A Breaking In Paradox

[Briar Lee]

A recent used Nording spigot pipe I’m so proud of I’m about to bust tastes rapturously, extraordinarily wonderful all the way down to the last part of the bottom of the chamber, where the pipe hasn’t yet been broken in.



At the bottom, there is about the most evil tasting raw briar taste I can remember, just nasty.

The chamber is black all the way down to the air hole.

Heat has to alter something in the briar, to the benefit of smoking quality. The previous owner must have suffered breaking in this pipe, almost all the way. Like many other used pipes I’ve bought, the last owner didn’t smoke all the way down enough to break in the last quarter inch or so of the bottom of the chamber.

What explains how an extraordinarily good smoker can be rancid and awful tasting during break in?

 

[alaskanpiper]

Bowl coatings for one. I’ve pretty much sworn off judging the quality or character of any new blend in a briar isn’t a trusted broken in smoker.

I mostly smoke blends that are new to me in meerschaum or clay, if I want an authentic assessment.

In new briars I put several bowls of Penny Farthing, Dark Birdseye, or 5 brothers through them to start the process. Good easy, even burning shags.

But at the end of the day, if I want a certain blend, and a new briar calls to me, I’ll smoke it. I just won’t form any solid opinions on the blend based on that particular smoke.

 

[OzPiper]

Yup. Bowl coating

I bought a new Tom Eltang a few months ago.
It was the worst smoke I ever had to endure in a brand new pipe. Dumped it after smoking less than a quarter of the bowl.
I know Danes are fond of fermented herrings but I didn't realise they used the leftover entrails to coat their pipe chambers.

Luckily sandpaper and patience fixed that

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

At least on new pipes, Peterson bowl coatings are easy to remove. Nordings, in my experience with a handful of new ones and an estate, can be more challenging, but I can get there. I just got a few years' old unsmoked pipe from a member that came from a reputable carver and the bowl coating on that one is well, persistent. Nothing against the carver, he just apparently knew how to get a serious coating on his pipe. I'll be a little more focused on that one this weekend - I'd like to give the pipe its initiation! I've left the coating on a couple of other pipes that weren't mass produced and haven't noticed anything, but my preference is just to see how easy it comes off and get it off right away if it looks like it won't be too much trouble.

 

[Briar Lee]

Ruminations on chamber coatings.

Once upon a time Harry Hosterman was squatted down outside the Grade A milk barn and his pipe didn’t emit that same Prince Albert sweet smell of heaven, but instead an acrid, burnt aroma that I know now is young briar.

He noticed me with my nose wrinkled and laughed and said he was breaking in a new pipe. Although Dr Grabow pipes were pre smoked, Harry said for the first dozen or so bowls it was a good idea to wipe a bit of honey inside the pipe to mask the stink of new briar.

Lee pipes still need broken in. But Lee figured out a way to make break in pleasant, even enjoyable. A Lee might have been oil cured, but it was surely coated or seasoned with something that made the first smokes sweet, although there is still a briar taste until after break in.

I’ve often wondered if a Lee pipe is the beneficiary of five year old aged and maybe even water soaked briar, in the holds of an interned Axis freighter held by some kind of holding agency.

War Shipping Administration - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

What Nording and other makers do that coat their bowl chambers is try and help a customer through the break in period.

Like all other sons of the hills, I hold a respect for fact-e-ree in-strushuns and leave them there coatins’ in them there new pipes.

Maybe aging briar, or an extra long water soak, removes nasty tannins from the dead root?

 

[Hillcrest]

Clean it with a salt and alcohol soak for 24 hours. That will remove most of tannins. Then wipe a little of your favorite licquor inside or honey, maple syrup or pipe sweetener or not ... let dry and then smoke. Youtube has videos on this. You'd be surprised how much junk the salt removes ... it turns brown; on some pipes depending on build up, the bottom will look new again. Also a little alcohol on a pipe cleaner for airway ... until comes out clean; let dry.

 

[jpmcwjr]

A recent used Nording spigot pipe I’m so proud of I’m about to bust tastes rapturously, extraordinarily wonderful all the way down to the last part of the bottom of the chamber, where the pipe hasn’t yet been broken in.

View attachment 169531

At the bottom, there is about the most evil tasting raw briar taste I can remember, just nasty.

The chamber is black all the way down to the air hole.

Heat has to alter something in the briar, to the benefit of smoking quality. The previous owner must have suffered breaking in this pipe, almost all the way. Like many other used pipes I’ve bought, the last owner didn’t smoke all the way down enough to break in the last quarter inch or so of the bottom of the chamber.

What explains how an extraordinarily good smoker can be rancid and awful tasting during break in?

I'd suggest that, while some cake in the heel is a good thing, the bad taste probably stems from the heel being still wet because the former owner did not ever smoke to the bottom.

 

[mso489]

I'll second OzPiper on sanding out the bottom of the bowl. I've never had this bad experience, but it sounds unpleasant.

 

[captpat]

Clean it with a salt and alcohol soak for 24 hours. That will remove most of tannins. Then wipe a little of your favorite licquor inside or honey, maple syrup or pipe sweetener or not ... let dry and then smoke. Youtube has videos on this. You'd be surprised how much junk the salt removes ... it turns brown; on some pipes depending on build up, the bottom will look new again. Also a little alcohol on a pipe cleaner for airway ... until comes out clean; let dry.

Make sure the mortise gets some attention as well, lots of gunk can accumulate there.

 

[cigrmaster]

The Danes use a coating called Waterglass. It is black and foul as could be. I have never tasted anything so rancid. The first time I ran into it was when I was collecting Formers. At the same time I was collecting Casltellos with no bowl coatings and it was like heaven. I will never buy another pipe with a bowl coating and if someone ever says they use Waterglass make them sand the bowl smooth.

 

[Briar Lee]

The Danes use a coating called Waterglass. It is black and foul as could be. I have never tasted anything so rancid. The first time I ran into it was when I was collecting Formers. At the same time I was collecting Casltellos with no bowl coatings and it was like heaven. I will never buy another pipe with a bowl coating and if someone ever says they use Waterglass make them sand the bowl smooth.

A question.

The Danes have taste buds, same as everybody.

Why would they use Waterglass?

 

[Homer]

Same as why satan puts mustard in the coffee?
-Because it`s bad!
(bad joke, I know

 

[cigrmaster]

A question.

The Danes have taste buds, same as everybody.

Why would they use Waterglass

I have no idea why they use it but they do. Maybe a pipe maker will see this and answer the question.