Thread: Question for the pipe smokers....

I recently started smoking cigars again, but have been finding myself wanting to smoke a pipe again.

I found my tobaccos/etc..., but no pipe . After the last "cleaning" it appears to have disappeared.

I was thinking about just ordering one or 2 online. Anyone have experience with this?

What about ebay? What is involved with used/viintage pipes? Do you just try to replace the shank or whatever its called?

Any good sites to order from?

if i remember right, on a new pipe you want to rub honey on the inside of the bowl to help break it in.

Thanks.

Dammit..this should have gone into the finer things forum. Any admin want to move it for me?

Thanks.

depends on the pipe. i generally try to get new ones because if one has been improperly cared for, it is more trouble than it's worth to try and restore it.

also, i have been moving away from briar pipes in general, i'm a convert to meerschaum. these guys:
AAA Meerschaum: Pipes, Flasks, Zippos & More!
have taken great care of me in the past.

another way to sweeten a bowl is kosher salt and vodka, it leeches the nasty stuff out into the salt, making it easier to clean.

Originally Posted by jockeys

depends on the pipe. i generally try to get new ones because if one has been improperly cared for, it is more trouble than it's worth to try and restore it.

also, i have been moving away from briar pipes in general, i'm a convert to meerschaum. these guys:
AAA Meerschaum: Pipes, Flasks, Zippos & More!
have taken great care of me in the past.

another way to sweeten a bowl is kosher salt and vodka, it leeches the nasty stuff out into the salt, making it easier to clean.

If you dont mind me asking, why are you moving away form briar?


With the salt/vodka. Does it have to be koscher? will sea salt work(that is what i have in the house). Do you just mix the vodka/salt to a paste then apply and let dry?

I started smoking a pipe again about 8 months ago. I have purchased 4 or 5 used from antique dealers or flea markets. I have also purchased one new. Out of all those pipes I have 2 that I really use. The limiting factor to me is the bowl size but more importantly the feel in my mouth. I do not think that I would be happy buying one without actually seeing it in person. That being said even when you see and hold them it is hard to put them in your mouth before buying, guess you could wrap in plastic first but most retailers probably don't like that. So all and all it is a crap shoot. Personally I have stuck with English or Irish briar and have not had to cure with honey since all had been smoked, even the new one had been machine smoked to break in. I used to carve pipes, back in the day, and then honey was the breakin tool.
Mark

Originally Posted by Slartibartfast

If you dont mind me asking, why are you moving away form briar?


With the salt/vodka. Does it have to be koscher? will sea salt work(that is what i have in the house). Do you just mix the vodka/salt to a paste then apply and let dry?

1. meerschaum is less maintenance, smokes cooler, and has been a lot more consistent for me.
2. i don't know if it has to be kosher, that's all i've ever used. i don't see any reason why sea salt wouldn't work as long as it was free from impurities
3. yes, mash it up. when it dries out it will be very disgusting and brown. scrape it out with a pipe tool, then reapply. repeat until it comes out only very slightly discolored. once you do this, you will need to build up a new carbon cake in the pipe, so follow normal break-in procedures.

Originally Posted by Slartibartfast

With the salt/vodka. Does it have to be koscher? will sea salt work(that is what i have in the house). Do you just mix the vodka/salt to a paste then apply and let dry?

The kosher salt is preferred because it's larger-grained. The usual caution is that smaller grains of salt could find their way into minute flaws in the briar, expand, and crack the briar (I have not had this happen, but understand it's a possibility). I would add my own speculation to that, that smaller salt grains are more likely to cling to the inside of the pipe, perhaps get lodged in small irregularities, and therefore it's harder to get all the salt out. And you do want to get all the salt out before your next smoke, trust me on this. (A few bowlfuls will get rid of the salt taste, but it's not an enjoyable process.)

Some people use vodka with the salt, some Everclear, others isopropyl alcohol at minimum 91% concentration. (You don't want too much water inside your pipe.) And others use cotton balls instead of the salt (easier cleanup, but possibly less effective in drawing out gunk). The procedure is, you remove the stem, plug the shank with a doubled pipe cleaner (at least, most people do), fill the bowl with salt (or cotton balls), and drip in the alcohol carefully until the salt is saturated. (Carefully because alcohol on the outside of the pipe can ruin the finish.) Then let it sit (you'll need to prop the bowl upright in some way) for 8 hours or more. When you check back, you'll find the salt (or cotton balls) gone all brown; that's tars and such drawn out of the walls of the pipe. Empty and clean the pipe thoroughly and, again, let sit a while, while the last of the alcohol evaporates. A good summary has been published as The Professor's Pipe Sweetening Treatment--though I note he doesn't specify large-grained salt, which I would.

Oh--terminology--the shank is the part that's of a piece with the bowl; the stem is the removable part. You don't need to replace the stem unless it's damaged. You'll want to clean it.

There are a number of good sites to order from, more than I can try in good conscience to list here--I'd try everyone's patience and forget some. Likewise there are some particularly well-regarded sellers on eBay. An excellent forum for all sorts of information is Smokers Forums. You may also want to check out How to Start Smoking a Pipe on the Professor's Pipe Tobacco Reviews site.

~Rich

Forgot to add, some people break in a new pipe with honey, some just moisten the inside of the bowl before packing it the first several times (as I do). Some new pipes come with a coating already applied inside the bowl, in which case you don't need the honey, water, or spit. (Though again I should add that some smokers hate those precoatings and either won't buy a pipe with them, or sand the coating away before beginning breakin. I've never found a problem myself with the two or three precoated pipes I've had.)

Originally Posted by rastewart

The kosher salt is preferred because it's larger-grained. The usual caution is that smaller grains of salt could find their way into minute flaws in the briar, expand, and crack the briar (I have not had this happen, but understand it's a possibility). I would add my own speculation to that, that smaller salt grains are more likely to cling to the inside of the pipe, perhaps get lodged in small irregularities, and therefore it's harder to get all the salt out. And you do want to get all the salt out before your next smoke, trust me on this. (A few bowlfuls will get rid of the salt taste, but it's not an enjoyable process.)

Some people use vodka with the salt, some Everclear, others isopropyl alcohol at minimum 91% concentration. (You don't want too much water inside your pipe.) And others use cotton balls instead of the salt (easier cleanup, but possibly less effective in drawing out gunk). The procedure is, you remove the stem, plug the shank with a doubled pipe cleaner (at least, most people do), fill the bowl with salt (or cotton balls), and drip in the alcohol carefully until the salt is saturated. (Carefully because alcohol on the outside of the pipe can ruin the finish.) Then let it sit (you'll need to prop the bowl upright in some way) for 8 hours or more. When you check back, you'll find the salt (or cotton balls) gone all brown; that's tars and such drawn out of the walls of the pipe. Empty and clean the pipe thoroughly and, again, let sit a while, while the last of the alcohol evaporates. A good summary has been published as The Professor's Pipe Sweetening Treatment--though I note he doesn't specify large-grained salt, which I would.

Oh--terminology--the shank is the part that's of a piece with the bowl; the stem is the removable part. You don't need to replace the stem unless it's damaged. You'll want to clean it.

There are a number of good sites to order from, more than I can try in good conscience to list here--I'd try everyone's patience and forget some. Likewise there are some particularly well-regarded sellers on eBay. An excellent forum for all sorts of information is Smokers Forums. You may also want to check out How to Start Smoking a Pipe on the Professor's Pipe Tobacco Reviews site.

~Rich

ahh thanks. If i am reading the sweetening article correctly, the salt/alcohol combo is to used to remove the oils and gunk from allready smoked/broken in pipes, but not for new pipes?

That's right, it's only to clean up pipes that have already seen a lot of use. Even as maintenance on pipes that are regularly smoked, it's not a daily or even monthly thing--I might do it once a year at most. Less elaborate and extensive methods suffice in the meantime.

Rich