There's Reaming And Then There's Reaming.

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mawnansmiff

Lifer
Oct 14, 2015
7,385
7,295
Sunny Cornwall, UK.
It has been a part of my pipe maintenance routine to ream my regularly used pipes every ten days or so by using my British Buttner reamer which does a great job.
Last week I had just reamed one of my Blakemar Briars bent bulldogs and noticed there was still a considerable layer of carbon in the bowl so I dug out my heavy duty adjustable reamer (not used since my pipe refurbishing days) and went to work. I was amazed at how much carbon dust was made by just a few turns.....so I carried on pretty much back to bare wood.
The results were quite surprising. I filled up with McClelland's #2015 and lit up. The flavours were so much more noticeable than they had been of late. I have since done this to all my regular pipes with the same results.
Something worth considering if you think your pipe isn't giving you its best performance.
Regards,
Jay.

 

aldecaker

Lifer
Feb 13, 2015
4,407
42
I think cake is pretty over-rated in most cases. If your pipe smokes crappy or has a bad taste without it, then by all means, cake may well help. In most cases, though, I think cake just tends to hold the nasties and make the pipe taste ashy. Mom, you ever get that not-so-fresh feeling, you know, in your bowl?

 

mawnansmiff

Lifer
Oct 14, 2015
7,385
7,295
Sunny Cornwall, UK.
"I need to make a poster of this quote and put it in my office."
Very good Neal, but don't blame me for any face slaps you might incur by so doing :nana:
Regards,
Jay.

 

stbruno70

Part of the Furniture Now
Jul 9, 2013
580
238
Jay,
So true. Clean 'em and ream 'em.
After a thorough cleaning, it is amazing how many nuances from the baccy emerge.

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
I'm one of the folks who doesn't build cake. I scoop out the ash and then wipe out the bowl with a fairly stiff paper towel or napkin. It keeps the carbon layer very thin but sufficient. This maintains the flavor profile on blends and also maintains the diameter of the bowl and eliminates the need for a reamer and any damage or excess wear from reaming. In over forty years of pipe smoking, this has worked for me, and apparently for others. I've never owned a reamer.

 

mawnansmiff

Lifer
Oct 14, 2015
7,385
7,295
Sunny Cornwall, UK.
"Julian?"
Sorry Workman, I pressed the wrong button on my recently adjusted Kindle Fire. Julian is my 'proper' name, Jay is what I am known by.
Simple really :puffy:



"...and any damage or excess wear from reaming."

MSO, in all of the hundreds of pipes I have reamed, I have yet to shave off any briar from the bowl. Easily done with careless use of a sharp knife but highly unlikely in using a reamer properly.
Regards,
JAY.

 

workman

Lifer
Jan 5, 2018
2,793
4,219
The Faroe Islands
Allright. I didn't know that. My name is Janus, by the way. Recently, some of my most smoked pipes have built up some cake. I'm not sure if it makes them better or worse. I'm going to try a good ream. With a knife, mind you.

 

sparrowhawk

Lifer
Jul 24, 2013
2,941
219
I find a Swiss knife effective for informal reaming.Btw, M, glad to hear you have a kindle Fire. I dislike Google taking over the tablet world.

 
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