Rim Darkening

pipebaum81 · Dec 4, 2014

I recently read that rim darkening on a pipe is due to novice lighting technique of the pipe allowing the flame to char the bowl's rim. Is this truly the case? I find that the rim of my first pipe is slightly darkened due to the smoke build up from smoldering tobacco when not drawing. Thoughts?
j/B

darthcider · Dec 4, 2014

Good old spit on a cloth and some elbow grease will confirm char or as you suspect smoke residue.

freakiefrog · Dec 4, 2014

This is why I use stick matches. Turn the match parallel to the bowl when lighting and if the flame gets to wide I can just puff it out and grab a new match. Also tamping after the first and if you do a second char lite will help to as the leaf springs up..I will say this that there are some bowl shapes that seem to just be prone to char. I've noticed that the thinner the "ridge" is at the bowl opening the more prone to a char it is..

freakiefrog · Dec 4, 2014

sorry double post.

torque · Dec 4, 2014

Rim darkening can certainly be from bad lighting techniques, I have a few estates that can attest to that, but 90% of what I see is tar stains and not burnt wood. A simple trick I've learned is to keep a soft cloth at hand while I smoke. As the bowl heats it lowers the viscosity of the tar deposits and quite a bit of it can be wiped off the rim. If you are consistent then your rim will stay relatively clean of deposits. Just wipe it after a bowl but before it cools down, you'll be surprised how much yuck will come off.

mso489 · Dec 4, 2014

I tolerate some rim char. Most of my pipes seem to not get char, with a little care. A few with lighter stains

and thinner rims do get blackened beyond the use of spit and elbow grease. I use matches always. Lighters

violate my sense of pipe ritual. (If you like 'em, it's good; lighters are nifty gadgets, just not for me.)

sablebrush52 · Dec 4, 2014

Moisten the rim with a bit o spit before applying fire and you will substantially lower the risk of charring the rim. Not overfilling the bowl also helps. A truly charred rim is the result of careless practice.

condorlover1 · Dec 5, 2014

I thought 'rim darkening' was caused by not washing the old under carriage and using too little bog roll! On a serious note I have never noticed it too much of meerschaum pipes, although I do have a billiard that was quite scorched when I got it but the rim polished up very well.

kf4bsb · Dec 5, 2014

Condorlover1, I am sitting in my office at work and just read your post. I laughed so hard people actually walk up to my door to see what was going on.

mso489 · Dec 5, 2014

On behalf of char, my Savenelli Oscar Lucite prince with its bright orange stain has gotten a little blackened at

the rim which serves to balance what some see as the rather fussy look of the prince shape. This prince looks

like he's come from a fire sale, but it's a great pipe for blends needing a fairly large wide bowl. No fussy

prince for this pipe, my only prince shape. I have an author and diplomat that also provide the wider bowl,

that don't develop char.

khartman · Jan 18, 2015

Being that I'm a beginner, is this something to avoid in the long run? Can it potentially ruin the pipe if not careful and continuously charring the rim when lighting/relighting the pipe?

freakiefrog · Jan 18, 2015

Being that I'm a beginner, is this something to avoid in the long run? Can it potentially ruin the pipe if not careful and continuously charring the rim when lighting/relighting the pipe?

Seeing as how many of us see our pipes as much of works of hand made art as a fine smoking tool we, or should say I like to keep mine in as good a shape as I can. Because briar is wood and rim char is basically burnt wood and thus damage, this is a less than desirable thing to me at any rate. Damaged briar = unhappy Frog

pipebaum81 · Jan 18, 2015

Because briar is wood and rim char is basically burnt wood and thus damage, this is a less than desirable thing to me at any rate

Spot on freakiefrog. If it happens over long term use then I consider it just signs of love and good smoking. I do my best to keep my flame soft and away.
As a follow up, the darkening that I was observing wiped out off with some bottled water and a soft towel. I just wet the towel and gently rubbed off what turned out to be smoke/tar buildup.

mustanggt · Jan 18, 2015

I can't imagine any of us would ruin the rim on a pipe through arrant smoking technique. I saw Holmes in a Jeremy Brett episode take a pair of tongs, pluck a red hot coal from the fireplace, and light it. I was horrified!!! 8O

stvalentine · Jan 20, 2015

Part of my pipe cleaning routine is a quick swab of the rim with Calvados (substitute with whiskey, rum, etc....)

conlejm · Jan 20, 2015

Not as noticeable a problem on sandblast or rusticated pipes, or for that matter silver-capped ones!

mso489 · Jan 20, 2015

I'm with pipebaum on the idea that a little char on the brim often denotes a pipe that gets grabbed off the

rack most often and is therefore a badge of honor.

IslandCobFog · Jan 21, 2015

I mainly smoke cobs and would like to know how i can get the rims to look shiney and have some depth to them. Ive seen it before on well used cobs. Its almost like the have clearcote on them

tarheel1 · Jan 21, 2015

My Northern Briars has a bit of rim dqrkening, but flame has never touched the rim. I guess on a very light stain the heat and tar will darken it a bit. I need to clean it, but what 2ill not take off the shine or stain? Most people would not notice this little bit of darkening.

buroak · Jan 21, 2015

On the one hand, I am with pipebaum81 and mso489 - a bit of rim char is a mark of honor and love. On the other hand, sablebrush52 is right about serious rim char. My "special" pipes are never overfilled, and flame seldom touches the rim, never intentionally. My knockabout pipes are often piled high to get a strong ember from the start (so I can put on a windscreen without extinguishing my pipe) and the rims are often darkened as a result. I sometimes wonder which pipes I actually love better, my trusty knockabouts (typically cobs or low-end American estates) or my pampered indoors pipes (typically higher-end American or English estates).

Rim Darkening

Log in

SmokingPipes.com Updates

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

Site Sponsors

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

Part of the Furniture Now

Part of the Furniture Now

Part of the Furniture Now

Part of the Furniture Now

Can't Leave

Lifer

The Bard Of Barlings

Lifer

Starting to Get Obsessed

Lifer

Starting to Get Obsessed

Part of the Furniture Now

Part of the Furniture Now

Part of the Furniture Now

Part of the Furniture Now

Lifer

Lifer

Lurker

Part of the Furniture Now

Lifer