Clay Pipe Questions

rayje589 · Mar 2, 2013

I got my brother a clay pipe for his birthday later this month and had a few questions. How often does it need cleaning and how do do you clean it? Do you let cake build up on it?
Also- are there smooth/glazed clay pipes? I've been considering getting myself one but I hate the feel of unglazed clay.

rayje589 · Mar 2, 2013

I'm not even sure a churchwarden length cleaner will pass all the way through this. It's maybe a foot to a foot and half in length.
Edit: actually its 15.5" long.

captainsousie · Mar 2, 2013

I never clean mine. I don't smoke them often enough for them to get too crusty. When they do, one of the methods is to put them in the coals of a campfire or grill and let it bake while the fire goes out. Then wipe off the ash and you have a clean clay. At least that's what I've read.

undecagon · Mar 2, 2013

Yea, as for cleaning it though, I just use the scraper part of my czeck tool after smoking to keep any cake from forming. Otherwise, as it get's brown/black and "dirty" I think it looks better - kind of like coloring a meer, only in this case you just have to accept that it's really just dirty. Holmes didn't clean his!

thesmokindragon · Mar 2, 2013

Take a look here http://www.lepeltier-pipes.com/

sparroa · Mar 2, 2013

Are all clays excessively small? I would like one of those classic Elizabethan clays but the bowls are just so tiny...

Perique · Mar 2, 2013

Wow, those seem like the best of both worlds.

sparroa · Mar 2, 2013

They are nice but a little too modern looking for the clays I had in mind.

thesmokindragon · Mar 2, 2013

I got a few Dutch Gouda style clays from Penn Valley, a great

looking and smoking clay, the bowl is big enough for a good 35-45

minute smoke

shaintiques · Mar 2, 2013

There are a few places to get some nice clays. I have a tavern style it is super long, prob 18 inches, but it does have a small bowl. It isn't one that I smoke often, but is enjoyable and of course looks awesome. Here is a llink for a good clay dealer.

http://www.pipeshoppe.com/index.php

foggymountain · Mar 5, 2013

You don't have to worry about cake. It will be broken before you get much. Clays smoke OK if well broken in, but rarely get that far.

spartan · Mar 5, 2013

lol oh Foggy...
Just a bowl full of sunshine aren't ya? haha.
I've heard of people cleaning their pipes with coals when they start to get a patina on them, and this will make them all nice and white like when it was new. I've also heard of some putting it in their oven, and turning that sombitch up as high as it will go; broil/clean. And they say that works well also.
The only reason I'm hesitant to get a proper clay is the intermitant cleaning. I like to swab my stems with alcohol on a regular basis to kill germs and make me feel like it's clean.
Can I swab, or dip the tip of a clay, in high proof alcohol without worry? Or does everyone think it's not necessary to get alcohol even close to a clay stem?

dukdalf · Mar 5, 2013

Basically: you don't clean a clay pipe. As foggymountain says: they're not supposed to last that long. A clay pipe is originally a disposable item. You smoke it until it breaks and get a new one. If you're lucky and one survives to a really gooey stage, you might try burning the bowl to a more cleanly state. And as for bowl size: clays were designed in a time when tobacco was very expensive, so hence the relatively small bowl size on most of them. You should easily be able to get an hours' worth of smoking from it, though.

cavendish · Mar 31, 2013

I'm actually lookng at buying some 16" tavern clays from Penn Valley Pipes. Thanks for all the info on them guys! I know what my next PAD purchase is gonna be 2 16's and 2 6's

jsfinlay · Aug 5, 2013

Hi all! I'm a potter and I'm looking to make clay pipes. But I'm not seeing were I can go to learn how to make them. I like the tavern pipe I have. And friends ask me to make some. Any help would be much appreciated.

oldredbeard · Aug 5, 2013

Take a look here http://www.lepeltier-pipes.com/

I have 2 Lapeltiers, a Partridge and a Cognac. I like to use them to try new blends, b/c I think they give you a more true flavor than any other kind of pipe. According to the info on Lapeltier's site, you just wash them with warm soapy water and let them dry for a day. That's what I've always done with mine and never had any problems. I will tell you that as far as my 2, the cognac is a little smaller bowl, however it smokes drier than the Partridge. They do get warm but as long as you don't hold them around the rim they don't get any hotter than my briars. I recommend them to anyone wanting a clay they can actually smoke like a regular pipe.

smokershaven · Aug 5, 2013

Clay pipes can be cleaned by re-firing them, but many are real inexpensive at about $12 to $14.
Best Regards,

Premal Chheda

gentlesmoke · Jul 24, 2016

My clay pipe arrived a couple of days ago and I'm looking forward to smoking it this week. I prefer aromatics, its deciding which one to smoke for its maiden appearance !
My clay pipe is a foot long.

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