Your beautiful pipe that doesn't smoke so well.

[cigrmaster]

Back when I was an idiot collector I bought 3 Peter Matzhold estate pipes because they were gorgeous shapes and had incredible straight grain. All three smoked wet and I dumped them. I had no idea why they smoked wet as I knew nothing about stem design or shank dimensions back then. Once every couple of years I would see one or two of those pipes pop up on ebay or other sources. They were so damn pretty that people kept taking a chance on them. Maybe someone finally fixed what ever was wrong with them. They were earlier works of his and I am sure he makes a fine pipe today.

 

[sasquatch]

Harris I think a lot of guys had similar experiences - the Danes particularly seemed to get shaping right before they got the smoking aspect really dialled in. I think most makers hit very similar tolerances today, but it seems to me like the American school really started hitting the "how do I make this smoke perfect" kinda before a lot of other guys.
Another way to say it is, some of us won't sacrifice smoking qualities for design (aesthetic) qualities, and some maybe will.
Here's a fun picture. Some briar. Top left heading down, 8 years old wood from Mimmo, 2 years old wood from Mimmo, and a block from Molina, which is the "whitest" supplier I have, and their stuff does darken some, but I've never seen it get really mahogany. Right column is some old (1980s) greek stuff - it's mahogany colored, through and through. Probably was darker wood the whole time, it's more heartwood than sapwood, tight grain. Below that is a block from Calabria I have had for a year and a half. Below that a block from Calabria that is new, very wet indeed. They turn brown from oxydation (you can see little brown edges peeking even on the ones I've cleaned up) on the outside.
The old greek stuff is the driest smoking wood, outright, it's dry as bones, and dead stable through environmental changes, it's like rock. Tastes .... kind raunchy, pretty earthy. The Italian wood is sweeter, more neutral than that. Calabria has a fine, almost waxy feel, where Mimmo's is sort of... ordinary, like, it's the benchmark for good briar. It all smokes fine though, and really I don't think if I made pipes out of all these blocks, there would be a ton of difference, with the exception of the old greek stuff tasting a little earthy for awhile, and the new wet block possibly not being ready for milling - but I'm not sure if I made a pipe out of it that any of us would be able to identify that pipe as being the wet/young block. Anyway just kind of a fun picture...

 

[cigrmaster]

Sas,

Harris I think a lot of guys had similar experiences - the Danes particularly seemed to get shaping right before they got the smoking aspect really dialled in. I think most makers hit very similar tolerances today, but it seems to me like the American school really started hitting the "how do I make this smoke perfect" kinda before a lot of other guys.

I think you are right. I bought my first Rad Davis pipe August 2012 and was amazed at how it smoked. None of my high end Danish pipes smoked as well. That was when I decided to start collecting No American made artisan pipes. I now have over 50 and am very happy with them all.

 

[samuelgawith01]

I like breaking in virgin wood,and have had two that required extra smoking before the cake built up,and tasted right.I recommend using a tobacco like a full on Burley,of Virginia that has been dried some,then smoking the heck out of the pipe.Just don’t use a jet lighter.

 

[ssjones]

Al- Did the two Rad pipes come around or did you give up on them?

Sold both, had guys literally fighting over trying to buy them. By all accounts, the new owners were very pleased.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Thanks.
If anyone has a crappy smoker, but it is an otherwise good looking or very $$$ pipe, send me photos and I'll buy it for twenty bucks. Limit to first three.

 

[brendhain]

The Danes and Swedes are a mixed group. Some of them are neurotic about the engineering. The determining factor seems to be production volume.
Someone producing 120-200 pipes a year will have amazing engineering while those doing 300 or more a year tend to sacrifice engineering.

 

[jamban]

I only have a handful of pipes, but one has never treated me well. It has a briar bowl with a briar stem. I thought it was a good idea. Anyone else has any experience with briar stems? Could this be the reason it doesn't smoke well, or is construction to blame?

 

[jpmcwjr]

It could be the quality of the briar in the stummel. It could be the briar in the stem. It could need a good cleaning. But I have not owned a pipe with a wood stem.

 

[jamban]

Thanks for the input. I don't think it is related to cleaning. But the quality of the briar could be the culprit.
https://www.smokingpipes.com/pipes/new/Genod/moreinfo.cfm?product_id=228479
It may not be the exact pipe i own, but what do you think?

 

[crashthegrey]

I tend to agree with Sasquatch here that you are not changing the wood by smoking it with dry tobacco. I think what you are doing is a careful break in this way, really helping with a good char on that chamber, making a perfectly smoking pipe. If we all took this much care with each pipe we broke in, I think you would see a huge difference.

 

[warren]

It's been a few years since I found a pipe that caught my eye and then met my purchasing standards. But, after a decent break-in period, if I'm not getting a quality smoke, out it goes. I have neither the time nor the inclination to find the flaw nor correct it. I'm not wired that way I guess, not inquisitive enough.

 

[jpmcwjr]

That's fair enough- diff folks, diff stokes.
I repeat my offer to buy any beautiful pipe (in my sole opinion) that's a crap smoker.

 

[warren]

Aye, that's not to say I don't pay attention to the writing of some of you tinkerers and heavy thinkers. I do appreciate the time and effort you, and those like you, put into the pipe and your willingness the share techniques and observations.

 

[jamban]

Anyone here has any briar stemmed pipes? How was your experience with them?

 

[jpmcwjr]

Jamban-
Perhaps you'll get an answer if you start a separate thread with good keywords in the search box.

 

[jamban]

Very true, jpmcwjr.

 

[tkcolo]

I have an old stanwell military silver rusticated billiard that gurgles like crazy. and I mean like crazy crazy. I never have gurgling issues on 100 other pipes, but this one is terrible. It was rough when I bought it. I did not smoke it before I cleaned it up. It turned out beautifully. I had soaked it in everclear to remove the stain, and I don't know if it killed the briar's ability to absorb moisture. It doesn't taste bad, but she's a gurgling bitch. I cannot in good conscience sell this to anyone else. I am contemplating boiling it to try to open up the pores in the wood.
SASQUATCH: Have you ever seen a piece of briar that was naturally impermeable to water? Did I make it that way with the alcohol? This is a simple billiard, with an open draw. (I drilled it out to 5/32.) I can't see anything wrong with the pipe airflow mechanics at all. You cannot smoke a bowl of your driest tobacco. The bottom third of the bowl will be so wet, you can't pull air through it. It's bizarre! Just curious.

 

[onestrangeone]

I’ve had a couple of pipes that smoked either hot or wet, sometimes both. Over the past few years I realized that most of this was caused by my own bad habits. I do agree with the OP that smoking several quarter and half bowls WILL make a difference in a “problem” pipe. My theory on this is that the heel of the bowl doesn’t build a carbon layer at the same rate as the rest of the chamber (not Cake but actual carbon)

My break in process is really simple, I load a bowl and smoke it, I repeat this often! If a pipe preforms poorly after a reasonable amount of time (3-6 months) then I will do the short bowls, maybe 10 or 15 times. So far this has worked on every “problem” pipe I’ve had.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Thanks, gents. Hopefully we can learn from these outliers!