up or down ?

namdoc · Sep 5, 2015

Hi,

Been smoking pipes off and on since I was 11 years old, I'm 73 now. Just smoked, no real concern on brand of pipe or tobacco. Started with Edgeworth and Holiday. sometimes Price Albert. Over the years I found English mixtures and settled on them as my favorite. That being said before anyone told me too, I have always stored my pipe right after smoking and after cleaning stems down. It seemed logical to me at the time that any moisture would drain into the stem and not be absorbed in the briar. I now read on some posts that the "correct" way is the bowl down. I was looking for people opinions and why. Keeping in mind the answer will take in consideration, different strokes for different folks, as always. Thanx Doc

Chasing Embers · Sep 5, 2015

If on a rack, stems up, just because of thoughts of fluid evaporation traveling upwards. My larger pipes, mostly freehands, and cleaned, and placed on their sides on a memory foam pad on a shelf in my living room closet.

warren · Sep 5, 2015

Either works for me. One of my racks dictates bowl up.

aldecaker · Sep 5, 2015

All my racks are designed for bowl down except one. It is a 4-pipe "hanging rack" that I use for cobs only. It is probably the reason I use 4 cobs in rotation and have the rest in the stable.

prndl · Sep 5, 2015

I have one 7 day set of "steady eddies" racked, bowl down, in the man-cave. It rests on a table directly under the a/c vent.
That said, I'm not sure that bowl up or down really matters. I know several folks that clean their better pipes and store them flat in drawers and/or glass cases with no ill effects.

seacaptain · Sep 5, 2015

I just put it back in the rack. I don't like to put that much thought into it.

mso489 · Sep 5, 2015

Mostly bowls down, as a matter of tradition and on the theory that you want any of the burnt residue to settle and then dry in the bowl rather than closer to the mouthpiece. I also have a leather churchwarden pipe case that stores the pipes sideways which seems somewhat neutral. However, if a rack mandates bowl-up storage, I doubt it will do much damage or affect the taste much. If I have a choice, though, it's bowls down.

JimInks · Sep 5, 2015

I clean mine before they go back in the rack. My racks that are on tables, it's bowls down. With two of the three wall racks I have, it's bowls up, because I once had a pipe fall out and the tenon broke in the shank. I haven't taken chances since. It doesn't matter one way or another.

danielplainview · Sep 5, 2015

After I smoke, I place a pipe cleaner through the stem into the bowl chamber for about an hour while the pipe cools. This absorbs most of the moisture. Then one more pipe cleaner for airway and bowl chamber, followed by a microfiber wipe down before being put back on the rack.

rblood · Sep 5, 2015

Seems to me that if you are running a pipe cleaner through them after a smoke there is really no liquid to run up or down the stem anyway. Damp, sure but stem up, down or flat I see no difference.

ray47 · Sep 5, 2015

I guess as long as you clean your pipe before putting it away, it really makes no difference, at least I haven't noticed any difference.

jkrug · Sep 5, 2015

Mine are all stored bowl down after cleaning them. : puffy

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