terms used by many of you that just don't compute to this newbie smoker.

I've always just filled the bowl with the chosen tobacco, lit, it and commenced smoking.
What am I missing here? :confused:

Thanks in advance! :D

Re: New Pipe Smoker With A Question? Ask an Old Fa
 

Many tobaccos are compressed (flat or round) and then sliced into flakes. While flakes can often be rolled up or folded and simply stuffed (or screwed) into a pipe there are times where you might do better breaking the stuff up into finer pieces. Sometimes a flake tastes better and sometimes it burns better when it's "rubbed out" to a finer texture. If you get your hands on some flake tobak you'll figure it out in about 2-minutes.

Some flakes are pre-mangled (shredded) at the factory and they call that ready-rubbed. Some ready rub is good right into the pipe and, sometimes, it's a bit too coarse and needs to be rubbed out further by the smoker. And so on and so forth. Try some flake tobaks. They great.

http://www.smokingpipes.com/images/p...5-003-0010.jpghttp://image07.webshots.com/7/8/77/9...5CwpMdx_ph.jpg

Re: New Pipe Smoker With A Question? Ask an Old Fa
 

Also, you can always cut up a flake with a knife or put it into a coffee grinder for a finer cut if you like. There's really no right or wrong way to smoke flakes or rub them out.

I always rub out my flakes somewhat. I have tried to get the fold and pack technique down but it never works for me. I have, however, seen Moo fold and pack some Navy Flake and it worked like a dream. I guess it comes with experience.

Re: New Pipe Smoker With A Question? Ask an Old Fa
 

Thanks Dan and Scott! Most of the tobacco that I've tried seems to be cut in "ribbons" I guess, but I came across a couple of small tins at a small shop nearby that had a tin of Dunhill Light Flake Virginia Tobacco - possibly Murray's - it says made in the UK, and I also bought a small tin of Mac Baren Viginia Flake. Are these the "VA" types of tobaccos that I hear so much about on this forum? Are these decent blends? I've never smoked any of these. I've pretty been enjoying my Klompen Kloggen sample as well as Carter Hall and good ole' Prince Al, while breaking in my new "estate pipes. :D

Re: New Pipe Smoker With A Question? Ask an Old Fa
 

The trouble is that, while you might be a fart, you're not an OLD fart. It's all the difference. However, the clock is ticking. I've had more good luck with fold'n'stuffing MacBarens Navy Flake than some others. Maybe this is because MNF arrives more dry in the tin than many others - or maybe the burley burns better than my more favored un-burley flakes. shrug Try the Mac - it's a snap as flakes go. Escudo is a good roller-folder if it's dry enough but can ruin my day when it's fresh and damp.

'A'y'oop, there are many flake products to try and experiment with when you feel inclined. Some people favor them and some never bother. Escudo is the all time great VaPer; Stokkebyes Luxury Bullseye Flake is a rocksolid great product; the MacB Navy Flake is good; Full Virginia flake... It's a long list of what to try.

Re: New Pipe Smoker With A Question? Ask an Old Fa
 

I bow down to your wisdom Moo. You are correct. I am not as long in the tooth as you but I'm not too far behind.

Knock, knock
Who's there?
40 years old
Oh crap!!

Re: New Pipe Smoker With A Question? Ask an Old Fa
 

Agreed with one exception, breaking in a new pipe.

Once the pipes has cooled, use a pipe tool to loosen the ash and any dottle in the bottom of the bowl, cover the whole with your thumb and give the pipe a good shake to coat the chamber, then tap the pipe to remove the loose matter.

Do not swab or blow out the bowl, what has clung to the walls will help build up a cake.

Re: New Pipe Smoker With A Question? Ask an Old Fa
 

I'm not a new pipe smoker, but I'm definitely not an Old Fart, so I ask: in line with mixing different blends to create your own flavor, does anyone layer different tobacco blends in the bowl? If so, what blends are used?

Matt

Re: New Pipe Smoker With A Question? Ask an Old Fa
 

Matt, a ton of people do that. They make their own tobacco parfait if you will. I usually do something similar if I do this like a Virginia on top and a Virginia/Perique blend on bottom. But I have heard of some crazy combinations like an aromatic on top and a heavy latakia blend on bottom.

It is all about personal tastes. If you have two favorites give it a try. You never know what you may find.

On a side note, this reminds me of a time in college when I thought that it would be a good idea to put garlic powder on my tuna fish sandwich. My thought process was that I liked tuna fish sandwiches and I liked garlic powder so why not mix them?!?!?! Do not try that at home. It was disgusting!

Re: New Pipe Smoker With A Question? Ask an Old Fa
 

First, I like garlic on my tuna - kills the taste of the tuna.

Second, I like parfaits. VaPers, with English. VA, with VaPers. And yes, VaPers finished with English.

Re: New Pipe Smoker With A Question? Ask an Old Fa
 

1. What humidity should I store my pipe tobacco in?

2. Is the tobacco okay with various blends in their own individual plastic baggies yet intermingled with other blends in their own plastic baggies? For example I've 3 small bags of tobacco, each a different blend, in the same humidor.

3. Lastly, is there any issue keeping a tin of tobacco in my humidor with my other non-tinned tobacco?

Thanks in advance!

Re: New Pipe Smoker With A Question? Ask an Old Fa
 

Store, once opened, at a good smoking moisture* in a glass jar with a sealing type lid (Mason, Kerr, etc.). They work but sooner or later tobak always dries out in baggies. Baggies are good for a week or two but ultimately let you down. Check out 4-8 ounce canning jar at WallyWorld, Target, etc. You don't want to stink up your humidor with pipe tobak, by the way; either that or you don't want to stink up your pipe tobak with cigar humidor smell.

Some folks sterilize jars/lids to prevent mold from developing before storing tobak.

*guidelines: squeeze a wad of tobak betwixt the thumb and index; it should compress and spring back lightly. If it cracks, too dry; if it doesn't spring back at least a bit, too moist.

Re: New Pipe Smoker With A Question? Ask an Old Fa
 

I'd like to add my two cents ... I made the mistake of getting large, quart sized jars and that's a lot of wasted space unless you have a LOT of each blend to store. I'd definitely go with something smaller like MisterMoo said - in the 4 to 8 ounce range. I've seen short, wide-mouth jars that look like they'll stack beautifully and I'm going to pick some of those up soon.

Re: New Pipe Smoker With A Question? Ask an Old Fa
 

Thank you gents :)

Re: New Pipe Smoker With A Question? Ask an Old Fa
 

All of my tobacco's moved over to wide mouth Kerr jars. It does look a bit more stylish than in gray plastic baggies I must say :)

Re: New Pipe Smoker With A Question? Ask an Old Fa
 

I'm in the same boat. I'm gonna hope you are still alive and PM you my address too.

PS Are amber stems cared for differently from i.e. vulcanite ones?

Re: New Pipe Smoker With A Question? Ask an Old Fa
 

Are there any jars out there with a tight seal lid? I'm not looking for canning jars per se, since I don't want to have to pressure seal them closed; I just want to open, smoke, close, as you said?

Preferably something in a 4 oz. variety?

Re: New Pipe Smoker With A Question? Ask an Old Fa
 

Ziploc - several sizes including 4oz - plastic with screw top and wide mouth - a little expensive but they seal well and they will travel well also. My :2

Re: New Pipe Smoker With A Question? Ask an Old Fa
 

If you've never smoked a pipe, and want to give it a shot, what are some suggestions/ideas/resources to point said noob in the right direction.

Re: New Pipe Smoker With A Question? Ask an Old Fa
 

Could I get a link, please for the Ziploc?

Otherwise, are these usable?
http://cgi.ebay.com/2-4-oz-Glass-Pip...n%3D3%26ps%3D6

Re: New Pipe Smoker With A Question? Ask an Old Fa
 

Hey, those look nice! I like 'em. :) That rubber/plastic gasket on the lid would probably make a nice seal.

Re: New Pipe Smoker With A Question? Ask an Old Fa
 

http://www.ziploc.com/?p=b7

you can get them at most any grocery store, Zip-Loc Twist'n Loc containers, not baggies. they seal great, and stack better than anything (they're designed to stack).
here's a photo of a large number of them stacked up.

http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos..._1704835_n.jpg

Re: New Pipe Smoker With A Question? Ask an Old Fa
 

Those are the exact ones I was referring to and use !!

Re: New Pipe Smoker With A Question? Ask an Old Fa
 

wow...=D. I'm sure they're easy to clean out to remove tobacco scents as well, too?

Thanks for the info though! :tu

Re: New Pipe Smoker With A Question? Ask an Old Fa
 

yep.

Re: New Pipe Smoker With A Question? Ask an Old Fa
 

1. Buy a Missouri Meerschaum corncob pipe with a straight stem, a Czech pipe multi-tool, a box or two of kitchen matches, some fluffy pipe cleaners and a pouch of Prince Albert or Carter Hall tobacco.

2. Stuff the pipe with tobacco so you can still draw air easily thru it and set the thing on fire atop; after it goes out, tamp the tobak down with the pipe tool tamper and set it afire again; puff slowly. If it gets drooly, swab out the stem with a pipe cleaner; and

3. read this. http://groups.google.com/group/alt.s...d1b87db15204e0

Have a ball.

Re: New Pipe Smoker With A Question? Ask an Old Fa
 

since corn cobs are cheap, buy two or three.
then i'd ask an old time smoker on HERE if you could have a sample or 4 of different tobaccos...
smoke those to get a wide variety of tobaccos....

sorry, not a big drug store burley tobacco kinda guy, can't suggest that part. ;) nothing wrong with them, but they are pretty straight forward and not a great representation of what's out there in terms of flavor. their best attributes are the fact that they aren't totally foul in flavor, have a decent room note (aroma), and burn easily.