Storing pipes

I store mine with the stem up. Seems like I read somewhere that this speeds up drying time. I don't quite see what the difference is, though.

You hit on a subject that has been bandied about ad infinitum among pipe smokers. Some will say stems up and others will say stems down. I may be wrong but the way pipes rest in a rack may largely be dependent on the country / area of the world one lives. I am in the USA and a stems up guy for the reason noted above. But, then again, if you run a pipe cleaner or two through a pipe after smoking, you will have absorbed any moisture. To wit, does it really matter which way the pipes are stored in a rack?
But if you are going to make a pipe rack, please ensure you allow for larger pipes. The old Decatur Industries pipe racks on eBay were not made for today’s larger / big pipes.
If you need dimensions that will ensure you have no “bowl banging” in the rack:
Seats: 1” wide – 2” deep

Flat space between the seats – 1”

Center to center SEAT spacing: 2 ¼”

Stem rest: 7/8” wide OPEN slot
These dimensions are from 'Stems - UP" pipe racks I have that were made in the early 2000s. I have no “bowl bangers.”
Have fun building the pipe rack!

You don't want any residual moisture to seep endlessly into the shank and stem, any more than you can

help it, so pipes should be stored stem up. If you are given, or own, a stem-down rack, I guess I would

use it, maybe as a back-up, but if you have a choice, stem-up is the way to go. Certainly, if you are building

one, that's the way to design it.

There are arguments for both. Years ago I kept them bowl up, now stem up. There is really no difference in the performance of the pipe.

Thanks acadianangler for the thread as I'm looking into a rack or cabinet for my pipes. I'm leaning toward cabinet but the comments here lead me to believe it could affect drying.

/opinion/
Stems up looks more classy because it takes more technical work, style, care, to design and build a pipe rack for stems up.
Stems down, just drill some holes in an old plank and plop the pipe in the hole, like so many tools in a dirty old shed.
/end opinion/

Talk about pipe racks!
Have you seen Foggy's Dunhill rack! It's to die for! The most classy rack I have ever laid my eyes on.

Stem up for this piper. And if I were to make one I would make a couple spots for larger pipes. Some of mine are too close, or just won't fit in a rack. If I were to cut open the hole it would work but I wouldn't be able to bring myself to do that. Good luck and show off your creation when finished!