What's Best When Nursing Cake In New Pipe? Spade, Knife, or Cork Knocker?

puffndave · May 27, 2015

When I began smoking pipes, I had just a Czech tool, which has a spade, no serraded knife. Now I've added added a another multi-tool, which has a blunt, serraded knife, and a flared sort of reamer (or do I have my wires crossed on the terminology?). I've looked for pipe-specific ashtrays online, saw nothing of aesthetic value, but I noticed that most of them have cork knockers. I'm wishing as usual that I had thought to ask this first, but I have been working to break in around eight new pipes (mostly briars, a couple of pears), and since I have put my Czech tool on my keyring, I reach for the tool with the knife when at home, being careful to remove the ash gently while removing the ash, scraping lightly if I see uneven, crumbly cake sticking to the sides. Got two briars and several cobs which aren't new which I've smoked on and off for a few years (now I smoke a few bowls per day, hence the growth of my collection), the briars seem to be in ok condition, and the cobs have a few black cells showing on the outside but still smoke ok, but I want to be sure I'm doing it right this time. Should I do no scraping at all, and use a cork knocker instead?

zekest · May 28, 2015

"Cork Knocker" sorry the 14-year old in me just has to giggle.
Just hold your hand over any ash tray, I use an empty pipe tobacco tin because it has a lid to contains odors, and tap the pipe against your palm to encourage the ash to fall into the your choice of ash tray.
If there is any unburnt tobacco left in the pipe, use the "spoon" part of the Czech tool to help it along.
No need to bash your poor pipe into a dirty old cork knocker like some old geezer while muttering "the pipe is just a tool".

warren · May 28, 2015

Loosen the ash with the spade, match stick or whatever and dump into the ashtray. Sometimes, if you are smoking smoking something "goopy" a bit of light digging may be necessary. I do rap the the bowl over the cork knocker in my ashtray at home. The problem with the cork is that it smolders easily, smells rank and you're gonna dump a glowing ember on it sometime. Trust me, you will. They are replaceable and most smoke shops sell them.

buroak · May 28, 2015

Loosen the ash with the spade, match stick or whatever and dump into the ashtray. Sometimes, if you are smoking smoking something "goopy" a bit of light digging may be necessary. I do rap the the bowl over the cork knocker in my ashtray at home. The problem with the cork is that it smolders easily, smells rank and you're gonna dump a glowing ember on it sometime. Trust me, you will. They are replaceable and most smoke shops sell them.

+1

sablebrush52 · May 28, 2015

I tap out the ashes and use the spade to clean out any dottle that remains. Then I double up a couple of bristle pipe cleaners and wipe the sides of the chamber, followed by a bunched up paper towel. When I do this I don't have to worry about uneven or weak caking.

jarit · May 28, 2015

I tap out the ashes and use the spade to clean out any dottle that remains. Then I double up a couple of bristle pipe cleaners and wipe the sides of the chamber, followed by a bunched up paper towel. When I do this I don't have to worry about uneven or weak caking.

This is exactly my procedure, as well.
For the first couple of years I was doing all kinds of tricks (shaking the ashes in the bowl etc.) in order to promote cake development, until realised that the resulting porous cake often cracked and sometimes crumbled away -- especially when trimming down the cake. Also, I feel that pipes don't need a thick cake in general. Nowadays I only use pipe reamers for the occasional estate that come with heavy caking.
Never had a pipe knocker, nor have I felt need for one.

aldecaker · May 28, 2015

1. Bash your never-cleaned pipe as hard as you can against the heel of your shoe while muttering "The pipe is just a tool". Grasp the pipe as close to the button as possible for extra leverage.
2. After vigorously twisting the stem several times, bash the pipe as hard as you can onto a dirty old cork knocker while muttering "Get the hell offa my lawn".
3. Using the pick of the Czech tool, root through the semi-burnt bits of Captain Black in the ashtray to recover and stuff in for your next smoke smoke while muttering "Goddamn tobacco costs an arm and a leg anymore".
4. While nodding off to sleep, repeatedly drop the pipe onto your concrete patio while muttering "Cheap piece of crap Grabows never last like they used to".
You are now on your way to piping Nirvana.

cobguy · May 28, 2015

4. While nodding off to sleep, repeatedly drop the pipe onto your concrete patio

:rofl:

Then I double up a couple of bristle pipe cleaners and wipe the sides of the chamber,

Same here ... I run a cleaner or two down the stem first and then just fold those over for the second use.
BTW, I'm calling my brother today and definitely working in a way to call him a "Cork Knocker". :D

foggymountain · Jul 3, 2015

For emptying the pipe, try a pipe nail. One end is a tamper, the other a perfect emptying tool. Price about $1.

mso489 · Jul 3, 2015

pipe nail +1. The effective, efficient design champion of the world. Piping world anyway.

saltedplug · Jul 3, 2015

I think the irreverence and oblique humor of aldecaker is useful not only for clearing the ash and cake mgt. but also in many avenues of life. 8) :D 8)
I dump the ashes, mostly all at once or as needed during the smoke and tap the side of the bowl with some vigor to loosen any burnt or unburnt tobacco that doesn't yield to the tapping. I use the pick of the czech pipetool to get at nooks and crannies such as are in the bottom of a cob. If I see a high spot in the cake I may scrape it off.
For reaming cake, I don't use a reamer. My hand ends up gouging/scraping the walls of briar. I've been is a pocketknife at a 90 degree angle to the cake, which allows for a less deft touch. I get pipes that I've bought where the cake has been taken down to just a shade more than bare wood. I have no skills to do this.

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What's Best When Nursing Cake In New Pipe? Spade, Knife, or Cork Knocker?

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