How to get started smoking pipes

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by benedic08

Oh yeah question. How do you smoke to the bottom of the bowl? Usually toward the end my pipe just keeps going out. I found some advice to use the pointy part of the pipe tool and stir it, tamp then relight but what happened was i got a mouth full of ash! Any advice? Thanks

By the numbers:

1. Questions here are limited to newguys with cobs and OTC burley. Anything else demands the thoughtful touch of the experts in the "Ask an Old Fart" thread.

2. Assuming you have a cob that won't burn to the bottom AND you can get ashes in your mouth that means:
a) the tobacco has burned down to the level of the (very large) airhole; and
b) the unburned tobacco remaining in the pipe is probably below the airhole where it ain't a-gonna burn. Fergettabowdit. Smoke's over. Dump it. You're a shave-tail slick-sleeved rookie smoking the cheapest tobacco money can buy for crying out loud - dump it! What do you think this is - an International Longest Smoke Competition? Refill and enjoy a new pipeful.
c) cob-smoke duration will improve along with your pipe-filling skills; the unburned soggy stuff (dottle) at the bottom of the pipe can be eliminated with pipe mud. Ask an old fart about that after a while.

3. That pointy thing on the pipe tool is good for poking holes in celery.