Minimum pipes for a reasonable rotation

aquadoc · Feb 24, 2017

Assuming a desire to smoke 2-5 bowls in the afternoon/evening and 1 in the morning. My budget prevents me from ramping up quickly, even with corn cobs which have always tasted funny to me in any case.
I have read that you should rest a briar from 24 to as much as a week between bowls. Is this based on... What? When I had all of my pipes, I do not remember being particularly careful about which I grabbed. It was more about which suited my fancy on a given day. So how does one make 2 or 3 pipes work with the mandate to rest them being so long if one wants a good smoke?

cosmicfolklore · Feb 24, 2017

Back in the day, men would only have one pipe, and smoke it all day, every day, till it was so caked up, he had to throw it away, and buy another.

It seems that the negative to smoking one pipe so much is that it cakes very fast, and will need to be deep cleaned more often.

I share your opinion of cobs, but I don't say it out loud on here very often, shhhh...

If you can't afford more pipes, just clean them more often. Then when you have enough pipes... you will never have enough pipes.

cortezattic · Feb 24, 2017

Meerschaum pipes can be valuable elements in a small collection, for they can be pushed very hard. Just keep removing the carbon build-up in the bowl.
The resting maxim I remember is: for every bowl you smoke, rest the pipe one day. So an "all day pipe" should rest about a week. I've never found that necessary with my all-day (at work) pipes.

Chasing Embers · Feb 24, 2017

I smoke multiple bowls in one pipe per day, and switch to a different pipe each day. No ill effects after nearly thirty years.

pitchfork · Feb 24, 2017

Really, two or three is enough if you smoke multiple bowls in the same pipe. It helps to clean the pipe between smokes, but it's not necessarily detrimental to smoke the same pipe more than once in a day.

benpipesmoking · Feb 24, 2017

I have too many pipes. I try to smoke them all

dread · Feb 24, 2017

I think you would need no more than three to do what you described. Yes, there are lots of folks who say rest them more, but honestly if you do a halfway decent job of cleaning between smokes and do a deeper cleaning every week or two they will be fine. As Cosmic pointed out, forever folks just owned one daily smoker and smoked it all the time. Do what makes you enjoy pipe smoking the most.

jayski · Feb 24, 2017

I think it comes down to maintenance. My rule of thumb is treat it like a weapon. You clean it after every time you shoot out at the range. Do the same with your pipes and they will be just fine. Also try leaving a pipe cleaner in the stem and shank to help speed the drying process for a day. Remove after 24 hours or so to let the air do the rest.

Have you tried a Missouri Meerschaum: Country Gentleman smoke awesome especially w/ a virginia blend! They seem to go together.

mso489 · Feb 24, 2017

Without reading other posts -- for an independent opinion -- I'd say about ten pipes, to provide for full rest of each pipe after smoking and to allow for at least one large pipe and one small Group 1 or 2. I got by for years with about that many. Now ... never mind.

cosmicfolklore · Feb 24, 2017

Jayski, be careful leaving cleaners in the shank. The gunk on the walls turns to a cake-like hard film when it dries, and if it dries with the cleaner in the shank some of the fuzz from the cleaner becomes embedded in the shank by the gunk. Then, it is there causing problems such as excess moisture in the shank because of turbulence, blocked passages, or just snags the cleaner every time you run one through.

toobfreak · Feb 24, 2017

One, three, six or more, depending on what you can afford and how you want to smoke your pipes. Different people adhere to different schools---- some will tell you they rest a pipe for a week, but others will tell you they smoke multiple bowls in one pipe a day, so do the math--- if the latter works for many experienced smokers then you can get by with as few or as many pipes as you WANT TO. A lot also depends on your willingness to keep up on them. A lot of the rest is also often based on whether it is just a beater or a rare, 19th century pipe you treasure.
As to corn cobs tasting funny---- nonsense. They break in quickly, and nothing is more neutral in my experience other than a meer. $10 bucks a pop, you can get 6 for $60! If you cannot afford that, then I wonder how you afford to smoke six bowls a day?! :mrgreen:

didache · Feb 24, 2017

A little social history from the Brit perspective. Back in the day, when a young man reached the age when he was off to university or perhaps his first proper job, his father might gift him with a pipe set. Frequently the set consisted of two pipes, the idea being that you used one while the other rested. The pipe set would often come in a small fitted box with space for the two pipes. Interestingly, Petersons (for instance) still sell a few of their lines as pairs (eg fisherman series, Mark Twain series). On this basis I would say that you COULD get by on two pipes as a minimum provided you used them on alternate days and cleaned them properly before resting. I own about 15 pipes (which includes 3 meers), but tend to ACTUALLY smoke four of them. I have never had any problems. Mike

davet · Feb 24, 2017

It's been my experience that you need at least 140 -150, give or take :mrgreen:

kanse · Feb 24, 2017

I've noticed that pipes sour if I do not let them rest for a day, that being the case with Latakia blends mostly.

framitz · Feb 24, 2017

I have been smoking for 60 years still do not like corn cobs if you smoke aromatics or goopy tobacco the pipe needs time to dry out. A bristle brush is also useful it takes a lot of misuse and lack of cleaning to ruin pipe. Build your collection as you can one day they will overwhelm you. Good luck. Shel

georged · Feb 24, 2017

One hundred. 8)
(I like round numbers)

lasttango · Feb 25, 2017

If you're budget conscious, I have found my pear wood Mr. Brog's ($15 - 20) to be excellent smokers and they take the abuse of frequent smoking. I don't care if they ghost.
My grandfather smoked several bowls a day of SWR in one Kaywoodie until it died then started using a new one. It wasn't a hobby for him. My dad bought him an "expensive pipe" which was a GBD and he never lit it... he just admired it's beauty while he smoked his Kaywoodie.
This has evolved into a hobby for me. I don't need as many pipes and tobaccos as I have.
My current heavy rotation includes: Two Mr. Brogs (Flakes), a custom large, long shanked Morta pot with THICK walls that Omar King/Eric King made me (Lakelands), a Neerup Brandy for aromatics, a Britannia pot (Condor), a Barling Billiard for English blends, and rx2man custom bamboo for my syrian latika, and this new David Wagner/BAFF! artisan pipe that I only smoke unadulterated Burley in.
I just added another pipe into the rotation for my new favorite tobacco which is Key Largo from GL PEASE. I'll eventually start using it for all blends with cigar leaf.
If I only had 2 pipes, I'd use one for English and one for burleys and use cobs for aros and lakelands.

madox07 · Feb 25, 2017

Then when you have enough pipes... you will never have enough pipes.

:lol: amen to that, but then you are more than a pipe smoker ... you become a pipe collector ! :puffpipe:

aimlesswanderer · Feb 25, 2017

For 3 to 6 bowls a day, I would say 4 pipes minimum. This allows for two pipes to be used per day, with a full days rest after each working day. I tend to smoke a lot less than that, but if I'm smoking more than normal, I won't use a pipe for more than three bowls without at least a days rest.

jpmcwjr · Feb 25, 2017

I have read that you should rest a briar from 24 to as much as a week between bowls. Is this based on... What? When I had all of my pipes, I do not remember being particularly careful about which I grabbed. It was more about which suited my fancy on a given day. So how does one make 2 or 3 pipes work with the mandate to rest them being so long if one wants a good smoke?

I've found if I smoke my pipe to the bottom, the chamber is completely dry, and I can smoke another bowl immediately. OTOH, if your bowl ends up with moisture in it, drying via resting is necessary. Perhaps counter-intuitively: Rinsing the bowl and airway with hot water puts virtually no moisture into the wood, and it's not left to sit there, followed by paper towel, and cleaners down the stem. Again, can smoke a new bowl right after.
So 2-3 pipes will work, if care is taken.

Minimum pipes for a reasonable rotation

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