How to Properly Break in a New Pipe

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smokeyweb

Part of the Furniture Now
Dec 29, 2013
540
780
“Hey grandpa, how do you properly break in a new pipe?”

Well... I suppose you smoke it!
“Should I put honey in the bowl first?”

That depends... do you want to smoke tobacco or honey?
“But how will I know I’m breaking it in right?”

Smoke will come out.
“But what if I ruin it?”

I don’t understand? Just smoke the damn thing, stupid!
“Thanks, grandpa.”

 

cigrmaster

Lifer
May 26, 2012
20,249
57,280
66
Sarasota Florida
It really is that simple. When I get a new pipe in I fill it, and smoke it and that is it. No honey, no grape jelly, no half bowls, no 2/3 bowls.

 

ashdigger

Lifer
Jul 30, 2016
11,378
70,055
60
Vegas Baby!!!
I feared opening this thread. I was like "jesus fuck, not again?!" Now I'm glad I did.
It really is just that easy. As is pipe smoking in general. People just don't have any patience.

 

raevans

Starting to Get Obsessed
Apr 20, 2013
273
17
Perfect!!!! And thank you for posting a true "Common Sense" approach to breaking in a new pipe.

 

jrbjr

Starting to Get Obsessed
Mar 6, 2019
101
3
<p>Im trying. I've 24 bowls into a new pipe, tried a dozen differ blends, no aromatics, and it smokes like burned rubber.
 

nunnster

Starting to Get Obsessed
Apr 17, 2019
141
62
Jrbjr, a few questions for you. Was the bowl pre-coated? Lots of people, myself included think the pre-carb that some companies put on bowls are fowl tasting. The newest pipe I purchased (an Italian made comoy) had such a fowl taste to it I almost tossed the pipe. Instead, I did a deep cleaning with alcohol and removed a ton of black stuff, as well as a ton of stain (came out orange) from the bowl, shank and stem. It immediately smoked 90 percent better after that cleaning, and after about 10 bowls she started smoking perfectly. Also, if it tastes like sufler rubber type taste, it could be an oxidized stem. Get one of those magic erasers and scrub the heck out of the stem, there will be a ton of orange/brown gunk come off, that's a good sign. Lastly, not knowing what kinda pipe you have, it may just be a bad pipe. I know there are alot of pipes in head shops and the like that look like they are decent briar pipes that end up being cheep plastic Chinese knock offs and people buy them unaware. If that's the case, no amount of cleaning or any type of tobacco will fix that for you, and you would be better off going out and getting a cheap MM cob. It shouldnt take more than a few bowls to get a pipe smoking without off flavors like that.

 

nunnster

Starting to Get Obsessed
Apr 17, 2019
141
62
Crash, I have no idea what they did to that pipe. I got it for a steal at a local liquor and tobacco store that was going out of business. I was excited to get it because I have some older estate comoys that are my best smokers. The first bowl of tobacco was fowl, couldnt even smoke it more than a few puffs, and the second bowl wasnt much better. Chalked it up to sitting in a case in its plastic for 5+ years and the pre carb covered up all the stain in the bowl. An alcohol wipe of the stem removed so much stain as well. I think they just dipped the whole pipe into stain, stem and all. It's been about 3 months and that pipe has probably ran 60 bowls. It's still not my best smoker, but it's a fine pipe that gets the job done now. The conspiracy nut in me thinks the antis put the fowl coating on new pipes on purpose to discourage new pipe smokers from picking up the hobby, but, no reputable company would intentionally do that, or atleast I hope they wouldn't.

 

trouttimes

Lifer
Nov 26, 2018
5,169
21,491
Lake Martin, AL
32e18b17-97a0-4101-b3e8-ab67d2ac9d3d-549-000000305303a7a2-202x600.jpg


 

cachimbero

Starting to Get Obsessed
Apr 9, 2019
244
288
55
Cordoba, Spain
Totally agree with Granpa!

Regarding the quotation, be careful or we may have the site closed or fined on promotion of heteropatriarchy grounds :)

 

daniel7

Part of the Furniture Now
Sep 11, 2018
560
5,811
35
Kópavogur, Iceland
Wisdom is in those words. Pipe is a tool/instrument and all what we need to do is to smoke it. Time will solve everything. Nowadays' societies don't appreciate patience, and this is the only thing needed for pipe smoking. Besides a good pipe and tobacco of course.

 

piperbole

Lurker
May 13, 2019
20
2
Cheshire
I was cautious as hell with my first pipe, I didn't smoke it until watching a dozen or so videos on what to do.
Some say to line the bowl with honey, or use some saliva.

Some say only pack half a bowl for the first 6 or so smokes.
There was a lot of different opinions. I searched high and low and it was on this forum that I found what I wanted to hear. Just pack the damn bowl and smoke it.`
Though I'm no expert, it's still in one piece and doesn't seem harmed.

 

chilllucky

Lifer
Jul 15, 2018
1,091
2,715
Chicago, IL, USA
scoosa.com
I refuse to consider any pipe truly "broken in" until I go through the following routine: push a pipe cleaner through the mouthpiece and into the bowl. Tie one end of a 7" long by 1/9" strip of uncased, old belt, red Virgina tobacco grown in an odd-numbered year to the bowl end of the pipe cleaner and pull it back through the stem. Like using a fish tape to pull wire through conduit. Now light the mouthpiece end of the tobacco strip and draw the smoke through the bowl by placing your whole mouth over it like you're giving the pipe cpr.
After you have done this 5-7 times, the tenon is properly carbonized and you can really start to taste the pine needles and truffles in your favorite captain black aromatics.

 
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