Pipe FAQ/101/Getting Started [Archive] - Club Stogie Cigar Discussion Forum

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Nooner

09-13-2005, 08:05 PM

By no means comprehensive, and by every means stolen from various sources across the web, please add as you feel appropriate

Equipment

Pipes

Corncob

A long-time favorite first pipe is the corncob. It fits the parameters mentioned above as it is readily available, inexpensive (less than $5.00), durable as you can afford to buy more if one breaks, and easy to care for. They are available in most drug stores and possibly a better buy and a better smoke than a cheap briar pipe.

Meerschaum Pipes

German for "sea foam", meerschaum pipes are recognized for providing a cool, dry smoke. The best meerschaum is mined in a very small section of Turkey where it is then carved into works of art by the talented Turkish carvers who turn the raw blocks of mineral into intricate designs treasured by pipe smokers everywhere. It is a stone made of compressed coral and sea shells millenia ago.

Briar

This is where most people end up, but it might not be the best place to start. There are more things to worry about with this type of pipe (for example, read about the cautions when cleaning, below), and many more types. Briar takes more care than the two kinds above as you have to worry about keeping the pipe clean and breaking it in properly. Briar pipes also should be rotated, so you'll need more than one if you plan on smoking more often than once every couple of days. Some generic recommendations:

Consider a 'second' pipe (one that doesn't make the cut to be best from a manufacturer) as there are some good deals to be found in this type, or an 'Estate' pipe, which is a used pipe sold by a reputable dealer.

There are two types of pipe surfaces: smooth and rough. The smooth is just as it sounds; the rough can either be sandblasted or carved. Pipes are usually roughened to hide imperfections in the wood that could be very noticeable in a smooth pipe. This is not necessarily bad: inexpensive smooth pipes can have putty fills to try and cover up these flaws. It is said the rough pipes also dissipate heat better.

There are two types of finishes on most pipes: varnish and wax. Most people recommend that you buy a waxed pipe instead of a varnished one as this allows the pipe to 'breathe' better.

Consider a 'bent' pipe instead of a 'straight' one as this will reduce the possibility of ingesting any juices that might accumulate in the bowl.

Pipes with thick walls smoke better than pipes with thin walls, so look for this if you can.

It is generally recognized that paper filters don't do anything but get in the way, so look for a pipe that doesn't have them. You can always removed them if you buy a pipe that is built for them.

To make it easier to break in a briar pipe, you can get a 'pre-carbonized' one for starters. This greatly reduces the number of bowlfulls you must smoke in order to have a good tasting pipe. Another possibility is get a meerschaum-lined briar pipe as these require no break-in.

Consider a Lexan stem instead of vulcanite one. They require less care and aren't damaged as easily. Vulcanite is always a dark black; Lexan comes in many different colors, usually with a swirl pattern.

Clay

Couldn't find much on this type of pipe.

Lighting Methods

Wooden matches.

These are the least expensive and probably the easiest to use. Don't use paper matches as they taste terrible. Allow the chemicals to burn off the end of the match before bringing it to your pipe.

Zippo pipe ligther

These are nice and simple and work well outside. It's recommended that you allow the flame to burn for a second or two to remove the chemical taste. Zippos and matches are both kind to the rim of briar pipes as they burn cooler than butane lighters. They have a hole in the flame guard to light your pipe.

Butane lighters

Caution - these can burn your pipe pretty easily.

Pipe Tool

You'll need one of these to lightly tamp the burning tobacco from time to time and to loosen the left-over ash at the end. The one below the Czech Republic pipe tool is a good choice for about $2.00. There are also pipe 'nails' that look like a nail with a scoop on the end. A nail with a large head coul work well too. You also use these to scoop out leftover tobacco after smoking, and maintain the bowl of your pipe.

http://www.pipes.org/images/articles/20040218003923236_3.jpg

Pipe Cleaners

Get the bristle kind as these are better at cleaning the stem. After each smoke, run a cleaner down the stem. Don't remove the stem from a briar pipe until after the wood is completely cool or you will loosen the stem. When you are done cleaning leave a clean dry cleaner in the stem for storage to soak up an excess fluids.

croatan

09-13-2005, 08:17 PM

As far as butane lighters go, the Corona Old Boy is my personal favorite (and is highly favored by many pipe smokers I know). It has a built-in tamper tool that also comes completely out of the lighter and can be used to gently clean out the bowl. It lights a stogie just fine, as well :)

http://www.cupojoes.com/images/savinelli/OB1183.jpg

Nooner

09-13-2005, 08:27 PM

Packing your pipe

Although differing qualities of pipes and tobaccos will make a difference, you can take any pipe and smoke any tobacco in that pipe if you pack it right. It is true that better pipes and tobaccos smoke better, but if you have a pipe that is not varnished but has a carnuba wax on the finish and a tobacco that has no chemicals added then you are ready to go!

One thing about pipe smoking is to remember that a pipe is basically a filter! The pipe absorbs the moisture and disperses the heat; it affects the flavor and clarity of the tobacco. The tobacco is best enjoyed when moist and chemical free. That means no drug store tobacco! But the pipe is most important to enjoyment and a good or better smoke.

Having said all that, lets get to it! Pipe packing is basically a three step process.Step #1: Sprinkle the tobacco loosely into the pipe until it fills up to the brim. Note that I said sprinkle loosely and not pinch and put! This is one of the biggest problems with even guys who know how to pack their pipes! Sprinkle loosely until full and then poke it down until the bowl is half full. If you have a tapered bowl then you may wish to make it more like two-thirds. If you were to draw on the pipe there would be little if any resistance.

Step #2: Sprinkle loosely again until the bowl is full. Poke it down evenly until the bowl is three-fourths full. If you were to draw on the pipe there would be a little resistence; say less than a cigarette.

Step #3: Sprinkle loosely until the bowl is full and then round up the top so that a little mound of tobacco rests over the bowl. The mound should be less than a half inch tall and nicely rounded. Then poke it down flat and even with the brim of the bowl. If you were to draw though the pipe it would seem slightly less resistence than a cigarette. The pipe should be ready for the lighting!

Lighting

Lighting: Now I know that many of you out there are now going, "Hmphf! Why is he bothering me with this?" But this art is often lost in todays hustle and bustle light up a quick cigarette world. If you have problems keeping your pipe lit even after packing correctly then try this: take five or six puffs as you walk the flame around the whole bowl charring the entire area of the tobacco. Then tamp the ashes flat and even and relight using another five or six good puffs and you are ready to go! You can relight as often as you'd like, it doesn't affeck the flavor. After a little while, the tobacco may go out. If so, tamp it down a little and re-light. If there's a lot of ash in the bowl, empty it out without knocking the pipe, then tamp and re-light. You may only get several good puffs from each light, which is OK. Unlike a cigar, re-lighting does not create a bad taste.

Tamping

Many pipe smokers will pack and light their pipes correctly and still have problems keeping the pipe lit or smoking the entire pipeful. The reason is that they are tamping to hard! When you tamp your pipe you should only be crushing the ashes flat and even; not pushing down tobacco! You may tamp as much as you like, but just push down the burning ashes onto the unburning tobacco. Keep it even and keep the draw consistent. You want to have it slightly springy, neither to loose or tight. It should be easy to draw through. Use the reamer to loosen if you tamp too tight.

Puffing

Try to puff rhythmically. If the pipe gets too hot, or if your tongue gets "bitten", slow down, or lay the pipe down and let it cool. If the pipe goes out a lot, speed up your pace. Before too long you'll find a good rhythm. You may find the pipe getting a little juicy as you smoke. To avoid this, try to keep your mouth as dry as possible. If the pipe does get juicy, run a cleaner down it to clear it out. Let the pipe cleaner sit for a moment and withdraw. However, don't take the stem off the pipe while it's still hot, as this will eventually cause the stem to get loose or even break. Try to smoke your pipe all the way down, as long as the taste is pleasant. This helps build up an even layer of "cake" (carbon) inside the bowl. When you're done, clean all the dottle (ashes and unburned tobacco) out of the bowl with the reamer. Avoid banging your pipe on the ashtray, as this can damage the pipe.

Cleaning

If your pipe smokes sour or gurgles, if there's a lot of goo inside the stem, or if the cake is very thick, if your pipe smells bad or tastes spoiled, it may be because you havent been cleaning it regularly. As a rule, you should run a pipe cleaner through the stem and shank every time you smoke the pipe. A thourough cleaning will have to be done every 5-10 smokes. First, use the knife blade of the pipe tool to scrape the cake to the proper thickness. Make sure all the bits of tobacco are out of the bowl as this can lead to hot spots that will cause a burn out. Then use the reamer to get any heavy goo out of the wood part of the air hole of the stummel (the wood part of the pipe). Remember that because a pipe is a filter, it should be smoked only once a day. If you smoke three times a day you need three pipes. If you smoke it more than this, the moisture can build and spoil resulting bad aroma and flavor. If the pipe still smells bad, take some whiskey (around only for medicinal purposes of course) that is at least 80 proof and pour it into the bowl. Let it set for 10 minutes or so, dump out the liquid, and swab out with a paper towel. Then let it sit for 24 hours and it should taste better!

Eichen

09-13-2005, 08:56 PM

I'm an advocate of clay pipes, especially for beginners. Here's why: Clay won't burn out no matter how hot you smoke. Tobacco burns with a neutral flavor (no flavor contributions from the pipe itself) so all you taste is the tobacco. You can abuse a clay pipe like you could never get away with briar -- meaning you can chain smoke a clay pipe without ruining it. Cleaning is simple: just chuck it in the dying embers of a wood fire. The fire burns out all the built-up residues inside the pipe. Afterward it will smoke as good as new. Clays are also forgiving in that they tend to smoke very dry and cool. The clay absorbs excess moisture that would cause a very hot, gurgle-filled smoke in a briar. Just don't drop them, whack them against trees or hold them by the bowl! I understand clays and strong Virginias, VA flakes and shag cuts make a good pairing, probably because of the absorbtive quality of clay (cutting down on the dreaded Virginia tongue bite) and because of the relatively small bowls. My experience with VAs and clays is limited to G&H Black Irish X. I prefer not to extend that experience to most strong VAs.

Go smoke a clay. They're usually cheap to boot.

BTW, nice thread!

Regarding clays: this page says it far better than I ever could.........
http://www.aspipes.org/faq/faq/clay.html

piperman

09-14-2005, 12:23 AM

Good info not much to add except after doing all that tapping on your tobacco you will notice it is getting harder to draw on. Simple solution take the poker on your tool and push it through your tobacco and relight it and if you did it right it will stay lit untill you are done. Just puff in a Rhythm.

Oh and one more hint if you cant put the side of your bowl to your check without burning yourself it's to hot slow down.

FunkyPorcini

12-07-2005, 08:01 PM

This helped me quite a bit so I figured I would share.
===============================================
Tobaccos

Virginia: Virginia is by far the most popular tobacco type used in pipe tobacco today. About 60% of the nations tobacco crop is Virginia. Virginia is mildest of all blending tobaccos and has the highest level of natural dextrose (sugar), which basically gives it a light sweet taste. Virginia is used in virtually all blends, is a good burner and aids in lighting.

Pure Virginia tobacco is best known from flake types. Dunhill's Light Flake is a very example. Medium in strength and rather sweet in taste. Several blends by Rattray comes into mind also. Marlin Flake being a rather heavy member of the family, but still very sweet. The Danish manufacturer A&C Petersen has the Blue Caledonian. Mild to medium in strength, and a nice pure taste of Virginia tobacco.

Burley: Burley tobacco is the next most popular tobacco for pipe tobacco blending. It contains almost no sugar, which gives a much dryer and full aroma than Virginia. Burley is used in many aromatic blends because it absorbs the flavorings. Burley tobacco burns slowly and is a cool smoke, which makes it a nice addition to blends that tend to burn fast and strong.

The technical term for Burley is "air cured". This air curing is done in large open barns, by the natural air flow, for one or two months. The color is ranging from light brown to mahogany.

Pure Burley blends are mainly produced by U.S. and Danish companies. Blends like Blue Edgeworth, Old English and Half-and-Half are classic examples. The latter being slightly flavoured. Burley is also the main ingredient in most of the Danish McBaren blends.

Spice tobacco: Spice tobacco is actually not one type of tobacco, but rather a broad variety of more special types, used in small amounts to create an interesting blend. These would include Oriental, Latakia, Perique and Kentucky among others. Most of them are frequently used in English blends.

Oriental: A variety of tobaccos, grown in Turkey, the Balkans, and Russia. The best known types are Izmir, Samsun, Yedidje, Cavella and Bursa. A common characteristic is a dusty, dry and sometimes slightly sourish aroma. Some of them are also used in "exotic" cigarettes from Egypt and other Arab countrys.

Latakia: Latakia is the result of a curing process involving fire curing the leaves over controlled fires of aromatic woods and fragrant herbs. Probably the most well known spice tobacco. Mainly grown in Cyprus and northern Syria. After the leaves are harvested and dried, they are hung in tightly closed barns and smoke-cured. Small smouldering fires of oak and pine fill the barn with smoke, and covering the leaves with smoke particles.

Latakia produces a very rich, heavy taste, with an aroma that has a "smoky" characteristic . Latakia is an indispensable ingredient of traditional English mixtures. The content can vary from a few percent to about 40-50%, or even more. A few smokers like it at 100%. This would tend to be harsh, not because Latakia is a strong tobacco, but because it burns and tends to dry out your mouth and throat.

Both Dunhill and Rattray have a number of blends that contain Latakia. Dunhill 965, Early Morning and London Mixture are from Dunhill, and Red Rapperee and Black Mallory from Rattray. Seven Reserve from Rattray has a moderate content of Latakia, and might be a good introduction to these kind of blends. Bengal Slices is unique - a flake tobacco with a moderate to high content of Latakia. A very lovely blend if you like Latakia.

Perique: Perique is a Red Burley type of tobacco, grown and processed in St. James, Louisiana near New Orleans. Perique is a rare, slow burning, strong-tasting tobacco. Production is small, so its value is quite high.

Perique is cured like Burley, but for a shorter time. There after the leaves are put in large oak barrels or in Cypress logs under heavy pressure, which will squeeze some juice out and make the whole thing ferment. Once in a while the leaves are taken out for a period and then repacked and re-fermented. This process takes at least one full year. Some times even longer.

The aroma of a tobacco treated by this method is full bodied. The nicotine content is overwhelming, thus Perique can not be smoked by itself. Due to its full-bodied nature, Perique is used on a limited basis in blends. About 5 % in a blend is the maximum. It is usually blended with Virginia to give it more body. Escudo is a good representative of a Virginia blend with Perique. Dunhill's Elizabethan Mixture is a very nice example of Virginia mixed with a touch of Perique.

Kentucky: This is actually a specially treated Burley tobacco, produced in Kentucky. Unlike Burley, Kentucky is fire-cured. Its aroma is not as heavy as with Latakia, but very aromatic and unique. The nicotine content tends to be rather high, and therefor is used in limited amounts.

Havana: Cuban and other cigar tobaccos are used in a limited range of Virginia blends and mixtures.

Cavendish: Cavendish is more a method to treat tobacco than a type. English Cavendish uses a dark flue or fire cured Virginia which is steamed and then stored under pressure to permit it to cure and ferment for several days to several weeks. When done well, this tobacco is really fine stuff. Cavendish can be produced out of any tobacco type (mainly Virginia's and Burley's are used). The original English Cavendish is produced out of Virginia tobacco, which is slightly flavoured and heated by high pressure. This will give you a very dark, black tobacco. A few English Cavendish blends exist on the market - Rattray's Dark Fragrant and Black Virginia plus McConnel's Maduro.

The modern version of Cavendish is generally much more flavoured. The natural taste of tobacco is almost gone. The flavouring is also called "Casting". This is the term used when you add a considerable amount of additives to the tobacco. This is usually done by producing a fluid mixture of sugar, liquorice or any kind of aromas in which the tobacco is soaked. The goal is to produce a sweet and smooth aroma. Modern Cavendish tobacco comes in numerous flavours, cherry, vanilla, rum, chocolate, strawberry, coconut .......and many other flavors.

Tobacco Classifications

Air-Cured: These tobaccos are dried naturally, sheltered from sunlight in large barns. The drying is carried out on the whole plant or as individual leaves. Sugar is the by-product of this three month drying process.

Dark Tobaccos: These tobacco plants are very mature and developed at the time of picking. The leaf is subjected to a second fermentation process. These leaves are used to make cigars.

Fire-Cured: Akin to Dark, its natural drying is completed by a wood-fired fumigation (oak is used by the traditionalists).

Sun-Cured: Almost all of Oriental Tobaccos are cured by this method. Oriental Tobaccos are grown in Greece, Turkey, Bulgaria and adjoining countries. ===============================================
Source (http://members.bellatlantic.net/~vze43wza/types.html)

WillyGT

12-08-2005, 02:44 PM

1 Quick question, the pipe tobacco also need to be maintained inside a humidor or it can be left just in a ZipLock bag.?

Nooner

12-08-2005, 03:07 PM

1 Quick question, the pipe tobacco also need to be maintained inside a humidor or it can be left just in a ZipLock bag.?

I mostly leave my Pipe Tobak in the tins or pouches or zip-lock baggies I purchase them in, but...

I am getting ready to put together a storage cabinet right now with Ball(Mason) Storage Jars. I will scan the tins and print Labels to put on the jars. I am starting to purchase some nicer Bulk Tobacco(from Pease and Esoterica and the like) and want a better way to store that stuff. I will keep the tins for display.

I think Madurofan has a really cool collection that he stores in a similar manner.

FunkyPorcini

12-09-2005, 05:35 PM

1 Quick question, the pipe tobacco also need to be maintained inside a humidor or it can be left just in a ZipLock bag.?
There are several ways to store it but one thing you must never ever EVER do it put the pipe tobacco inside the humidor with your cigars. No matter what type of packaging you have it in the cigars will soak up the aroma of the pipe tobacco and you will be pissed.

I think dark large jars are the best but some people don't buy enough to warrant that amount of storage.

IHT

01-17-2006, 02:12 AM

now that a lot of you have started, and bought many a used estate pipe off ebay....

here's an article on RESTORING YOUR PIPE (http://www.seattlepipeclub.org/sherlock/restore/PipeRestoration.html).

you can also search for the "retort" system on Ebay. there's a seller who has these.
PIPE CLEANING RETORT ON EBAY (http://cgi.ebay.com/PIPE-CLEANING-RETORT_W0QQitemZ6245723615QQcategoryZ4119QQssPageN ameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem).

Scott M

01-19-2006, 07:00 AM

The Pipe Tobacco Aging, Storage and Cellaring FAQ (http://agingfaq.nocturne.org/) <--yes, it is a link.

Good info about...well.. you can figure it out.

Feel free to place this in one of the stickys, Greg. Though it outta get some out-front time first.

IHT - will merge this with the other FAQ that's stuck.

Nooner

01-19-2006, 08:14 AM

I like this quote:

"As with wine, the best thing to do is to buy plenty, cellar it carefully, and taste it often - at six months, at a year, at two years, again at five. It is better to enjoy it sooner, and dream of what it may become, that to find it over the hill later, and lament what it might have been."

GL Pease, 2000-05-03

I think that applies as well to cigars as it does wine and pipe tabak

IHT

01-20-2006, 09:21 PM

i was just having a bowl of Penzance in one of my Stanwells, when i noticed that A) i was getting a lot of "gurgle" and B) only the very center was burning in the bowl.
i grabbed a fuzzy pipe cleaner, stuck it down the bit and it sucked up all the condensation along the way - problem solved.
i then knocked out some of the loose/burnt ash and barely attempted to light it again, maybe getting more of the exposed tobacco to burn (closer to the wall of the bowl). then, for some odd reason, i thought, "i wonder if i gently blow out, like purging a cigar with the flame, if that'll help?"
well, i did, and it did. not only did the flavor get smoother (like with a cigar) but there was a TON more smoke, and the burn started to expand closer to the walls.
so, a few minutes, i tried it again for poops n grins. :D
i mean, gently, blew outward... and, took the pipe away and looked down into the bowl... sure enough, i could see it expand even further. the rest of the bowl, i got boatloads of nice smooth smoke... about 5x the amount of smoke i had before i "purged" it the first time.

i think i'll continue to try this about 15 minutes into a bowl and see if it does the same thing in different pipes/tobaccos.

anyone else do/try this before?

joed

01-20-2006, 09:27 PM

Scott M

01-27-2006, 12:16 PM

Methods to Clean Estate Pipes.

Part I

I've been whoring around some pipe BBs, being the inquisitive mind that I am, and have finally got a chance to try some of the estate pipe cleaning methods I've seen posted. My latest acquisition is a 1987 Peterson Donegal Rocky blasted 999 with a P-Lip mouthpiece, and silver band.

http://photos.imageevent.com/echo3mike/pipedreams/websize/DSC01166.JPG

While not a train wreck, it needed a bit of TLC to make it smokeable...and pretty. Its last owner either didn't get to it much or he found it not to his liking, (some Peterson pipes appearently smoke pretty harsh for the first few because of the dyes in the bowl), because there is very little cake to contend with in the bowl. In fact, there's hardly any. Bonus.

The bad news is that there was a significant aromatic "ghost in the machine", and enough stem oxidation to warrent attention. There's also the remnants of silver polish in the crevasses. So, off I go to clean this up.

Part II: The Bowl.

The first thing I needed was a good stiff drink. But not for me, since I don't drink that often if ever, (more's the pity), but for the pipe. Alcohol, (either EtOH or Isopropyl), cures a multitude of pipe sins, from overall goop to nasty aromatic evils. Taken from the popular Professor's Pipe-Sweetening Treatment" (http://www.pipes.org/Articles/PipeSweet.html), I placed a cotton ball in the bowl, dribbled some Bacardi onto it, and let it sit. Course salt has been suggested for use in the bowl, but there are reports of cracked bowls as a result. No reasons have been stated, but I'm not to risk it since I'm limiting my purchases and I'd hate to mess up a potential find.

http://photos.imageevent.com/echo3mike/pipedreams/websize/DSC01167.JPG

Higher alcohol contents are desired, (for the pipe!!!), but the Bacardi is what I wanted to start off with at the time. As the bowl was sitting, I got started on the stem. Using the Bacardi and the appropriate implements, I proceeded to remove the build up in the stem.

http://photos.imageevent.com/echo3mike/pipedreams/websize/DSC01171.JPG

http://photos.imageevent.com/echo3mike/pipedreams/websize/DSC01172.JPG

While a large amount of gunk was removed with the Bacardi, I soon switched to Isopropyl alcohol as it was becoming clear that I needed a higher level of "anti-gunk-ness" than I originally thought.

(continued)

Scott M

01-27-2006, 12:36 PM

Methods to Clean Estate Pipes.

Part II, (cont.)

As you can see, this seems fairly effective;

http://photos.imageevent.com/echo3mike/pipedreams/websize/DSC01175.JPG

http://photos.imageevent.com/echo3mike/pipedreams/websize/DSC01177.JPG

As a side note, I've found good old spit can do wonders for the build up on the rims of pipes. It won't remove charring, but it'll grab alot of carbon if it's allowed to sit for a few minutes before buffing with a rough rag.

Words of warning; alcohol can, (and does) strip the stain from some pipes.

Next, I set off to clean up the exterior. Cleaning a blasted pipe, (sand blasted finish, not the comment often made but our long-suffering wives), is a little difficult, since there are many nooks for gunk to hide in. The method I chose was Murphys Oil Soap, since it's made for wood anyway, and an old toothbrush.

http://photos.imageevent.com/echo3mike/pipedreams/websize/DSC01188.JPG

Since it wasn't used much to begin with, not much came off except the silver polish remnants. And since I was at it, I decided to see if I could shine it up a bit. There are many products, (Briar Pipe Wipe (http://www.cupojoes.com/cgi-bin/spgm?dpt=D&srch=DD&item=briarwipe), for instance), that can be used, but I have none onhand. A post on another BB mentioned neutral shop polish, and since I have that, that's what I used.

http://photos.imageevent.com/echo3mike/pipedreams/websize/DSC01189.JPG

Sparkly... no. Huge difference... on a blast, hardly. A little bit, but not much. It has brought out more of a luster in some of my smooth pipes, FWIW. All told, maybe an hour of scrubbing, leading to Q-tips that come out white from the stem. I'll leave the cotton in the bowl for a second night just to reinfoce my distate for the previous owners choice in tobacco.

(continued)

IHT

01-27-2006, 12:44 PM

Scott M

01-27-2006, 12:59 PM

Methods to Clean Estate Pipes.

Part III: The Stem.

Stem oxidation happens, just like... well, you know. You'll find it on estates, and the ones in your collection sooner or later. While serious(ly ugly), it can be effectively treated in all but the worst cases. (Man, am I spending too much time in a hospital.)

In my case, the oxidation wasn't horrible, but it wasn't something I wanted to ignore.

http://photos.imageevent.com/echo3mike/pipedreams/websize/DSC01163.JPG

My first battle plan was to scrub it off. It's pretty easy, and sand paper of varying grit, (usually starting at 220, then moving "up" to the finer grits), can zap oxidation, as well as the dreaded "Dracula" marks. Since all I wanted to deal with was the oxidation, I chose Mr. Cleans Magic Eraser;

http://photos.imageevent.com/echo3mike/pipedreams/websize/DSC01170.JPG

Very fine grade abrasive, (and it really does get stuff off of walls), and it works particularly well in this arena. I then set off to deal with the bore. While a little smaller than I"m used to, a scrubbing pipe cleaner, (with little plastic bits intertwined with the cotton), dipped in the rum worked well for the most part.

http://photos.imageevent.com/echo3mike/pipedreams/websize/DSC01176.JPG

Now, the pipe cleaners came out pretty clean, for the most part, and the oxidation was eliminated, except for that nasty little bit up by the bit. Not to mention that I'm not totally trusting the pipe cleaners to get every little molecule of ghost out of the bit. Maybe I should have just used Oxyclean for the stem. It will remove oxidation and built up gunk from the stem, (not to mention the markings on the stem. Place a small drop of Vaseline on the mark prior to dunking the stem. That'll save it.). Straight or diluted bleach also works on all of the above.

http://photos.imageevent.com/echo3mike/pipedreams/websize/DSC01179.JPG

HOWEVER, once you're done with all of this, you'll have a squeeky clean stem, but it'll have a dull finish on it. What to do??

(continued)

Nooner

01-27-2006, 01:04 PM

instead of a cotton ball, have you poured salt in there, then used an eye dropped to drop about 10 droplets of alcohol in it??
that's what i use. you should seee the shades of brown the salt turns over night.

my Q-tips never start out that clean, they're normally black...

i might get that device where you boil the alcohol, as that's how my local B&M does it, and from what i've read on other boards, that's how most professionals/restorers do it, too.

yep, I do the salt treatment - I use Sea Salt, and it does turn brown - looks pretty though. I've got a pipe I haven't cleaned yet, so I'll set it up now so I can take pictures in a little bit...

I also just sent off a box of pipes to Jim Benjamin - I am pretty excited from what I've heard about the work he does.

Scott M

01-27-2006, 01:25 PM

Methods to Clean Estate Pipes.

Part III: The Stem. (cont.)

So I've got a squeeky clean stem, but it's not the lustrerous black we've come to know and love. How to get that back?? Two words; olive oil.

http://photos.imageevent.com/echo3mike/pipedreams/websize/DSC01183.JPG

after an application and wiping off all the residue, the bit in the photo above went from there to here;

http://photos.imageevent.com/echo3mike/pipedreams/websize/DSC01184.JPG

A little bit of elbow grease and some mildy caustic chemicals later, a fairly clean pipe with an evil past seems to have become a tamer beast;

http://photos.imageevent.com/echo3mike/pipedreams/websize/DSC01191.JPG

As for the band, I think I'll leave that the way it is, tarnish and all. Kind of a testement to the pipes history. There are a number of methods to shine silver bands, including brasso, duraglit, and rubbing the band with ash.

As I've mentioned, the course salt has a history of bowl cracking, and it's easier to get a single cotton ball out of the bowl, at least for me. The method Greg mentioned, a Retort, (there's a link to a description in one of his earlier posts,) is excellent in removing large quantities of gunk and other nasty residues quickly. I've used one with a Stanwell, (pictured in another thread), with outstanding results, and I may use it again if my ghosts aren't completely exorcised with the Pete. It was a little more dirty than I had originally anticipated, but the methods mentioned can (hopefully) cure most of the common maladies found with estates. This pipe didn't need to be reamed, so I won't have to do that until I get a pipe like this

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b102/texhealer/Copy2ofpipe1.jpg

Nooner

01-27-2006, 01:28 PM

Okay, a couple pictures:

http://yonnone.com/Pipes/SaltStuff.jpg

http://yonnone.com/Pipes/PipewSalt.jpg

I usually use the Bacardi 151, but this time I decided to use the Elijah - the pipe just seemed to warrant it! :p

I'll take another pic this evening with the saturated salt. That second pic is after adding the alcohol.

Nooner

01-28-2006, 03:22 PM

after soaking - it took about 15 pipe cleaners to run a clean one thru the stem!!!

http://yonnone.com/Pipes/PipeAfter.jpg

Scott M

01-29-2006, 08:52 AM

Dating Peterson Silver Mounted Pipes.

All Peterson Silver Mounted Pipes carry three distinctive marks :

1) The Symbol Hibernia (Ireland) denoting the country of origin.
2) .925 is a new European standard mark denoting the high quality (purity) of the silver used.
3) The Date Letter Code for the year in which the silver was hallmarked and the pipe made.
From the Peterson website.

An image of silver hallmarks. (http://www.peterson.ie/images/hallmarking-large.jpg)

Scott M

01-31-2006, 08:39 AM

More on Flakes:

As a follow-up to the thread found here (http://www.clubstogie.com/vb/showthread.php?t=16849&highlight=flakes), this is an article on rubbing out flakes. Not anything new or dramatic, but someone, somewhere, at one time or another will ask about it.

From McClelland Tobacco Company;

A PIPE SMOKER’S GUIDE
HOW TO SMOKE FLAKE TOBACCOS

English and Scottish-style Matured Virginia flake tobaccos are among the most interesting and rewarding for the smoker to taste; yet, they are avoided by many smokers who simply do not know how to approach them. This guide is intended to help the pipe smoker learn how to fully appreciate the zesty character and subtle sweetness of these premium, aged products. (It should also help smokers of the flavored American sliced plug and European flake Cavendish tobaccos.)
One reason flake tobaccos are left in slices after cake-maturing is that they retain their freshness better than in ribbon form. Flakes also enable the smoker to have some control over the burning rate and, to a small degree, the flavor.
It is important to prepare the tobacco before packing so that it has an even texture and to fill the bowl evenly, no matter what degree of brokenness is preferred. (The more fully-rubbed – meaning gently separated – a tobacco, the faster it will burn. Similarly, it is true that the thinner the cut, the faster it will burn.)
The more moist tobaccos should be packed more loosely than normal so they won’t pack down densely enough to prevent a good draft. The ideal is to have the tobacco draw firmly, with a little resistance, throughout the smoke. The smoker may be able barely to hear a little hissing through the pipe as it is smoked. Too firm and the tobacco won’t burn at all or one small spot will burn hot and maybe wet as the smoker puffs hard to keep it going; too loose and the tobacco will burn inconsistently and unevenly, perhaps causing the bowl to overheat in spots and moisture to condense.

Five Steps to Success

1. Put in the palm of one hand the amount of tobacco that it is believed will fill the bowl. Then pinch at the slices or rub them between the palms until the tobacco separates to the degree preferred, keeping the texture even, avoiding clumps. The denser the tobacco is left, the slower it will burn. (This becomes especially valuable on windy days outdoors.)

2. Gently but firmly and evenly work the tobacco into the bowl of the pipe until it is filled slightly over the top and feels firm but still springy under enough finger pressure to flatten the surface of the tobacco even with the top of the pipe. (We assume the pipe is clean at the outset, free of obstruction to a good draft, well rested.)

3. Now, while drawing through the stem, light the pipe evenly across the entire surface of the tobacco. After a few puffs to develop an ash, and while continuing to draw, tamp the tobacco down evenly all around the bowl with a tamper. The goal is to have the tobacco packed so that it will burn as evenly and firmly as a good cigar.

4. Relight the pipe after tamping to get the entire surface of the tobacco burning again. Even burning is very important. Otherwise, hot spots may develop.

5. With only occasional tamping as the tobacco burns down, since it tends to expand and loosen as it burns, the pipe should now smoke evenly to the bottom. The aim is to maintain a firm, even draft throughout the smoke. The process is not difficult to master and with practice will soon be effortless.

Flavor Expectations

For those who are used to the “aromatic” or sweetened tobaccos that dominate our market in the United States, it may take some time for the flavorings remaining in the pipe to dissipate. Many smokers prefer to maintain one set of pipes exclusively for the natural, matured tobaccos and another for the sweetened varieties. It may be necessary to smoke up to four ounces of a natural product before the mouth adjusts to the clean taste and subtler range of flavors typical of these Matured Virginia tobaccos. The smoker is rewarded for the effort by becoming able to distinguish the delicate variations in taste and deepening richness these tobaccos develop as they are smoked.

Take the time to enjoy the taste of McClelland.

As an aside, McClelland VAs are very highly regarded, an opinion which I personally agree with.

Scott"untilIfindsomethingbetter"M

Shaggy17sc

02-04-2006, 11:53 PM

mr.c

02-05-2006, 12:53 AM

let the tobacco dry out before packing it, 20 minutes or so.

I Think the whislte sound is gurgle? from the juicy steamy tobacco.

Aromatics my not be the greatest place to start, as the burn scalding hot (usauly) and are so wet (usualy)

If you really want to give "pipe" a shot, I think you may have to make a small investment in a good pipe. I bought 2 estate pipes from ebay, $30 to my door. read up on how to clean them, and how to pack them and all the different tobaccos. And have been very happy. think I got pipe packing down, just takes practice.

I used to smoke pipe long time ago, had a cheapy pipe from the tinderbox along with their aromatic crap tobacco -stuff was like a blowtorch to the tounge- and would never stay lit. as a side note, I used to smoke their $1 and $2 dollar cigars also ........ :pu

then found club stogie, and that the more expensive cigars tasted better.. who would of thought???

I am Enjoying the cool burning and quite flavourfull english blends right now, and a really nice aromatic, macbarens vanilla cream, yum!

Well thats my take, and for the record I am a pipe noob.

Scott M

02-05-2006, 06:07 AM

Ok, I have pipe tobacco, i have a pipe.

I went to the Cigg. store and bought a pipe, i was gonna get a corncob, but found some that looked a lot better for the same price. I dont know what its made of, but kinda "painted" to look like wood. it has metal in/as the bowl of it.
since it has metal as the bowl of it, does that mean its not going to need breaking in? that was the assumption i made. Not really sure of a metal pipe bowl. Sounds like it would get kinda hot. Might want to reconsider a cob.(Pics would be cool!)

I was trying out some of the China Black "whiskey" that I have. It felt kind of damp to the touch. ive read that it should not be too wet, heard like 30% somewhere. I put it in the pipe as suggested, but could not get it to stay lit for anything. i would light it, and it would go out as soon as i would stop smoking on it for a second. Mr C.'s right...let the tobacco dry out. In my limited expirence, the dryer tobacco is, the less trouble I have keeping it lit. It doesn't affect the flavor as much as it does with cigars. Also helps eliminate the nasty "gurgles". My biggest problem to date is that I wasn't packing it in tight enough and my pace was too slow, (overdoing what everyone says to do). Try a variety of packing methods, (thirds, quarters, Frank; all can be found somewhere in this forum.)

While it was lit, it was ok. just trying to figure out why it would not stay lit.
When i was smoking it, i could hear air "whistling" through it, does that mean it was not packed in tight enough? Probably.

Just trying to figure this out so i can enjoy it with out a whole lot of trouble.

Thanks.
David

Meaningless filler.

Shaggy17sc

02-05-2006, 09:59 AM

Meaningless filler.

Ok,so from my understanding (a)tobacco was too moist, and (b) It was not packed good enough. Right?

I was going to put a picture up yesterday, but the batteries were dead, so here it is today. (nothing to brag about, im just curious about the metal bowl.)

Thanks for the help Scott

Scott M

02-05-2006, 11:32 AM

Ok,so from my understanding (a)tobacco was too moist, and (b) It was not packed good enough. Right?

Lets find out; Take whatever blend you tried and leave enough to fill the bowl out to dry for 30 minutes or so. Pack it the way you normally do and smoke it.

OR

you could take the same moist tobacco and try packing it a little tighter. (probably lead to alot of gurgle and unsmoked tobacco, though.) There should be some noticable resistance when you test draw, but not enough to suck your eyeballs into your skull, ("like water through a straw" is the popular analogy).

OR

You could dry the tobacco out AND pack it a little tighter, but you won't know which one contributed to a longer burn if it occurs.

Sometimes it just works out that you'll use 3 or 4 matches for the entire bowl, if that. Other times, you'll need more.

Oh, and by the way, I'm a total newb too.

Shaggy17sc

02-06-2006, 08:36 AM

Lets find out; Take whatever blend you tried and leave enough to fill the bowl out to dry for 30 minutes or so. Pack it the way you normally do and smoke it.

OR

you could take the same moist tobacco and try packing it a little tighter. (probably lead to alot of gurgle and unsmoked tobacco, though.) There should be some noticable resistance when you test draw, but not enough to suck your eyeballs into your skull, ("like water through a straw" is the popular analogy).

OR

You could dry the tobacco out AND pack it a little tighter, but you won't know which one contributed to a longer burn if it occurs.

Sometimes it just works out that you'll use 3 or 4 matches for the entire bowl, if that. Other times, you'll need more.

Oh, and by the way, I'm a total newb too.

I found out the problem (at least for the min.)
The problem lies in the pipe, not the user (other than being an idiot and not thinking of it)
The stem was not connecting airtight with the bowl. so all this whistling ive been hearing was from the air around the stem, not through the baccy.
So, lets try this again without any more dumba$$ noob mistakes if possible...
Thanks for the help Scott. Even though you forgot to mention the possibility of the entire problem being "user is a moron":r

EDIT...after a few min of fooling with this POS, burning my tounge, and trying to find the right twist of stem to get air....ive decided its simply a case of get what you pay for...im gonna find a clay pipe if i can. something simple that i can see if i like it or not.

icemncmth

02-08-2006, 07:40 AM

The burning is caused by steam....and you can get that with dry tobacco....A lot of the time a "new" pipe smoker will "draw" too hard...

Pipe smoking is an art form in itself...start with small baby puffs. When you pack the bowl start with the "Three step method".

1. fill the bowl with loose tobacco..or gravity feed it. Then take your finger and press the tobacco to half way down the pipe...

2. the gravity feed it again till the bowl is full...then take your finger and press the tobacco to 3/4 full.

3. gravity feed again and over fill the tobacco a little bit..

Then light the bowl..the tobacco will expand and after a couple of small puffs you will tamp the tobacco down. When you tamp you use very little pressure and all you are really doing is pushing down the ash...

-ice

Scott M

02-08-2006, 11:22 AM

Breaking In A New Pipe

From the Pipes.org FAQ (http://www.pipes.org/asp_FAQ.html)

The process of "breaking in" a pipe serves two functions.
First, any saps, resins, acids, stains, demons, or other nasty
things that have remained in the briar are driven out. Second, and
most importantly, a "cake"--the layer of charred residue that
builds up inside the bowl as tobacco is smoked in it--is developed.
This cake protects the bowl of the pipe from the heat of burning
tobacco and prevents it from "burning out." It should be noted that
most of the information in this section applies to briar pipes only.
Most other pipes require no break in period, or at most a very brief
one. Additionally, one should not allow a cake to build up in a
meerschaum or clay, as this could cause the bowl to crack.

It is important to smoke a new pipe slowly, to avoid damaging
the naked briar. Some recommend that a new pipe be filled only
one-third to one-half full for the first several smokes, after which
the bowl can be filled a little more with each smoke. To be honest,
this procedure is not necessary, but I always recommend it--and
usually practice it--because it is all too easy to damage a new pipe
through carelessness. Don't try to rush the break-in period, and
don't be overly concerned if a new pipe has a bitter taste. Some
pipes break in easier than others, and it is not uncommon for a pipe
that is very difficult to break in to mature into a great smoker.

Some pipes are sold with a bowl coating designed to protect the
briar until a cake is built up (sometimes such bowls are called "pre-
carbonized"). Many pipes, however, are not so treated. While a
"naked" bowl is not likely to be damaged so long as the pipe is
smoked slowly, many people advocate preparing the bowl interior of a
new pipe. Some recommend that the inside of the bowl be dampened
with water to protect the briar, while others recommend honey, or a
mixture of honey and water. Honey may help a cake form more quickly,
but after trying all of these techniques I find that these days I
tend to use plain water or nothing at all.

(Note: it has been mentioned that using a sugared substance can overheat the interior walls and leaves a weakly adhered char, leading to a weakly adhered cake. YMMV.)

Finally, do not smoke a new pipe outdoors if you can possibly
avoid it. Even a gentle breeze will cause the pipe to burn much
hotter than it would indoors, which can irreparably damage a briar
that is not protected by a cake. I've never had a problem smoking my
pipes outdoors (after they've been broken in, of course), but if
you're concerned about possible damage, you can purchase wind caps
from your tobacconist which will shield the burning tobacco from the
effects of wind.

Scott M

02-22-2006, 06:15 AM

Pipe Tobacco Touchstones (http://agingfaq.nocturne.org/touchstones.php#virginias), from the Pipe Tobacco Aging Storage and Cellaring FAQ.

The idea behind this list is to give the intermediate pipe smoker a specific and convenient list of blends to try, in order to broaden one's tastes and establish greater common ground with one's fellow pipesmokers.

Not definitive, and certainly not all-encompassing, (as noted by the author), but a good list of readily available examples of common styles of pipe tobacco.

Scott M

02-22-2006, 11:11 AM

Breath Smoking. (http://www.glpease.com/Articles/BreathSmoking.html)

From the G.L. Pease website.

Scott M

02-24-2006, 11:06 AM

A list of general recomendations for buying estate pipes, (esp. off of Ebay):

Madradin Raud: As several newcomers have been asking about value for money and purchasing pipes in general , I thought I'd share some advice I gave in a PM . Be careful on e bay. As a newbie -

1) Don't be afraid to ask advice on the boards or by PM. By and large people won't bid against fellow members on e bay.

2) ALWAYS look at the sellers record. I generally won't bid if a seller has a less than 99% approval rating. Read his or her feedback.

3) Check Postage costs - some sellers charge a lot more - always find out in advance! If it's expensive and it's still a good deal, still bid but adjust your bid with the post cost in mind. It's worth asking the seller - before you bid - if they can ship at a lower price - some new sellers especially from the USA - don't realise that there can be cheaper options. I often ask them to ship the slowest way which although it can mean waiting 4 weeks rather than 5-7 days can cut costs dramatically.

4) Ask questions about the condition. If pictures aren't clear ask for more pictures - e.g if you cannot see the rim of a pipe, don't bid as it could be burned to blazes! If it's a falcon ask if the seller has unscrewed the bowl! If it hasn't been cleaned for 10 years it may in effect have ended up welded together by gunk! If the seller doesn't reply or isn't helpful or evasive, assume the worst and move on. There are thousands of pipes on e bay. Another one the same or close will come along.

5) ALWAYS check new price and check estate prices from dealers via Google. If the ask is higher than similar from a reputable dealer then don't bid. The price is too high!

6) Don't get into bidding battle with another seller.It's easy to fall into that trap. I was looking at a nice Brebbia that two guys were fighting over - in reasonable condition it started at $20 and ended up over $120 . That pipe is available new between $86 and $120. I was desperate to buy a pipe the same as my father had - I nearly entered a bidding war on one - it went at $60 - a month later I got another one the same in better condition for $16.

7) Check the conditions of payment - does the buyer take ****** ? 8) Certain sellers are reliable and excellent value. Get to know them and check their lists - Three whose pipes are always in good shape I have found are Mike Hammer, Gail's pipes, Hermit. Also an excellent seller - Frenchy's pipes. ( Disclaimer - I have no connection beyond having been a very satisfied customer with the 4 above mentioned sellers )

DRIFTER: If I can add maybe something... A member here, posted a fine, general list of questions one might consider asking an Ebay Seller. I've adopted it, with a few modifications. I don't always ask all these questions, depending on how good the description of the pipe and the quality and extent of photographs in the listing. However, I do use many of these questions, routinely. Also, when asking questions, keep in mind that many Sellers don't have much of a clue what they are selling at times, and avoid the use of "technical" pipe terms, whenever possible, or explain what information you are looking for from them.

Are there any cracks, chips, dings or dents anywhere on the pipe? If so, please describe and/or send me a photo.

Are there any fills or pits on the pipe, if so, where? ? If so, please describe and/or send me a photo.
Are there any teeth marks on the mouthpiece (stem)? If so, please describe and/or send me a photo.

What letters, numbers, words and/or symbols appear anywhere on the pipe?

What is the overall condition of the stem? Has it, for example, turned green over time?

Do the stem and shank come apart readily, but remain tight when reconnected?

Is the stem on the pipe, the original stem, if so, are there any repairs to the stem?

Is the original logo from the company who made the pipe, still on the stem of the pipe, if so, what is the condition of the logo?

What is the condition of the nomenclature stampings of letters, numbers and/or symbols, usually found on the shank of the pipe, between the bowl and the stem?

To avoid any unpleasant surprise when the pipe arrives, is there anything else I should know about this pipe?

Also, you may want to ask the Seller specific questions about a specific pipe. For example, some do not post the dimensions of a pipe. You can look at it, guess one set, buy it, and find it is not at all what you guessed it to be. Like other situations...when in doubt..ask. Plus, when I think the photos are not sufficient, and ask for more specific shots--and the Seller will not send them--the listing just gets dropped from my interest. There are some Sellers that say that "one picture is worth 1,000 words" for example. They only briefly describe a pipe, include one or more photo and barely respond to questions, if at all. I try to avoid these particular sellers, but there are some, from whom I bought anyway, successfully. It is a matter of trial and error, and trusting your own instincts about such listings.

A lot of pipes these days are far better described than they used to be. Sellers have responded to the market forces of Buyers asking a lot of questions, when the information was poor.

Patrick D: Here's my two cents worth. Instead of discussing brands, let's just talk about the mechanics of what makes a pipe a good one. Starting with the briar used in the making of the pipe, it should be well cured which requires boiling it to remove the tars, saps and resins that will make a pipe a bitter smoke. The better the job done at removing these impurities, the better chance you have of experiencing the sweetness of a well made pipe from the first match.

There is no hard or fast rule about the exact shape or size. There is no question of recommending any one shape above any other, the taste and virtue of a pipe lies in the quality of the material from which it is made, but I think it's safe to say that extremes of any kind should be avoided. No matter what form the outside of the bowl may take, the interior must be of the straight-walled kind to ensure even burning. I would not recommend a pipe of which the top of the bowl is narrower than the bottom, that it should resemble a "V" rather than an "A".

I think the really important points about the bowl of a pipe are it's depth and the thickness of it's walls. The best smoking is to going to be had from a pipe that gets as little heated as possible, plenty of wood is going to produce a generous pipe, while a pipe with too little wood is always going to be quick to become heated and almost impossible to hold on to. It is therefore essential that the heating surface should be large so that the heat can be easily dispersed with only a minimum reaching the outer surface of the bowl.

It's my personal opinion that a larger pipe is superior to a petite sized one. They could both be made out of the same hunk of briar but they will probably not have the same taste. This is because the smaller one, having thinner walls will get hot at once. You will barely have the pipe lit to your satisfaction before the lower portion of the tobacco gets hot, and the moisture that's inherent in tobacco will start to boil, whereas in a larger size the superheating is reserved at the top of the bowl, with more room for combustion which will result in a cooler smoke.

Another important factor to consider is the size which the channel is drilled to from the drought hole to the stem. You should never feel like your trying to suck honey through a straw, but rather you want the smoke to come to you easily without effort which will encourage you to smoke as slowly as you can while being able to keep the tobacco lit at a low smolder.

Plastic or ebonite or vulcanite are your two primary choices in materials used to fashion the stem and mouthpiece. A quality vulcanite stem is more comfortable for some, but does require more maintenance in keeping it clean and shiny than a Lucite or plastic stem does. Whichever material is used, the stem should be design so as to fit comfortably in your mouth with the least amount of effort required to hold onto.

Lastly, I'd like to touch on the differences between machined made pipes and handmade ones. Since I insist that briar selection is the major factor that will contribute to your smoking enjoyment, who do you think takes the most care in that selection? The company that mass produces 20,000 pipes per year on machines or the pipe maker who carefully selects each piece of briar he or she will be using? Pipe factories that have their briar picked and the bowls shaped before reaching them don't have hardly any control over what briar is used. They just take the piece, finish it, stick on a stem, coat the inside of the bowl with some type of vile crap, and sell it. The pipe maker who not only hand picks the briar, but also puts the briar through his own aging and curing under a watchful eye, attempts to deliver the very finest product he can produce. It's those pipes that give you the highest odds of obtaining a fine smoking instrument the first time around.

Hope some of this helps you in your quest,,,good luck, great smokes and best wishes!
Shamelessly copied form the Smokers Forums Archives. (http://www.archives.smokersforums.org/default.asp)

IHT edit - Scott, you don't have to make the quote smaller in size, it's actually harder for some of us to read. ;)

Scott M

03-04-2006, 09:11 AM

Reading material while you're on the... bus.

The Peterson Smokers Guild. (http://www.peterson.ie/smokersguild.asp?categoryID=16)

Nothing of real merit or financial incentive, (i.e. no freebies), but flyers touting Petersons line of tobaccos and a catalog of pipe styles and "interesting lifestyle features", if an article on Irish Bodhráns is interesting to ya. Nice pics of Charles Petersons personal pipe. Wish the Anniversary pipe really was an exact replication.

A purely partial performance for purveyors of pulchritudinous Peterson pipe ****.

:D

McClelland Tobacco Company Brochure. (http://pipeshowonline.com/McClelland-BrochureForm.aspx)

Makers of some remarkable VA tobaccos, in addition to their other styles. Just a flyer with descriptions of their lines, but nice since they don't have a website.

Scott"Ihavenofinancialinterestintheentitiesmentioned"M

Scott M

03-05-2006, 08:36 AM

And Still More On Pipe Break-In...

BREAKING IN A PIPE

Since first starting to smoke a pipe a little over 10 years ago, I have received verbal advice and have read many articles describing the proper technique to use in successfully breaking in (seasoning) a briar pipe. Some of these methods seem to be medieval and barbaric in nature, such as using a red-hot poker, packing the bowl with hot coals and filling the bowl with alcohol and setting it afire. There are four less extreme methods that I have tried:

*Using honey and/or alcohol to coat the bowl before smoking for the first time.

*Filling the bowl up to the top and proceeding to smoke it down to ash.

*Only filling the bowl half way for the first few bowls and then adding tobacco gradually until you’re at the top.

*Filling only a ¼ of the bowl for the first dozen smokes and then very gradually adding tobacco until you’ve reached the top.

Of these four methods, I have used the latter one to successfully break in hundreds of pipes and is the one that I will attempt to define and defend here.

The burning of tobacco in a pipe produces smoke that is a combination of mostly gas and steam with particles and flavorings that vary with the type and flavor of the tobacco your using. It’s the steam that we have all been taught to try and avoid as much as possible. We are told to beware of the moisture content of the tobacco and to use a pipe cleaner often to remove excess moisture from the dottle that lies in the bottom of the bowl.

To coat the bowl with a sugar product such as honey I think hurts us more than helps. Sugar melts at around 240 degrees, a temperature that is easily reached inside the bowl while smoking. If you don’t like the effect that steam produces in your mouth, caramelized sugar isn’t going to be high on your list either. I don’t enjoy the taste of burning honey, but would rather taste the natural sweetness produced by the briar alone. This point should raise the awareness of the benefits of buying a good quality briar in the first place, instead of a pipe you have to add a treatment of any kind to in order to get it to perform properly.

My goal with any pipe is to be able to smoke it down to the last piece of dottle at the bottom. Smoking tobacco that is at the proper moisture level, proper filling, use of the tamper to help maintain an even burn and using a cleaner regularly while smoking are all techniques that will help in achieving that goal.
Preparing your pipe for the rigors associated with that desired goal is why I recommend breaking in the bottom of the bowl first above all other methods.

When first applying a match or a good soft flamed pipe lighter to tobacco on the first light produces very high temperatures at the onset. The tobacco flares up, sometimes a small flame leaps up for just a moment before that first false light extinguishes itself. After using the tamper, the first relight produces that same high temperature, as well as the second and third before things settle down and you start to approach that “sweet spot” that is strived for with every bowl.
If you follow the practice of smoking a ½ full or completely full bowl during the break in you will not achieve the char or cake at the bottom that you will at the top. This isn’t just theory on my part, I invite you to prove it for yourself. Take a bowl that has been seasoned in this manner and by using a knife, gently scrape away a portion of the cake that has formed at the top. Make note of the amount of pressure you’ve applied and the amount of the char you’ve removed. Now move down to the bottom of the bowl and apply the same procedure there. You won’t be able to remove anywhere near the amount of cake from the bottom as you did from the top before you begin to see bare wood. This is because the pipe was allowed to break in from the top down, with the bottom of the bowl never receiving the same attention that the top of the bowl did.

Fill your virgin pipe with just enough slightly dry tobacco to fill the first ¼ of the bowl and fill it somewhat on the loose side. Make sure that the tobacco is even across the top. Use a match so as to be able to control the flame and while applying the flame to the top of the tobacco puff gently several times to allow the tobacco to light evenly. Continue taking short gentle pulls, using a tamper to mix the coals up with the unlit tobacco so that the entire top stays lit evenly along the sides. If a relight becomes necessary, follow the same procedure, insuring an even light across the top.

Smoke slowly and steadily. You may want to dump out some of the surface ash that forms so as to have a clear view of the top of the tobacco, regularly moving the tobacco and coals around, insuring that the sides are burning at the same rate as the middle. Using a cleaner while smoking will aid in removing the moisture that you really don’t want to settle at the bottom of the bowl. This is a good time to mention the advantages of having a pipe that has been well drilled and will accept a cleaner while smoking. Continue smoking the pipe until all the tobacco has been burnt to an ash. At this time, I use the pick of a pipe tool to gently loosen the remains of the smoke and any unsmoked tobacco, while taking care not to “bump” the sides or the bottom. Using an alcohol moistened cleaner to clean the stem and the shank, without disturbing the bottom of the bowl and your pipe is ready to rest and completely dry out before smoking again.

If you follow this procedure for the first 10 to 12 smokes you will see the char begin to form. When it looks right, begin to add tobacco in ¼ bowl increments, being patient in allowing the char that will begin to form on the sides to match the cake you’ve established on the bottom. Follow this procedure right up to the top, smoking the bowl down to the bottom every time.

You have now given your pipe the chance to become the pipe you will enjoy every bowl full through. You will notice that the pipe will start to smoke cooler and dryer. The taste and flavor of the tobacco will begin to improve and that “sweet spot” will tend to grow in size and the amount of time you have to enjoy it. The rest is a matter of maintenance, which is another story.

Stole this from somewhere, too.

Scott"pilferedpearls"M

Scott M

03-11-2006, 09:33 AM

Learning The Ropes.

Twist
Twist, also named Bogie, Pigtail or Rope, is one of the most archaic, but at the same time aesthetically impeccable means of cutting tobacco. Actually, one can only use the term ‘cut’ in relation to Twist tobacco conditionally, since this tobacco is in fact rolled. The preparation of the tobacco, or rather the tobacco mixture, is a long and expensive business and in certain aspects resembles the making of a cigar. Tobacco leaves of different types are piled up in the right order, then plaited, and finally covered with a special wrapper leaf. After that, the 1-2 cm thick roll is left to mature for a period of time.

Over the many years of its development, this method has been given numerous names, many of which have lost their meaning or acquired new ones.

The origin of rope tobacco is extremely exotic. At first, it was not smoked at all, but chewed. Like many other interesting things in the tobacco world, its invention was entirely due to English sailors. It was the tobacco of the cannoneers, since smoking on the wooden ships was a dangerous fire hazard, and smoking near the gunpowder stores was the height of foolishness. But their salt-soaked bodies demanded nicotine, so a way had to be found: the tobacco was twisted into rolls and left to soak for a long time in molasses. After that, it could be chewed.

From an excellent article (http://www.cigarclan.com/articles/2005/2/11/) on pipe tobacco, from Cigar Clan (http://www.cigarclan.com/), a Russian Cigar Magazine.

Upon initial inspection, the questions of "whos dog got loose in the factory and why did they ship me his droppings??" must be raised....

http://photos.imageevent.com/echo3mike/pipedreams/websize/DSC01215.JPG

http://photos.imageevent.com/echo3mike/pipedreams/websize/DSC01216.JPG

followed hard upon by "how in the name of all things Holy do I smoke this???".

It's really quite simple, but it needs a little work in order to get it into your pipe. First it needs to be... well... smaller. Easiest way to do this is with a cutting instrument, and as the population of cigar smokers here is pretty high, we MIGHT have something lying around to use;

http://photos.imageevent.com/echo3mike/pipedreams/websize/DSC01217.JPG

The tobacco can be left in "coins", and treated as any other flake tobacco, or it can be rubbed out. It can also be chopped finer;

http://photos.imageevent.com/echo3mike/pipedreams/websize/DSC01219.JPG

with a knife, ("'at's notta knife...") or in a powered kitchen cutting device. The size of the cuttings are left to the individuals discretion... as is how to explain using HRHs Cuisinart for your pipe tobacco.

Cheers!

Neuromancer

03-14-2006, 02:02 AM

Okay...so what's the general consensus of opinion on the honey thing? To bee or not to bee? I have a cheap Kaywoodie Drinkless ($20) that I'm tempted to use honey on just to really see if it makes a difference...however, I have a gorgeous Stanwell Calabash with two stems (bent and churchwarden) arriving in a day or two and I don't think I'll take a chance on honey with that...so what is the opinion on a new pipe as I want to get the Stanwell set up right... a third or half a bowl for a bit then fill it higher? Oh, btw, guys...thanks...just what I needed...another habit that costs $$$...and a special non-sarcastic thanks to Scott M...that Nording really found the right hands...I love it...and the selection of tobaccos was incredible also...we must have similar tastes...thanks again...

Scott M

03-14-2006, 06:02 AM

You're quite welcome.

As for honey, (or molassass, or corn syrup, or ...)...scroll up. Seems to create a less than desirable cake consistancy. The "partial bowl" train of thought insists that it helps form cake in the heel of the bowl, traditionally the hardest area to form cake in.

The connecting ideas in almost all of the noted methods is to smoke the initial bowls very slowly, and all the way to the bottom, regardless of the method employed. Keeping the bowl relatively cool(er) decreases the potential for early burn out, and smoking to the bottom helps form the protective layer in the heel.

Other than that, it's your call.

Peace.

Scott M

03-18-2006, 09:11 AM

The Care and Feeding of the Meerschaum Pipe.

Pipe smoking—
meerschaum-style

By Stephen A. Ross

Have you ever considered smoking a meerschaum pipe? The odds are that most of us have, and proudly display a couple of meerschaums in our collection. As early as the 17th century, people enjoyed smoking tobacco from meerschaum pipes and marveled at meerschaum’s ability to slowly change its color from its natural white to a reddish-brown. Most of today’s tobacconists continue to carry a number of meerschaum pipes, and there remains a strong cadre of meerschaum enthusiasts who welcome its ability to provide a clean-tasting smoke while almost magically changing color. Most of these meerschaum devotees have spent years smoking and experimenting with meerschaum pipes and have developed strong opinions about meerschaum pipes. We asked a panel of experts—SMS Meerschaums’ Beth Sermet, C.A.O.’s Cano Ozgener and Butera Pipe Co.’s Mike Butera—to share their wisdom. Each expert has kindly shared knowledge about which tobaccos smoke best in a meerschaum, cleaning meerschaum pipes, meerschaum’s coloration process, tips to enhance your meerschaum’s coloration, and the standards they use to judge a meerschaum’s color. Although they may disagree on certain points, our experts agree on one thing: They hope you will join them in their immense enjoyment of smoking meerschaum pipes.

According to our experts, the same criteria should be used when you are considering purchasing a pipe made of briar or meerschaum. Butera says, “You want to look at the same things. Although meerschaum is more porous than briar, it will still collect moisture. You want to make sure you can run a pipe cleaner through the entire pipe and you will want to check to see that the draft hole is at the bottom of the bowl.”

Another important item to consider is whether to purchase a pipe made from block or pressed meerschaum. “Block meerschaum is carved from stone that has been dug out of the earth, and pressed meerschaum is composed of meerschaum pieces that have been crushed, mixed with vegetable glue and formed into blocks. There’s a difference in the smoking quality in the beginning, but once they are broken in, they provide a similar smoking experience,” according to Butera. Our other two experts disagree with Butera and think there is a difference between the smoking qualities of block and pressed meerschaum. “It’s day and night,” Ozgener says. “The bonding material used in pressed meerschaum interferes with the natural way the tobacco smokes. The block meerschaum is lighter; it smokes much cooler; it breathes better; and it better absorbs tobacco’s tar and nicotine. Block meerschaum will also color better than pressed meerschaum, which doesn’t color without the use of artificial products. Well-made tobacco is intricate and you want it to be as unaffected as possible.” Sermet agrees, adding, “Pressed meerschaum is much less expensive than block meerschaum. Pressed meerschaum carves very much like block meerschaum, but you can’t achieve the extremely fine detail you see with block meerschaum.” Although pressed meerschaum has qualities similar to those of block meerschaum, Sermet states that a meerschaum pipe’s material should be clearly identified. “Other than our cala bash pipes, we don’t carry any pressed meerschaum pipes and we don’t think pressed meerschaum pipes should be considered equivalent to block meerschaum. Pressed meerschaum is mostly used in cigarette lighters and calabash pipes, and you must make sure that when you’re buying a meerschaum pipe, you’re buying one that’s made from block meerschaum.” Whether you decide to buy a meerschaum pipe carved from natural stone or one made from pressed meerschaum, there’s a vast variety of sizes, shapes and carvings from which to choose. A meerschaum pipe allows a smoker to display his own individuality, and someone thinking about buying a meerschaum should use great care when considering which pipe to buy.

Once you’ve decided what meerschaum to purchase, it’s time to choose your tobacco. Our panel agrees that the best tobacco to smoke is the tobacco you like. “Enjoyment of the tobacco is the first and most important thing. The fact that meerschaum also colors is an added benefit,” Ozgener says. “I wouldn’t recommend people switch blends just for coloration,” Sermet adds. “All tobaccos smoke great in meerschaums,” Butera says. “It takes a little longer for a meerschaum to break in using Latakia, but it’s great, too. Tobacco in a meerschaum smokes very dry and very neutral. There’s nothing added to the flavor of the tobacco, so what you get is the true flavor that the blender intended for it to have. It’s similar to smoking a clay pipe.” Butera has experimented with the effects of different tobaccos on meerschaum’s coloration process and found that “Latakia and aromatics will generally give the meerschaum a purplish-brown color, and Burleys and Virginias will cause the meerschaum to develop a golden hue, but eventually, all tobaccos will darken the meerschaum into a burgundy color. The most important thing is to smoke what you like, because the more you smoke, the quicker the pipe will change color.”

Cleaning a meerschaum pipe is very similar to cleaning a briar, but there are some special considerations to keep in mind. Sermet advises that when cleaning a pipe, it’s important to make sure the bowl and the shank are equally supported. “Don’t hold only the bowl, or the shank will twist off. It’s also important to periodically check the mortise and tenon to make sure the fitting is tight because moisture can deteriorate the fitting. I would also swab out the meerschaum’s bowl with a soft pipe cleaner to prevent cake accumulation. I wouldn’t use any cleaning fluids except perhaps brandy.” Ozgener agrees with much of Sermet’s advice, “The quality of the smoke from a clean meerschaum pipe is much better than from an unclean meerschaum pipe. Clean the stem with a pipe cleaner and disengage the mouthpiece only when the pipe is cool. You have to support the shank of the meerschaum when you disengage the stem. Then you clean the pipe’s shank and clean the inside of the bowl with a blunt object. In my opinion, you don’t want any cake residue in meerschaum. The cake can expand and contract at a different rate than the meerschaum, which could cause the pipe to crack.”

Butera generally agrees with Ozgener and Sermet, but thinks that decisions about cake or cleaning fluids should be left to the individual. “I personally like to have cake on all of my pipes because I think it provides a cleaner, drier and more delicious smoke. Some people think that cake will prevent a pipe from coloring as quickly, but I don’t think that’s true. If you decide to build a cake, don’t let it get any bigger than a nickel’s thickness. I’ve smoked a lot of meerschaum pipes in my life and I’ve never had one break because of the cake in it. As far as cleaning a meerschaum is concerned, you can use pipe sweeteners, but avoid getting them on the outside surface of the meerschaum.”

The meerschaum’s ability to change color is enhanced by a coating of molten wax. Each carver has his own formula for mixing in the proportions of beeswax and paraffin to create this wax. According to Sermet, “The more beeswax mixed in with paraffin, the better the pipe will color.” Sermet once cut open a meerschaum to see how wax helps a meerschaum color. “The moisture of the tobacco and the residue bleed into the pipe from the un-waxed smoking chamber. The meerschaum acts as a sponge and pulls these liquids into the pipe. The wax holds the residue on the surface instead of letting it evaporate.” Butera says, “Meerschaums are easy to color. Smoke your meerschaum pipe a couple of times each day for three or four weeks until it’s become saturated. You’ll know it’s saturated because it will be heavier and it will take a lot more pipe cleaners to keep it clean. Once it’s saturated, let it dry out for approximately one month. The residue that was absorbed by the pipe will slowly move toward the pipe’s surface and the beeswax will keep it from evaporating.”

The beeswax is the most crucial factor in developing a nicely colored meerschaum pipe. There are two important things to avoid if you want to preserve your beeswax—don’t handle the pipe with dirty hands when it’s warm, and avoid getting the pipe too hot. Ozgener says, “The softened beeswax can pick up dirt or leave the impression of fingerprints on the pipe’s surface.” Sermet recommends smoking the pipe 10 times holding only the stem. “After your 10th time smoking the pipe, the wax should be adjusted to your smoking style. After that, handle it however you like.” Butera admits that he handles his meerschaums when he smokes them, but emphatically warns, “You have to have clean hands because the beeswax will pick up dirt. When it softens, the beeswax will take any dirt on your hands, which will then penetrate into the wax and be extremely difficult to get out. Another thing to watch out for is to keep the pipe from getting too hot—otherwise, you will melt the wax.”

Butera has revived the use of the coloring bowl, a tool that smokers used a century ago to aid the coloring process. Butera’s coloring bowls fit into a meerschaum’s bowl and allow you to smoke your tobacco without getting the pipe too hot. “It turns your entire meerschaum pipe into a shank and allows the pipe to color more evenly, because it won’t get too hot and you won’t melt the wax.” If you decide to use a coloring bowl to help you color your meerschaum, Butera suggests you attach it to your pipe before you smoke it for the first time.

A meerschaum’s color is judged by three factors—its uniformity, depth and beauty. “Uniformity of color is most important for me,” Ozgener says. “I look to see if the pipe is colored throughout its surface, or if there are splotches where it doesn’t color as well. Sometimes a pipe colors darker in some areas than in others, but I would prefer to see a pipe that’s colored all around even though its coloration isn’t dark. The second thing I look for is depth of coloring, or how dark the pipe has become. It tells you how much a person has smoked his pipe.” Butera agrees that uniformity is more important than depth, but adds, “You’ve got to realize that block meerschaum is a natural substance. Like other natural substances, block meerschaum will have varying degrees of porosity throughout its structure that will make it absorb moisture at different rates. This will cause the meerschaum to color unevenly. You have to look at the pipe’s color with the knowledge that some areas aren’t going to color as well. If its color is nearly even, you know that the smoker didn’t overheat the pipe. I think the pipe’s darkness is not as important.” Sermet agrees that uniformity and depth of color are important, but argues that judging how a meerschaum’s color enhances the overall composition of the pipe is paramount. “There are some examples of pipes I’ve seen that didn’t have an even coloration but were simply stunning to see. It really depends on the pipe’s design. I look to see the overall effect of the coloring on the pipe and ask myself if it’s more beautiful after it’s been colored.”

Meerschaum pipes have been around for a long time, and they have developed a devoted group of admirers through the years. These advocates of meerschaum smoking have created techniques and methods that each believes will best transform a white meerschaum pipe into a stunning work of art through the coloration process. Now that you’ve read our experts’ advice, you are armed with the information you need to develop your own works of art while enjoying one of your favorite pastimes. Go ahead—now’s the time to smoke your pipe, meerschaum-style.

From P&T Magazine (http://www.pt-magazine.com/backissues/spring2002/).

Sa'alaam.

Franksmith

03-18-2006, 05:02 PM

nice one, scott.
oddly enough, i've been scouring some of the meerschaum makers websites, looking for something i like. my little SMS "squat banker" is nice, but the bowl is so small. i should take that to work for "breaks", just have to figure out what tobacco to go with it.

i think a very nice meer will be my next pipe, nothing fancy, just smooth, big enough bowl, nice bit and shape.

So is it bad, inconvenient etc. to smoke different blends in the same pipe? I am starting modestly (thanks to Pat)... so...

How many pipes do I really/actually need if I want to try out different tobaccos and have at least one or two bowls a day without goofing up my pipes?

Geez Greg.... your ebay thread is already killing me :p

IHT

03-18-2006, 06:12 PM

So is it bad, inconvenient etc. to smoke different blends in the same pipe? I am starting modestly (thanks to Pat)... so...
IHT - most ppl smoke the same "style" of tobacco in the same pipe. there are many styles: aromatics, virginia blends, oriental/english/scottish blends, etc. and you don't want to smoke the same pipe a few times a day, every day... you have to have a rotation.
if you're going to collect, you could end up with 2 pipes per tobacco that you smoke (that's a lot) - 1 big bowl, and 1 small bowled pipe.

How many pipes do I really/actually need if I want to try out different tobaccos and have at least one or two bowls a day without goofing up my pipes?
IHT - you could get by with 3 or 4, easily, if you were sampling different types of tobacco (as i mentioned in the above portion).

reply in the quote.

Franksmith

03-18-2006, 06:57 PM

Thanks Greg...

I been cruising the "ending soonest" column at ebay for about an hour... I bought one already for $4.... I don't see too many that are looking that cheap but I have a bunch in my "watching" bin.

So where is any/everyone buying their tobacco? I have seen some places mentioned... I think I will go check if there is a thread dedicated to preferred vendors... if not, maybe I'll start one. I sure am glad the tobacco end of this pleasure is (relatively) inexpensive...

IHT

03-18-2006, 09:02 PM

So where is any/everyone buying their tobacco? I have seen some places mentioned... I think I will go check if there is a thread dedicated to preferred vendors... if not, maybe I'll start one. I sure am glad the tobacco end of this pleasure is (relatively) inexpensive...
yep, in the stickied "pipe websites" link.
i've been doing some comparison shopping for tobacco lately, and the cheapest place i've found for the majority of tobacco's has been http://www.smokingpipes.com/

Scott M

03-25-2006, 10:12 AM

Pipe Mud; Minor Pipe Repair.

From aspipes / NASPC Newsletter

Pipe Mud:
A Solution to the Problem of the High Draft Hole, and Other Pipe Bowl
Problems

There is a frequently occurring problem among pipes of nearly all
grades and brands that seldom receives the attention it deserves.
Unfortunately there has been no satisfactory solution that pipe
collectors and enthusiasts can actually put to use with relative ease.
It is the problem of the high draft hole (also known as the air hole
or shank drilling). A high draft hole is a condition that occurs when
the drilling through the shank of a pipe meets the bowl or tobacco
chamber at a point higher than its bottom. In other words, the draft
hole and the bottom of the bowl do not meet flush. The net result is
that due to the high drilling, the bottom of the bowl of the pipe does
not get properly caked. It gets wet and sometimes rank, and the pipe
may not draw as well as it should. It seems to occur more often with
bent pipes.

High draft holes are a problem with workmanship and are seldom
mentioned among pipesmokers or carvers, as most people believe that
little or nothing can be done about them. I have known several pipe
collectors who will avoid any pipe with a high draft hole due to the
fact that the condition severely diminishes the proper function of the
pipe as a smoking instrument. I have seen many expensive Dunhills,
Charatan Supremes, Castello Greatlines, and other high grade pipes
with this problem. I would like to offer an approach to this dilemma.
I make no claims to this being the perfect solution but it does seem
to work, and seems relatively harmless as well. It was jointly
developed around 20 years ago by myself and my good friend Terry
McLoughlin who is now the manager of the fine Port Royal Pipe and
Cigar shop in Toledo, Ohio.

The Technique

Our solution is what we call "pipe mud." We experimented with other
solutions to the problem, including many variations involving the use
of honey, but pipe mud was by far the best. Please allow me to
describe it to you. Pipe mud is a mixture of fine cigar ash crushed
into fine powder, and then mixed in the right combination with water,
so as to produce a thick "paste" or "mud" that can fill in the bottom
of the bowl of a pipe. The bottom of the bowl is filled in with mud
to eventually meet the lower end of the draft hole. Unlike honey and
ash combinations, pipe mud is a nonsticky paste, and it can be formed
or molded in any way the smoker wishes. But the best way is by using
a pipe cleaner inserted through the shank, to serve as a guide to
build a well shaped "false bottom" at the entrance of the draft hole.
This simulates the actual conditions of a proper drilling by a
competent pipemaker, and compensates for the lack of precision in the
making of that pipe. The best tools to form the new bottom seems to
be the rounded outside of the "spoon" of a pipe tool, and the rounded
end of a pipe tamper (if you have one of that sort) to round out the
new bottom.

The single most important point to remember about making pipe mud is
that the cigar ash and water must be mixed properly or the entire
effort will be wasted. If too much water is used in the mix, the pipe
mud will easily crumble, flake away, and disintegrate. The mixing
should be thorough and complete. When mixing, as little water as
possible should be used, so that there is no reflective "sheen" of the
water showing on the surface of the "mud." If too little water is
used, the ash will separate and the mix will not become cohesive. The
ideal combination is to have so little water in the mix that any less
will cause that separation. Mixing should be very thorough, and I use
a pipe tool spoon to do the job. It takes a bit of practice but
eventually one gets the knack. After creating the "false bottom" of
the bowl, the mud should be allowed two full days to dry, so that the
water can evaporate and the pipe mud can harden and "grab" onto the
walls of the bowl. After the mud is dry, it is a good idea to gently
rub it with a finger and blow out any loose grains before smoking.
The pipe can then be smoked and a new cake can be formed over and upon
the new surface. When done right, the pipe mud job is completely
unnoticeable after a few bowls of tobacco. Of course, one would want
to inform any new or prospective owner of the pipe that it had
undergone this treatment.

Pipe mud has several important advantages. When properly mixed it
dries very hard, almost as hard as cake. It adds little or no flavor
to tobacco, and is made of a completely inert, noncombustible
material. Unlike honey, it will not run down the sides of the bowl
when it heats up, and leaves no carbon residue from excess sugar. It
is very readily and easily caked over by the normal process of
smoking. Remarkably, it is absorbent of moisture, more so than briar
itself. Another advantage is that it can be removed with a standard
reaming tool if one decides to get rid of it. A final advantage of
pipe mud is that it is inexpensive, costing no more than the enjoyment
of a fine cigar or two. It is important to add that only high quality
cigars should be used for this process, so that no bits of tobacco
residue are embedded in the ash.

Other Uses of Pipe Mud

In addition to adjusting high draft holes, we used it to fix heat
fissures in the inside of bowls for customers, and to fill in heat
cracks around a draft hole that is starting to burn out. Hungarian
and full bent shapes are especially prone to such burnout due to the
steep angle of the shank bore into the bowl. Pipe mud can protect
areas that are starting to burn. With regard to another form of draft
hole problem, my friend Jeff Goldman once acquired a Ser Jacopo Picta
that had one side of the draft hole literally burned away from
combustion. He used pipe mud to fill in and restore the old draft
hole and the pipe now smokes wonderfully. Recently, a friend from the
Christopher Morley Pipe Club in Philadelphia told me with some concern
that a favorite old Ben Wade had mysteriously formed large heat cracks
in the inner bowl walls. This sometimes happens through no fault of
the pipe smoker. After all, briar is a thing of nature and subject to
the laws of physics. My friend made a batch of pipe mud and pressed
it into those cracks and caked it over with great success, saving the
pipe.

Another use for pipe mud has been for bowls or tobacco chambers with a
"U" shaped bottom, that is, one that does not allow tobacco to burn
completely and, consequently, leaves too much dottle in the bottom of
the bowl. In these cases, pipe mud can be used to reshape the bottom
of the bowl, tapering it gently into the draft hole, as it might
appear in a well bored pipe. This greatly increases the efficiency of
the draw, and makes for much less accumulation of dottle. In another
case, I once acquired a Castello Collection Greatline that was so
poorly reamed that the cake was plagued with large uneven lumps, and
with craters in the cake that went all the way down to bare wood. It
was quite disconcerting to see that such a great pipe had been so
poorly treated. I carefully smoothed the lumps with a 3-sided pipe
knife/reamer (made by Savinelli), filled in the craters with pipe mud
(to protect the bare wood), and caked it over by smoking my favorite
tobacco. After smoking 3 or 4 bowls one would never have known there
was a problem. Although there is a just a hint of cigar taste when
pipe mud is applied to the walls (but not draft holes) of a pipe, in
this case that Greatline was smoking great after those 3 or 4 bowls.

Many of my fellow pipe smokers have used pipe mud successfully. My
friend Bill Feild, a discerning collector and a long time critic of
high draft holes, has used pipe mud to great advantage to compensate
for the poor drillings of several of his pipes. I should mention,
however, that we use this stuff very conservatively, only if and when
there is need. There is no point in overdoing it or getting fancy
with this method. In closing, I know that this approach might be
controversial for some, but please bear in mind that pipe mud can
usually be removed with a good pipe reamer. We have never had any
negative consequences as a result of using it. In any case, I welcome
comments, criticisms, suggestions for improvement, or better solutions
to the high draft hole, a problem that remains, nevertheless, in need
of more attention.

Fred Hanna
Baltimore, Maryland

Scott M

03-25-2006, 07:26 PM

Stem Refinishing By Hand
How not to be afraid of estate stems.

In a prior post, I did a little bit regarding polishing the stem on estate pipes. But what happens when the stem is in really poor condition with oxidation, scratches and un-namable crud? Many professionals and some hobbyists have electric buffers, but what to do if you don't have one? All it takes is some slightly specialized but less expensive items, and a little elbow grease.

First, I had to find a stem* in said bad condition;

http://photos.imageevent.com/echo3mike/pipedreams/websize/DSC01228.JPG

http://photos.imageevent.com/echo3mike/pipedreams/websize/DSC01230.JPG

First, it needed to be soaked in Oxyclean to sanitize it and clean the bore out a little. Since it has an emblem, I placed a small drop of vaseline on it to protect the emblem, (in this case, the emblem was a small gold colored metal circle. The Oxyclean wouldn't have hurt it, but emblems that are painted on can be dissolved by this, so I made an example).

http://photos.imageevent.com/echo3mike/pipedreams/websize/DSC01232.JPG

And the result after 2 hours: a flim of gunk has covered the stem from the residue;

http://photos.imageevent.com/echo3mike/pipedreams/websize/DSC01235.JPG

Continued;

Scott M

03-25-2006, 07:28 PM

Stem Refinishing By Hand
How not to be afraid of estate stems.

Part II

To remove this film, I went back to the Magic Eraser;

http://photos.imageevent.com/echo3mike/pipedreams/websize/DSC01238.JPG

And where it left off;

http://photos.imageevent.com/echo3mike/pipedreams/websize/DSC01239.JPG

Oxyclean leaves the surface in a fairly rough condition. However, my first job out of High School was at the local MAACO auto body shop, so I'm vaguely familiar with achieving a mirror finish. I took some 600 grit sandpaper, followed by some 1500 grit to knock the rough down to a smoother level. Some have found good result with products from Micromesh (https://www.micro-surface.com/default.cfm?page_id=1), with abrasives down to 16000 grit. WARNING: It's entirely possible to remove edges with this part... be careful. This was then followed by automotive rubbing compound. This part is where you'll make your money if you spend a little time with it.

To finish it off and protect it, I shined it up with some regular Kiwi natural shoe polish. The wax will help protect it from getting in that quite so much oxidation and crud again, at least for a while;

http://photos.imageevent.com/echo3mike/pipedreams/websize/DSC01246.JPG

In the prior post, I mentioned Olive oil as a method to shine pipes up. It's OK, but brief...looked good in the photo though, didn't it? The shoe polish works much better while protecting at the same time, plus it won't leave you wanting an order of linguini after your smoke. The end result was a close to mirror finish;

http://photos.imageevent.com/echo3mike/pipedreams/websize/DSC01252.JPG

http://photos.imageevent.com/echo3mike/pipedreams/websize/DSC01253.JPG

Sadly I'm better at sanding things than I am at taking photographs, but I can see outlines / shapes, with some parts showing details... very smooth, glossy black finish. 'Couple hours of work will bring back a nasty stem and keep it looking great for a long time.

And none of you bizznitches had better be saying anything like "ScottM spent all day Saturday polishing his pipe...winkwinknudgenudge!"

*Thanks to John B. Hayes & Sons Tobacconist (http://www.johnbhayes.com/), Fair Oaks Mall, Fairfax, VA. for providing this.

Scott M

04-04-2006, 06:04 AM

G.L. Pease on Rehydrating Tobacco.

Q: What should I do about a tobacco that's too dry?

A: My method is to put the tobacco in a large, clean bowl, and cover the bowl with a damp towel. The towel should not touch the tobacco. Check the tobacco every couple hours, and when it reaches the moisture level you like, store it in an airtight container. Glass "bail top" jars work well, but be sure to clean them thoroughly. (See the next item on mold.)

Different tobaccos take up moisture at different rates. The denser leaf, like Virginias and some orientals, take up moisture very slowly. Spraying with water is dangerous, since it's difficult to control the overall moisture level of the tobacco. It's hard to evaluate the difference between damp leaf and soggy leaf. The method outlined above is pretty much foolproof.

Scott M

04-13-2006, 06:25 PM

DATING ENGLISH TINNED TOBACCO.
John C. Loring (http://www.loringpage.com/attpipes/tobdatepaper.html)

Interesting page / site. For the lovers of the TRUELY arcane.

Scott M

04-16-2006, 08:51 AM

What makes a Good Smoke?
Mark Tinsky (http://www.amsmoke.com/), from his Pipe Musings (http://www.amsmoke.com/Writings/PIPE_ESSAYS/Musing_folder/Musing_index.html) page.

In the past few weeks posters have been discussing and evaluating the relative importance of briar in smoking pipes. I think there are others factors equally important that while obvious to the experienced smoker may not be evident to the newbie. There are times when the experience of pipe smoking is indescribable. The subtle, textured taste of your favorite tobacco is a pleasure to behold. Unfortunately every smoke is not like that.

Of foremost importance in getting a good smoke is finding a tobacco that tastes good and smokes well. When I first started smoking a pipe I started on, what else, Middleton's Cherry Blend and a corncob. I still remember glimmers of good taste before my tongue was reduced to char by that hot burning blend. I think it was that hint of good taste that kept me smoking. While working for Jack Weinberger I was exposed to Tinder Box blends and smoked their Crown Royale. Working for a pipe maker I had a free supply of good pipes too. However, while Crown Royale was better than Cherry Blend, that elusive good smoke wasn' t there for me yet.

Sometime in the early 80's I discovered Georgetown Tobacco. I wound up smoking one of there blends for a while that was made by Lane Ltd. Its trade name is I-Q. That blend tasted similar to the Vanilla flavored Crown Royale but it burnt better. I remember CR as being kind of gooey toward the bottom. As I became a more experienced smoker I was able to consistently pack a pipe better, draw the smoke more evenly and control the burn. Though the good smoke, wasn' t consistent yet. While I was able to get I- Q at almost any good shop it suffered from a lot of the problems associated with aromatics.

In my quest to find a better burning tobacco that still has a sweet taste I experimented and liked Mac Barren's Golden Extra and a few years later their Navy Flake. I now smoke these blends exclusively and one in one set of pipes and one in another. When I get a new pipe I smoke it with the Golden Extra, if its not sweet it usually works great for the Navy Flake. Golden Extra seems to smoke best in shorter straighter bowls, Navy Flake in tapers. I m very happy with this two tobacco, two set of pipes situation. Most of the time I get a really fine smoking experience with it.

I realize there are other factors involved. One I rotate my pipes a lot. I try not to smoke one more than once a week. Is this strictly necessary? Probably not, but I usually get a good smoke when I do this

. I think a great factor in tobacco tasting good is temperature. Many people talk about Canadians smoking cool. As an experiment a few years back I made sort of a water pipe without the water. I used a briar free standing bowl connected to a three foot tube that I fitted over a regular bit. It smoked cool, very cool, but tasted lousy. Kind of like cold pizza tastes. Tobacco needs some heat to bring out its flavor. Too much or too little and its untastable. I' ve never heard any studies done on this but I would bet there is a certain temperature envelope where tobacco tastes the best. I think this is why I prefer smoking indoors where I can control the airflow into the pipe better.

In summary I think the most important factors in a good smoke are a good tasting, good burning tobacco, and a good pipe. When I say good pipe I mean one that is broken in, dry, and not sealed with lacquer and soaked in stain. I think for a pipe to function well in the long run it needs to have some grain which facilitates the pipes drying function. For a newbie I'd recommend pipes without any stain in the bowls or even any coloring on the outside. Don t worry about the fills. Peterson makes a nice line of Natural seconds that are excellent starter pipes. Lastly, experience in controlling the burn, keeping the tobacco warm enough to taste good but not so hot as to burn

. I guess if this was easy there would be a lot more pipe smokers. A great smoke is the result of experimenting and practice. People who are seeking immediate gratification generally aren't pipe smokers. For those who take the time to find a Good Smoke, the wait is well worth it. Mark Tinsky

American Smoking Pipe Co.
HC 88 Box 223
Pocono Lake, Pa. 18347

Scott M

04-23-2006, 05:12 PM

Still MORE on Breaking In A Pipe...

THE MYSTERIES OF THE BREAK-IN PROCESS
Fred Hanna

There is quite a bit of hidden mystery involved in the outwardly familiar phenomenon of breaking in a pipe. The traditional wisdom says that developing a cake is the primary process through which a pipe eventually attains that nutty, rich, sweet flavor that we all have come to love.

I have come to the conclusion that attributing this great flavor to merely developing a cake is rather like saying that a car reaches great speeds solely because of a great number of cubic inches in the engine. Of course, cubes are an important aspect of what contributes to speed, but this is hardly the entirety of the story. There is also the influence of weight, cams, turbo charging, type of fuel, the exhaust system, aerodynamics, and so forth. If all one has is a big engine in a huge, heavy frame, the car can actually be quite tame. On the other hand, a lot of horsepower can be generated from a relatively small engine, without much in the way of cubic inches. Similarly, the cake in the tobacco chamber of a pipe is but one of a variety of factors. I have put a fine cake on pipes that still never really broke in no matter what I did and never quite achieved that aforementioned great taste. It is
clear that there is more to this story.

Before we address the mysteries, however, let us give the importance of cake its due. Cake builds up in the tobacco chamber, as we know, and mostly consists of carbon residue from the burning tobacco. We also know that carbon can absorb hundreds of times its own weight in other substances. The net result in a pipe is that much of the impurities in the tobacco smoke is absorbed or filtered by the cake, which "mellows" the smoke delivered to the tongue, especially if the bottom of the pipe has some cake. However, because of the capacity for absorption, relatively little cake is actually needed for a great-smoking pipe. I believe that we need far less than the traditional thickness of a dime. Thus, only a bit of cake is generally good for break-in purposes.However, the traditional explanation of break-in stops right around this point. I have been collecting notes on breaking in a pipe for quite a few months now and would like to mention a few observations and speculations. For example, on the topic of cake, I have owned pipes that smoked well from the first bowl, with no bowl coating, but do not improve to any noticeable extent as a cake developed. Curiously, several years ago I bought a Charatan Selected from a guy who loved to ream pipes. He took the cake in that poor pipe down to bare walls, but you would never have known it by smoking it. It tasted sweet and nutty with no cake whatsoever. That was when I began to question how much the cake actually has to do with flavor and taste.

There are some other phenomena that got me to questioning the traditional wisdom. Some pipes smoke great from the first bowl and without any carbon coating in the bowl from the pipemaker whatsoever. And they then continue to get better and better. Contrast this with the fact that other pipes can smoke quite poorly--bitter and harsh--at first but then end up surpassing in smoking quality some pipes that smoked great from the beginning. An example of this is a Castello Collection Fiammata I currently own, as well as a L'Anatra Fiammata. I have had other pipes in which the first bowl was quite good and then the quality of the smoke degraded over the next four or five bowls and only then proceeded to improve. Why is this? What is going on here? I don't have the entire answer, but I would like to share with you a few thoughts on this matter. For the remainder of this discussion, LET US ASSUME THAT ALL THE PIPES DISCUSSED HERE ARE WELL MADE AND THEIR BRIAR WELL CURED so that we can focus on particular variables relative to the break-in process.

As for curing the briar, the traditional wisdom tells us that sap in a briar block is a bad thing, and there is no doubt that too much of it can clog a pipe and make it heat up and smoke wet. However, I have long wondered if saps may not be as horrible as many of us have come to believe. Breaking in a pipe may well involve heating--COOKING if you will--the remaining saps in that briar as well as the wood itself. Wood is vegetal material, of course, but we tend to easily overlook this. Wood will slightly undergo subtle changes in its structure as it absorbs and endures heat from the burning leaf. Heat is one of the most powerful catalysts known to chemistry, and this "cooking effect" may be what is primarily responsible for that highly sought after sweet and nutty flavor to the smoke. Remember that the great taste of Vermont maple syrup (which is actually tree sap) only manifests after it is cooked for a long time and converted into that wonderful liquid. It is quite nasty before the cooking. Similarly, smoking tobacco certainly cooks the sap remaining in the briar after curing, and it cooks the wood itself as well. Just as the taste of a carrot or a clove of garlic changes after cooking or roasting, the taste of briar can change as it cooks or roasts during the smoking process. It can become sweeter and more mellow, and this translates as "breaking in."

I like the taste of briar, and I do not get excited over a pipe brand that seeks to remove all taste of the wood. If I wanted to remove all taste imparted from the smoking instrument itself, I would favor meerschaum. This line of inquiry makes me inclined to wonder if it is possible to "overcure" a pipe, that is, to remove so much of the flavor of the wood that the briar is left with no flavor at all. Some may believe more curing is better because it allows only the flavor of the tobacco to come through. But for me, I LIKE the taste of that briar, especially in those instances when it adds that sweet, mellow, nuttiness. Unfortunately, not all chunks of briar add that sweet and nutty flavor after being fully broken in. It is a matter of degrees, and, once again, we come down to the variables in the briar itself, apart from brand. Many great grained pieces of briar do not have this flavor, while other plain pieces do, and this is one of the great mysteries of pipe smoking.

I recently spoke at length with Rainer Barbi on this subject. He and I both agreed that the soil and climate in which the heath tree grew have a major role to play in how that briar tastes, as I have written previously. There are so many possible variations of climate and soil content that we still have much to learn as to which combination produces the best-tasting briar. However, Rainer and I both agreed that it is not a matter of geographical origin. In other words, whether the briar is from Greece, Corsica, or Italy is not an issue on the factor of taste. Each of those regions contains within its borders many microclimates and soil variations. And, of course, even though the briar is from the best environment, it must be well cured, and, as a pipe, it must be well made, or it will not produce a satisfying smoke, as we all know. And just for the record, I would not dream of using honey to break in a pipe.

There are quite a few variables involved in the break-in process that I have not addressed. I would like to hear the views of other pipe lovers on the various aspects of this fascinating part of our hobby.

From The North Armerican Society of Pipe Collectors website. (http://www.naspc.org/)

Scott M

04-28-2006, 02:31 PM

GBD model information. (http://www.perardua.net/pipes/GBDlines.html)

They seem to pop up alot on Ebay.

Scott M

05-13-2006, 04:41 PM

The Pipe Retort.

IHT graciously sent me one of these, and I've finally got a chance to use it. A description (http://www.seattlepipeclub.org/sherlock/restore/PipeRestoration.html) has been discussed in previous posts, but I thought I'd give a visual.

First, the retort with some IA in it. Nice and clean...

http://photos.imageevent.com/echo3mike/pipedreams/websize/DSC01314.JPG

http://photos.imageevent.com/echo3mike/pipedreams/websize/DSC01315.JPG

The system hooked up to a Custombilt, (the refurb of the day);

http://photos.imageevent.com/echo3mike/pipedreams/websize/DSC01316.JPG

and in use;

http://photos.imageevent.com/echo3mike/pipedreams/websize/DSC01317.JPG

Continued:

Scott M

05-13-2006, 04:42 PM

The Pipe Retort. (cont.)

The theory is that