The Pipes Magazine Radio Show – Episode 238

A truly delightful show! Rob's experiment, his pipe care insights, and his stories, were fascinating and informative. In the posted photo of Rob, I think you and he could pass for first cousins.
The music was very nice. And, as for the sermon, Amen.
Thanks,
Dino

Possibly I missed something but am still not quite sure "why" he did this experiment. Was it just to see how the pipe would react to being constantly smoked?
He also never talked about how often he smoked it. Every day? If so, how many bowls? If not, how often?
Thanks,
Nelson

Brian I agree, using the technique put forth by John Fordham has totally changed my smoking experience. I have only been in the hobby for about a year now, but I love that there is always something new to learn. Using Johns technique of spinning the tamper has led to better smokes with almost no relights. I also enjoyed learning of Rob's methods of pipe upkeep. Keep up the great work.

I thoroughly enjoyed your guest segment this week. Especially the cleaning ritual he described on his "one year" pipe. However, It appeared to me that he spent more time cleaning than smoking. Five bowls a week is less than a bowl a day. One pipe for a year's worth of smoking would not have bothered me as much as limiting myself to one tobacco. I'm constantly varying my tobacco and trying new things. Having said that, I admire people who can stick with one thing for so long. To each his own! See you in Chicago Brian!

Rob's last interview was very enjoyable but I thought "does Rob have more to offer". Short answer - YES!
That interview was chock full of great insights and a lifetime of learning from Rob.
I really identified with his methods of cleaning estates and maintaining his personal pipes. I follow pretty much the same regiment, including only soaking estates with alcohol/salt for a few hours. I've also come to rely on sandpaper for a more precise method of removing a previous owners cake.
The advice to try different styles and materials in pipes was also spot-in. Early on, I tried a lower end Peterson, with a p-lip arylic stem. I hated that one, but later learned that vulcanite p-lip stems are very much to my liking (and have almost become my favorite)
The one-pipe experiment was also very interesting. Just last week, my wife told me that "You don't need to pack a lot of pipes for our trip next week, can't you make do with one?". Shouldn't wives mind their own business? But, Rob's comments about smoking 50-60 bowls through a pipe made me think. With my current count, getting 50 bowls on a particular pipe will take a while. I've recently purged some pipes to get more regular use in my favorites. In the interview, just that point alone gave me a lot to consider.

Hi Brian, I’m finally caught up and I have to say another excellent show as always.
Its interesting to find out how your technique has changed over time, while I like the idea of twisting the tamper instead of applying pressure I think I'll have to find one with a larger head than my current model.
I really enjoyed Rob's interview. Having attended his last two seminars at the Chicago show I enjoyed hearing about his one pipe experiment, Having tried only smoking one pipe for the month of march you couldn't pay me to try it for a whole year. I also like his method for keeping a pipe clean. Unfortunately I have been known to neglect a pipe until the next time I want to smoke it, knocking out the dottle and giving it a once over before packing the bowl I want to smoke.
On last weeks rant, I help run a youth club and you would be surprised how many people's parents don't offer any support to the squadron or whom we've never even met. That said there are a lot of good parents out there who do a lot to help out so its not all bad.
For this weeks rant, I always have a pipe in my jacket pocket, Its still a little too cold to sit outside here but if Im out for a walk or in the smoking area outside my favourite drinking establishment then I almost always have my pipe lit. I even take it to work just incase I find an opportunity to escape, I get a lot of good comments too.

I forgot to reply to this even though I listened to the show Tuesday. I tried the Fordham technique of tamping but it didn't work for me.
I was surprised at Rob Cooper being able to smoke one pipe for twelve months. Then he said he only smoked it five times a week and I realized he had made a very difficult task somewhat easier. His cleaning routine was very good and I'd recommend it to any one.
I think your on to something about encouraging us to smoke in public. I think that would help a lot to get the pipe more evident to people.