My Pipe Was Always Black Inside. How Do I Know When Cake Is Formed?

I wouldn't worry about it. One of the biggest worries new pipesmokers seem to get is fretting over cake. Just smoke it. Even if you kept the bowl wiped out with a paper towel after each smoke, cake would eventually form. It will neither smoke better or worse once you have cake. You will merely be reduced in how much tobacco you can stuff into the pipe.

Just enjoy it, stress free.

+1

+2

Not really.
Supposedly, some manufacturers add a coating to the bowls to accelerate the building up of cake, others add it to protect the briar from the high temperatures reached when lighting. I am yet to see cake or damage. Of course, if I want to see damage I could use a jet flame cigar lighter, but I won't.
I wipe my pipes religiously (and thoroughly) with a paper towel after smoking them. Wipe them till said tower comes out clean. I might never build any cake, but to me, a caked pipe is a dirty pipe—one reason I just arrantly refuse to buy used ('estate') pipes. I'll smoke the most horrid cob, but not a estate pipe.
Don't worry about it. Just enjoy... and slow down, really, not only will your pipe won't get too hot to hold, but your tongue will thank you. I worry more about tongue bite/burn than about the pipe: pipes can always be replaced...

Supposedly, some manufacturers add a coating to the bowls to accelerate the building up of cake

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And in some, like one of mine, when it starts to peel off of the walls, you really start to wish they never did it in the first place.....

Machado, I know that you have let us know that you enjoy choo choo puffin' your pipe like Casey Jones screaming down the red hot rails. And, I am not going to tell you to do likewise. However, patronize me for a moment... imagine two guys... The first guy is slowly sipping his smoke, letting the smoke slowly play around in his mouth, absorbing into those thin capillaries of the mouth and sinuses. His eyes are droopy with relaxation, his brain heightened, hyper aware, wisdom fills his sails as he navigates the deepest oceans of his mind.

The second guy... Puff puff, choo choo... big billows of smoke, wasting all of that wonderful flavor and nicotine into the air... choo choo!!! The smoke is never in his mouth long enough to absorb, so he sucks it down into his lung... "woowooo!!" His eyes widen with a quick nic hit, but then quickly rolls back into nothing. Puff Puff!! Puff puff!!! Hot pipe, hot tongue, "Choo choo!"
Would you prefer to be the wise old pipesmoker with his mind exploring the depths of consciousness? Or, the dufus, wasting smoke, flavor, nicotine, and money into thin air, and extremely damaging his lungs, and effectively just being a poser with a pipe... in which the dufus effectively makes cigarettes "healthier" than pipe smoking, because he inhales the unfiltered, heavily cased smoke into the lungs.

+1 what Cosmic says. You also appear to be overthinking this, experiment with the various replies to your threads and find what works for you. It will all come together for you eventually ::

+1 to Cosmic as well and a +1 to davet.
I think you're overthinking it. You also appear to be in a big rush. Both will not serve your enjoyment very well, in my opinion. The idea is to create relaxation for yourself and enjoy the pipe, tobacco, contemplate life, not rush through it like you're in a hurry. Slow it down a notch and take the time the rest of have to figure things out with the advice you've been given. It's not a sprint, but more of a marathon. If you rush out front, trying to make it to the finish, it won't be as enjoyable. Enjoy your pipe and reflect on your day...or not...maybe reflect on whatever makes you happy. No matter what, though, just have fun and enjoy your smoke. ::

When you can see the cherry :lol:

Basically just enjoy & don't worry about it. If the cake gets so thick you can only fit a pencil in it, it's way too much. Cosmic pretty well nailed it.

Hmm, packing might have something to do with it. Packing affects draw intensity.

Firstly, ask the questions you need. I'm by no means an expert, but I'll answer what I can, when I can. Your excitement for pipes and pipe smoking is great and asking questions is how we all learn when we're new to something.
Secondly,

so I have to puff hard to get a good drag. Otherwise no smoke comes out.

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If you're having to pull that hard on it, then you're probably packing it too tight. They say to fill your pipe and check the draw as you do. If it feels like sucking on a milkshake, then it's too tight, dump it and reload. It should be like sucking water through a straw. Fill it looser than you think you need to, and believe me, it took a lot of practice to understand myself. You can always tamp it down if it's too loose while you smoke. It's easier to tamp it down if it's too loose than it is to loosen it if it's too tight. That might help curb the amount of draw you feel you need as well as the burning too hot issue. If you puff on it like a dragon, then no amount of loose packing will help.

No problem Machado. Keep asking. Not all of us had the luxury of growing up watching pipe men setting out on the steps of the general store after working all day, or uncles, grandfathers, or fathers who smoked pipes. Watching these men growing up, you never see them puff or blow smoke really. There may be a light trickle of smoke from here or there, but really it's was about keeping the tobacco smoldering. You might see a few puffs when they light their pipes, or when they remove their pipes from their mawl to talk, but mostly it was a slow trickle at best.
I can't speak to youtube. I don't use my phone or laptop for videos. A few I tried to watch were mostly just guys talking and talking and talking. It is much easier for me to read a post, and take a few seconds to respond. I spend much less time than you'd think actually interacting,; whereas a video requires much more time. But, maybe there are great videos of men just smoldering their pipes slowly... but, I bet that wouldn't make for great video fodder. There are a few great movies that will show a guy smoking a pipe, especially movies from the era of pipesmokers. Usually it will show a guy just doing something or relaxing with a pipe in his mouth. Background characters are best for this, because like I said, it's not very exciting central character stuff.

I think it is time for a real pipesmoking youtube channel. Just light a pipe and smoke it while perusing this forum. That way people can see what it really looks like, no clouds, no conversation, just relaxing and typing. This idea has legs.

Everytime I tried to answer a question in this thread, it seems, the question was already answered. And that's the way it goes on this forum. Never be afraid to ask a question. There really is no such thing as a dumb question. Otherwise, how will you learn? Nothing you ask will be any dumber than something we've answered (or maybe even asked ourselves at some point) before.

If you're having to pull that hard on it, then you're probably packing it too tight. They say to fill your pipe and check the draw as you do. If it feels like sucking on a milkshake, then it's too tight, dump it and reload. It should be like sucking water through a straw. Fill it looser than you think you need to, and believe me, it took a lot of practice to understand myself. You can always tamp it down if it's too loose while you smoke. It's easier to tamp it down if it's too loose than it is to loosen it if it's too tight. That might help curb the amount of draw you feel you need as well as the burning too hot issue.

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This right here. This is some of the best advise I think we can give a new pipe smoker. It's a question often asked and answered here. And I think it's one that will end many new pipe smoker's woes. I would say also, forgo all the different crazy packing techniques, and save those for later when you've gotten a feel of how the packed pipe should feel when drawn and smoked. Unless you're working on folding flakes, you really don't need to worry about techniques. Otherwise you may be loading and unloading your pipe, repeat, repeat, repeat, until it's right. I personally don't bother with all the mumbo jumbo myself, anymore. Simply, lightly, sprinkle some tobacco in the bowl, press it down lightly so it's not sticking up over the bowl, and check the draw. If it's obviously too loose, add a touch more, and press it down again. As already mentioned, it's easier to adjust an already smoking bowl if it's too loose, than it is one that's too tight. As you acquire new pipes, you'll learn the shank drilling is more open on some than others. So this method will save you a lot of time and troubles. I think, often, as new smokers, we tend to make things more difficult than they really are. But time, patience, and practice and experience will reveal to you what works best for you... and likely sooner than you'd think. You will also learn some blends will burn easier if packed a bit tighter or looser depending on the cut of the tobacco, it's moisture level, and even the components within the blend.
Continue to ask question, and continue to read posts here. You'll learn things without even trying. In a few months time, if one of your friend's decides to try pipe smoking, you can tell him everything you've learned here, and he'll think your some kind of awesome pipe smoking expert guru. :mrgreen: