Anyone Ever Commissioned A Pipe That Turned Out To Be A Bad Smoker?

[aldecaker]

Apparently, pencil engineering gets a bad rap. Have any of you guys tried to find a decent pencil lately? The FabarCastell Black Velvet was my favorite, but now evidently discontinued. Plenty of God damned new smart phones on the market, but you still can't find a good pencil. Grumble, grumble...

 

[philobeddoe]

The Dixon-Ticonderoga no.2. :D

 

[aldecaker]

Tried 'em. Don't like the crimp on the ferrule. :wink:

 

[mawnansmiff]

"The least expensive of the three was $350"
Bigpond, all I can say to that is WOW 8O
I fully appreciate and agree with the 'block of briar with two holes in it' argument and have a few (estate) pipes that I personally regard as being bad smokers, it's just that whenever a member proudly displays his latest acquisition on the forum claiming it to give him the best smoke ever I have to wonder.
Perhaps there are a few who commission pipes that turn out to be duffers and decline from sharing their experience either through embarrassment or just thinking perhaps it is them at fault and not the actual pipe ?
Either way, some interesting tales have been shared, many thanks.
Regards,
Jay.

 

[cally454]

I think the engineering aspect does get a little overblown. But I'm a left brain person who believes more in the whole. Go over to pipemakers forums and they can discuss turbulence and engineering till your head explodes.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Wel, I don't mean to say that there are "absolutely" no bad pipes. I've had to let go of a Pete with a green wood taste once. I've had a Viprati that had the draft hole collapse, but it was n the burn out catagory. Sure, sure, loose stems, etc.. I find that bent pipes, and pipes with chambers in the drafts, like for filters and such do tend to gurgle more, but there are guys who love these turbulent drafts and can smoke them gurgle free. Buttons and slots are more in the "apolostery" category for me. It doesn't make the engine run bad, but it does make for a comfortable ride. I'd say the pipe plays about 20% of the experience, and tobacco choices and the smoker's skills makes up the rest.
Someone who has learned to drive small sports cars will say that a new pick up truck doesn't drive well, and vice versa. Same with pipes. I find that Beckers and Castellos fit my default style of smoking best, but I can enjoy a cheap ass Stanwell, or Chacom, or Grabow, or even a bent pipe also. I enjoy learning how best to smoke each and every pipe in my collection, which is well over 100 pipes.
My comment just comes from watching people cast off horrid smokers to someone who finds the pipe to be amazing. I've heard this way more than someone who has found a pipe that no one can smoke, which I have never heard.
I have big drafty drilled pipes, thin coffee stirrer drilled pipes, odd wide-thin-wide drafts, etc... and, I have found this to just be a minor impact on my own smoking experience. And, when talking to pipemakers who have come to the Briary to talk with us, I ask about drilling sizes... there doesn't seem to be some technical formula that any of them use to determine draft size, drill size, etc... sure, some have unique ways they drill and finish the holes; however, I have never heard someone say that it was any more technical than just that "that's the size I use." And, The Briary has had some big names come through.

 

[jefff]

I have have commissioned 7 pipes by various makers. Of those 7 there was only one I could not get to smoke without gurgling and I traded it. It's posit;e it was my fault. It's also possible the almost quarter inch difference between the mortise and tenon was at fault.
It was a beautiful pipe and it sold quickly and I hope the new owner digs it.

 

[drennan]

I do tend to agree with cosmic. I would say that the better engineering normally found in artisan pipes should make the pipe less technique dependant in order to obtain a good smoke from. But there's a good smoke and a brillant smoke.

I've read something recently about PH of the briar and the PH of the tobacco having an effect on whether or not it smokes that tobacco well (Ph of the smoker as well). Assuming the pipe is created correctly it could just be a matter of finding the right tobacco for that pipe.

Perhaps there's something in this. I've got multiple pipes from one maker that seem to really sing for me with either English blends or VaPers. They all seem to have that X-factor, blindfolded I could spot his pipes from others in my collection as there's another series of flavours that I only get from his pipes. Perhaps it's the material or the engineering or just dumb luck.

 

[toobfreak]

I find that bent pipes, and pipes with chambers in the drafts, like for filters and such do tend to gurgle more

I have often wondered if bent pipes or chambers don't gurgle more easily because temperature differences allow more condensation to form?

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I have often wondered if bent pipes or chambers don't gurgle more easily because temperature differences allow more condensation to form?

The bi-product of combustion is water, and in the pipe, it comes in the form of steam, no matter how dry you make your tobacco. When you pull the steam across a turbulent or bent surface, you condense out the moisture. This is how distillation pulls the water off the alcohol, and how an air conditioner cools the air. This is why on your best smoking Danish high end pipes that are bent, you will have a drop in the chamber bottom below the draft. So many times guys will bawk that the bottom of these pipes are incorrect, but by having somewhere for the water droplets to go, without just setting at where the draft meets the chamber and gurgle, these pipes smoke much more quietly. However, there are guys who can smoke a bent gurgler slow enough... or use several pipe cleaners per smoke... or they just have a magic touch for these types of pipes. And, these guys tend to prefer these types of pipes. And, out there somewhere, someone prefers to drive soccer mom vans, over sports cars.

 

[toobfreak]

I prefer bent pipes and have little problem with them. I like their style. Years ago I came across a rather odd pipe made by a company called Combusto that had a rather novel approach and it actually works well. The bowl has a thread in metal insert at the very bottom of the bowl that actually acts as a collection area for condensate without letting tobacco or juice get drawn up into the draft hole. It gets quite warm there from the flame and both collects and burns off the moisture giving a very dry smoke. It is never wet there when I take it apart to clean. Sounds crazy and a little more work to clean, etc., but an interesting solution. It is a bent billiard. I have never seen another pipe like it.

 

[allan]

I haven't been on the forum for a while, and I see that there are lots of new members who are very thoughtful.
I agree with everyone's opinion-but the original question was have you ever commisioned a pipe and found it to be just plainly, 'no good'.
I have.
I believe fully in the importance of engineering and the complications of making an excellent stem with a truly good comfortable lip, yet I have also found that an very old briar pipe, such as a Barling from 50 plus years ago will do wonders with any tobacco I can put into it, most likely way before carefull engineering was considered and the benchmark of a good pipe.
Of the artisan pipes, I would agree with the writer who said to stay away from a maker with less than 5 years experience. Sharing infomation with trusted friends that I've met on the forum whose opinion I value has helped me learn what to look for in a well made pipe, as well as introducing

me to incredible makers, e.g. Rad Davis, for just one example.
Pencils are hard to make, Cosmic.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Speaking of pencils, I have a Scotty Piersal pencil-shank billiard, not a problem. Nor with any of my huge collection of customs: three!
Leaving aside badly constructed pipes, I've had some difficult smokers which I put down to the wood. Maybe too green, not cured right, under-cured, whatever. But even those came out fine after many dozen smokes. I believe the smoking of them itself cured the bad cure.
If you have a pipe that seems to be wetter than others, try smoking it all the way down. Or just burning it all the way down if it tastes nasty. After a few such smokes, the heel of the chamber should be dry, and you'll start to get rid of the wetness, giving a better and longer smoke. I believe that further smoking - keeping it dry - will eventuate in a nice smoker.