Making Cake with Shake that Ash method

[ParkitoATL]

So, when doing the Cake Maker "shake that ash" method (stir the ash, place thumb over bowl, then shake), do you avoid cleaning the bowl for some time while the cake develops? Or do you let it sit, then lightly clean before the next bowl?

I've started leaving the ash and packing the next bowl on top. It doesn't have a foul smell. Just wondering how the pros do it.

 

[warren99]

I've never tried it your way. I build up a cake the traditional way. I fill the bowl up 1/3 of the way for a few smokes, then 2/3 for a few smokes, then all the way. It eventually makes a nice even cake.

 

[Mortamyhr]

Want sure where this was going with that title

I really have no room to give advice on this, but: i tried that method once and noticed the cake seemed to be very flaky, even with only a thin-ish layer. Now I brush out the chamber with a folded over pipe cleaner after every smoke. I don’t want/need thick cake(In my pipes at least) but I know others swear by it.

Thanks for the laugh! Keep shakin that ash. Or don’t. It’s whatever.

 

[warren]

I find cake forms naturally in my briars. Never had to encourage it, only work to keep it thin. A lot of memers detest any cake. Some tolerate only as a thin coating. But, I've never heard, other than the honey lovers, of encouraging cake, only keeping it under control depending on the smoker's preference. Then there are the various manufacturers who use coatings to encourage "breaking in" the pipe. I've never found or heard a definition of "breaking in". I presume most every smoker knows when his pipe is satisfactorily broken per their own definition.

 

[blackpowderpiper]

Smoke the pipe, the cake will take care of itself.

 

[MattRVA]

I’ve never liked this method personally, it’s too messy for me and I like a more solid thin cake. To each their own though.

 

[yanoJL]

...Now I brush out the chamber with a folded over pipe cleaner after every smoke. I don’t want/need thick cake(In my pipes at least) but I know others swear by it.

Same. Once I started reading about reaming and cutting back cake, I kinda latched into the idea that prevention would be the best course of action for me. I'm not looking forward to having to take a tool to the inside of a pipe to maintain it.
I shouldn't be trusted with sharp metal objects; even under close adult supervision.

 

[OverMountain]

I wipe my chamber out with a pipe cleaner wetted with pipe clean. No real buildup over time as best as I can see.

 

[Mortamyhr]

Same. Once I started reading about reaming and cutting back cake, I kinda latched into the idea that prevention would be the best course of action for me. I'm not looking forward to having to take a tool to the inside of a pipe to maintain it.
I shouldn't be trusted with sharp metal objects; even under close adult supervision.

Exactly!

 

[Grangerous]

Paper towel over a finger that’ll fit into the bowl cleans it well enough for several smokes. Pipe cleaner through the stem. Water rinse for a thorough clean. Never see cake.

Cake.. fancy word for Soot.

 

[AJL67]

Never ever heard of that, i thought this was going to be a thread about making mud for the bottom of the bowl.

 

[anotherbob]

it must work for somebody. But like most here I feel cake happens. A lot of these old techniques come from the fact that there was a higher demand for briar which meant lower grades with a better chance of flaws ended up being made into pipes more often. If a pipe has certain flaws which can still happen but are far less likely an even cake can prevent those flaws from causing critical damage to a pipe. Or at least that is what I believe based mostly on wild guesses.

 

[Mr_houston]

Crush the ash into powder. Shake it with top covered. Dump and leave the bowl as is until next smoke. Repeat.

 

[sablebrush52]

I don't do the "shake the ash" metod of building a cake. In my experience it forms a thoroughly inferior type of cake, soft, impregnated with left over bits of tobacco, one prone to breaking apart. I prefer a hard carbon insulator which can be built up over time by wiping the chamber walls with a wad of toweling after every smoke. A thin hard coating will build up, one that does the job well and is long lasting.

 

[seanv]

Like anything else, patience is the key to building a quality cake. A good hard carbon lining is far better than a sift flaky cake.

 

[ThermionicScott]

I tried the ash method with one cob that was in the process of burning out, but it didn't seem to help. A fluffy dusting of ash just isn't a good foundation for cake.

 

[ParkitoATL]

Thanks for all of the feedback everyone.

 

[ParkitoATL]

I don't do the "shake the ash" metod of building a cake. In my experience it forms a thoroughly inferior type of cake, soft, impregnated with left over bits of tobacco, one prone to breaking apart. I prefer a hard carbon insulator which can be built up over time by wiping the chamber walls with a wad of toweling after every smoke. A thin hard coating will build up, one that does the job well and is long lasting.

I was doing the towel cleaning for a while, it just seemed like the heel remained bare, despite 20+ smokes. Do I just need to be patient?

 

[AppalachianPipe92]

I don't know that I would pack a fresh bowl on top of ash. Just smoke a fresh bowl all the way to the bottom. Pack it half way if need be.
Smoke from the new bowl will pass through the ash on its way to the draft hole - that can't taste good.

 

[sablebrush52]

I was doing the towel cleaning for a while, it just seemed like the heel remained bare, despite 20+ smokes. Do I just need to be patient?

Just be patient. The time it takes is worth it. In the meantime you can practice slow and cool smoking while the layer forms. It's kind of a win/win.