Advice needed for packing

[eusebius]

Hi all,
I'm new to the forum and new to pipe smoking. I'm running into a problem of my tobacco not staying lit as it nears the quarter bottom of the bowl. I've tried packing lighter, but that hasn't done the trick. I've also noticed there is a greater ash taste around the same time. Any advice is welcomed!

 

[daimyo]

It sounds like you might not be tamping down your bowl regularly. Not to pack it but to level it, knock down ash and to bring the cherry into contact with new tobacco. Regular light tamping can help, if you're not doing it already.

 

[phil67]

Not to skirt the subject by giving you a direct answer, there are numerous helpful video's on YouTube on how to properly pack a pipe. HERE is a good start. Also, as mentioned, periodically tamping down the ash very lightly will help tremendously. Also, as you'll find out, there are several methods on packing a pipe. When all is said and done; its a learning process.

 

[brewshooter]

Yeah, packing is weird. I used to do the three step method. Now, I just kind of push it in there until it "feels" right and light it. I do find it's best to do a charring light or two and tamp it down before the main light. I may still need to relight, but if I tamp as I go and tend the flame by occasional damping of the bowl with my hand, I can keep the flame going much longer then when I first began.

 

[leacha]

I usually fill the bowl half way, and pack it somewhat tightly then I fill it to the top of the bowl then pack it again not tight, then I char it tamp it then light it. There are many different ways to pack your bowl, try a few different ones and find the one you like the best.

My way exactly! I used to use three step but 1/2 the time it didn't go my way. I've found emptying ash half way works wonders on burning to the bottom.

 

[12pups]

And once you get your favorite ribbon cut down, you switch blends and it might change --
Not to mention flakes and slices!
I have great fun experimenting with different fill techniques. Welcome to the fun! Experimentation is a lot of that fun.

 

[eusebius]

Thanks everyone for the advice! I was listening to one of the older radio shows on here and Brian Levine explained his method that seemed to work well for me: using just gravity, fill the bowl to the top and tamp down to the half-way mark, fill again and tamp down to the 3/4 mark, fill again and tamp to just level (or slightly below) the rim. Woot woot!

 

[derrickyoung]

I suffered the same issue for the longest time. You might also try the reverse gravity method which I find works well for me.
Also you did not mention what tobacco you are using. I have found some to be trickier than others.

 

[dottiewarden]

It sounds like you might not be tamping down your bowl regularly. Not to pack it but to level it, knock down ash and to bring the cherry into contact with new tobacco. Regular light tamping can help, if you're not doing it already.

I'll go with daimio.
You could also try drying the tobacco out just ever so slightly more than you are now. You could also try different blends in different pipes.
Don't worry though, soon you'll get the feel of it.

 

[necron99]

Weeping double posts. Wow.

 

[necron99]

I have tried to figure out a way to describe how I load a pipe. I even sat down and paid attention to how I do it last night. This is what happened I place the pipe down into the tobacco and hold it with one hand then I put my fingers from the other hand into the tobacco and then roll the tobacco into the bowl no pressure. When the bowl is full push the last bit that is sticking out of the pipe down in and dress the top. I tried all those methods; 3 step, 2 step and such, none of that ever worked for me. It actually just frustrated me, so I gave up on that stuff. What will roll or twist in with no pressure plus the bit hanging on to what you rolled into the pipe. Just push that bit that hangs on into the pipe and dress the top and ya good to go. Good luck it takes some time but it becomes very natural in short order.

 

[mrdottle]

First, relights are a fact of life with pipe smokers. Second, and often overlooked, relights will be more frequent towards the bottom of the bowl. Third, the narrower and deeper the bowl, relights will yet be more frequent - the reason? You need to get oxygen to the ‘depths’ to keep the fires stoked. If you tamp ash you will tend to smother the fire, unless you have a pipe with a large diameter chamber (7/8” to 1”) and a shallower bowl. Some pipes with the latter characteristics would be some pots, some bulldogs, some authors and some Rhodesians and a few others. Regarding pots, IMO if a pot doesn’t have a one inch bore, it’s not a pot. It’s a saucepan. I tend to dump ash from pipes having narrow, deeper bowls and leave ash in pipes having large diameter chambers and shallower bowls. As you might suspect, I have only a couple of pipes with narrow, deep bowls.
Other than a pipe’s chamber diameter and bowl depth, other things come in to play as well, and these have been already noted.

 

[davidintexas]

Thanks for the advice mrdottle. I have noticed I have more relights in the second half of the bowl, most of the time. However, with me that is true even if I have dumped the ash at the mid-way point. So, still trying to tinker with things and do adjustments to figure it out

 

[macabra11]

I have this issue too. So what I've learned is that when I am having to relight constantly, it usually means I am a lot closer to the bottom of the bowl than I thought I was. When I empty the pipe, I only have a small amount of tobacco left and that is completely normal (dottle). This varies from one tobacco to the next, and sometimes I have a bad pack, but for the most part I just lose track of time and am done with the pipe! Sacrificing a little bit of tobacco at the bottom of the bowl is just something I have learned to accept as "normal".
Now this may not be your problem, and I would advocate trying alternate packing methods, but it's something to be aware of. Happy smoking!

 

[thesmokindragon]

Most of my bacci is flake, cube cut and then gravity fill to top of bowl. The

advice about tamp'in throughout your smoke is essential. Sometimes

depending on bacci blend, I dump some of the top ash out of the bowl

to help get the bacci just beneath the ash layer lit.

 

[bwithers55]

There is no harm in not smoking all the way to fine ash at the bottom of the bowl.If you are tasting ash, you are done. -bw

 

[ssjones]

I'm not certain why/how that occurs,but I'll find out!

 

[necron99]

What!? You mean those three or four flecks of tobacco left over that I sometimes find in my ashes when I am done are no big deal!? I have been stressing over that so much that i have been having to see a doctor for ....well, stress.