Pipe Bits
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I hate how they look but like how they feel, and I am a clencher so they protect the pipe. I use them on all my pipes except cobs.
I use thin walled rubber tubing, and clench all day long. About as thin as a thick rubber band. Called surgical tubing, Like the kind they use when you draw blood. I cut thin rings. You can barely notice they're on. Sounds like a commercial for Trojans, I know. But hey, they keep the stems looking sharp. And that's the point.
At my Ace hardware ware store, they sell em as a coil, many feet long. I've got a yellow tan colored coil, but I know they come in black and red too. The point is they're real thin. The bit protectors you buy from pipe stores feel like you got got a mouthful of gum. Also, I don't cover the button with mine. The thin ring sits in front of the button, precisely where the teeth make contact with the stem.
Yep. I think that's it. Try to find the black version. That's the Holy Grail version, but just as hard to find. Here's a view of my coil.
Oh, by the way. These rhings slip off easily when your cleaning after a smoke. You don't rack the pipe with them on, as they promote oxidation, and serve as a Petri dish for all things nasty. When they discolor, I change em.
I personally would never use anything on the end of my pipe. Those things have to get nasty with saliva, tar and nicotine the smell alone would make me puke. The rubber taste would also be a turn off to me. Plus they look so freaking gay( not that there is anything wrong with that), I wouldn't be caught dead with it on my pipe. LOL I don't care about teeth marks on my stems, they add character.
As with all things pipes, do what you like and don't let anyone tell you there is a right or wrong way.
peck, do you use a cigar holder when you smoke a stogie? hehehe
As with all things pipes, do what you like and don't let anyone tell you there is a right or wrong way.
peck, do you use a cigar holder when you smoke a stogie? hehehe
Well, color me gay. LOL. But I pipe from dawn to dusk. Clench from charing light to dottle ash. A one light piper, flying my freak flag as a smouldering appendage in the wind. It's there in every picture in the family photo album. It's with me doing laundry, shaving, sitting on the throne, reading, typing, driving ... you get the picture. Kinda like what Mark Munroe Dion writes about. The thin rubber ring in front of the button allows me to grip the pipe without fear of leaving dental track marks, chatter, or cracking the bit. For me, the rubber separates out the men from the boys. Like the taped fingers of the conga drum player, or the moleskin on the runners toes. A badge of courage facing the onslaught of the anti-tobacco world. My trigger guard, if you will.
Kash buddy I clench all the time as well and really don't leave many tooth marks. In fact on all my high quality German vulcanite stems there are no marks at all. My softer English stems do show wear, but I would rather see that than smoke with a prophylactic in my mouth. :nana:
Well, I wouldn't call em prophylactics. As that has a negative derogatory conotation. Instead I would view them simply as another aid to piping. Much like a wind cap. If you clench pipe all day, why you get used to them. And they're so rediculously cheap, that I just chuck them the moment they discolor, or turn foul. I think a lot of pipers are hesitant to clench for fear of damaging their stems. And there's nothing uglier than a rack of fine strummels marred by grossly oxidized, chewed vulcanite bits. I've long advocated clenching as a way to become one with the pipe, as it subconsciously regulates your smoking cadence, and so prevents piping too hot, leading to discomfort and pain, and tongue bite, which are the precise opposite of what one is looking for in piping. These thin rubber rings do a lot more than merely protect your stems.
The trick is not to cover the button, only that region that comes in contact with the teeth. My problem with the commercial black rubber ones is that they cover the button, and so change the whole attitude of the pipe.
Off and on with them. I don't like the way they feel or look, but its so much easier on the teeth.
I use softy bits on all my pipes except for my corn cobs. I tend to clinch my pipe, so I use them to protect the stem. Just as they were intended for. They look fine on all my pipes except for my two meerschaum pipes, because they don't have black stems. I also think they make it easier to clinch a pipe.
Kashmir, thanks for the suggestion on the tubing, have to admit it works brilliantly! Two queries though: what would be the easiest way to clean these afterwards? And do you have an issue with your pipe being extra "springy" with these on? So far, when walking or moving around, my pipes have gotten a bounce to them on the Z axis something akin to a child on a trampoline!
(And, yes, the obvious is to slow down, not be in such a hurry.)
(And, yes, the obvious is to slow down, not be in such a hurry.)
I use them also, as I have dentures, they make it a lot easier for me to clench. I have also found that clear tubing works great for lucite, or other colored stems.
@javajunkie - No need to clean them. They're so cheap I just chuck them when they discolor. You can cut dozens of rings from a foot or two of tubing. I keep a bowl with hundreds of rings in it. Springiness in the Z axis: With these on, I tend to clench hard so the pipe isn't really just dangling and boucing. Also, the wider the stem the more stretched and hence the thinner the ring. Thin rings on wide stems produce less bounce. Someone once told me you can shrink the rings for narrower stems, but I forgot if its boiling in water, or some chemical treatment. Also the bounciness depends on your gait to some extent as well. Lastly, unlike other softies, these are meant to come off after you clean your pipe. First thing I do is remove them when I'm done smoking a pipe. Keeping a softy on the stem is not a good idea as it'll promote oxidation of vulcanite, and its not hygienic. My racked pipes don't carry bit protectors. The whole concept here is placing a tiny thin rubber ring between your teeth and the stem. This does three things: 1. Saves your stems; 2. Prevents fear of dropping the clenched pipe; and 3. Promotes clenching which regulates your smoking cadence to smoke cool so as to maximize flavor and prevent tongue bite, palate scorching, etc.
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