While catching up on the posts I'd missed in the Pictures of Your Pipes thread, someone asked how a Peterson's System pipe works.
The above images show a cutaway drawing of the pipe. Notice the well in the bottom of the mortice or under the bowl in the straight pipe. Also take note of the extension to the tenon and its relationship to the smoke hole. This relationship causes turbulance and that turblance causes moisture to fall out of the smoke stream and into the well giving a cooler,drier and milder smoke much like a gourd calabash. The well also captures any saliva that may be drawn back down the stem, making it virtually impossible to get any of that nasty, wet tobacco juice into the mouth.
A contributor also mentioned his pipe going sour after just a couple of bowls. This can be prevented using the same cleaning methods one would use on any pipe.
This is what I do. Upon finishing a bowl, I seperate the stem and bowl and dump the well. Peterson's System Pipes are Army mounts and, as such, can be taken apart while still warm without the worry of loosening the stem. This prevents any fluids from setting in the pipe and turning rancid. Next I use a extra fluffy cleaner to clean and swab the tenon area, pushing the cleaner as far as it will go into the stem. Next comes a regular pipe cleaner inserted into the bit and drawn out the tenon. This removes any gunk that the first cleaner may have pushed up into the bit.
Now on to the bowl. I use a Q-tip and twist it through the smoke hole to remove any tar and moisture. I then swap the well dry with a Q-tip and reassembnle the pipe then return it to the rack to await its next turn. I have pipes that haven't seen the S/A treatment for 5 or 6 years and haven't gone sour yet. I can't say as much for my other pipes whether they are Peterson's or other makes.
I hope this helps some of you get the same enjoyment and pleasure from your Peterson's that I do.
The above images show a cutaway drawing of the pipe. Notice the well in the bottom of the mortice or under the bowl in the straight pipe. Also take note of the extension to the tenon and its relationship to the smoke hole. This relationship causes turbulance and that turblance causes moisture to fall out of the smoke stream and into the well giving a cooler,drier and milder smoke much like a gourd calabash. The well also captures any saliva that may be drawn back down the stem, making it virtually impossible to get any of that nasty, wet tobacco juice into the mouth.
A contributor also mentioned his pipe going sour after just a couple of bowls. This can be prevented using the same cleaning methods one would use on any pipe.
This is what I do. Upon finishing a bowl, I seperate the stem and bowl and dump the well. Peterson's System Pipes are Army mounts and, as such, can be taken apart while still warm without the worry of loosening the stem. This prevents any fluids from setting in the pipe and turning rancid. Next I use a extra fluffy cleaner to clean and swab the tenon area, pushing the cleaner as far as it will go into the stem. Next comes a regular pipe cleaner inserted into the bit and drawn out the tenon. This removes any gunk that the first cleaner may have pushed up into the bit.
Now on to the bowl. I use a Q-tip and twist it through the smoke hole to remove any tar and moisture. I then swap the well dry with a Q-tip and reassembnle the pipe then return it to the rack to await its next turn. I have pipes that haven't seen the S/A treatment for 5 or 6 years and haven't gone sour yet. I can't say as much for my other pipes whether they are Peterson's or other makes.
I hope this helps some of you get the same enjoyment and pleasure from your Peterson's that I do.
