In need of guidance Have been smoking a pipe off and on for the last 18 months. Took a few months off for the same reason I am currently debating tossing my pipes in the river. I am at my wits end now... I'm tired of re-lighting 20-30 times only to find tons of dottle, regardless of what packing method I use, or what tobacco type I use (aro's, burley, straight virginias, VaPers, various english and latakia blends). I have tried smoking 1/2 or 1/3 pipes, only get the last half of that as dottle. I have tried packing in various levels of loose and tight anywhere from so loose I get tongue on the true light, to "am I drinking a milkshake" tight. I got into pipe smoking to relax, but it is anything but when you have to relight every 2 minutes regardless time space between sips. Help!!
Advice needed
- Thread starter stflorian
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How dry is your tobacco? Too moist and it's a constant struggle to keep it lit. My next question is are you getting a good light from the get go? I used to start my pipe very lightly and never really got it going properly. The result was constant relights. The third and least likely culprits could be your pipes. Do they have restrictive airways? I bore out all my pipes to 11/64 (about 4.3 mm).
What are you using to light your pipes? Maybe you aren't getting enough flame or aren't directing your flame properly to get a relatively even/steady burn.
Also, is the engineering of your pipe okay? Put some pictures up. Our pipe smoking detectives are great at solving problems like these.
Also, is the engineering of your pipe okay? Put some pictures up. Our pipe smoking detectives are great at solving problems like these.
18 months? That is quite some time to not start enjoying it. Keep reading the advice here, it will help.
According to my notes Sutliff Top Shelf burns like wildfire, that and 5 Brothers (straight Burley dry as a bone) should be a good starting point.
The pipes I smoke are a Savinelli Roma, and Trevi, Rossi Vittoria, and Rubino, Nording Freehand, and a few cobs, and baskets. 90% of the time I smoke a Sav or Rossi, but have started using my cobs more and more with a straight burley working on technique. I have let tobacco sit out for varying times from a few minutes to slightly crispy. Whatever it takes so the tobacco doesn't clump or stick to itself when I pinch it, and falls freely. I will say that I have found myself not getting a great light off the bat, I have grown somewhat tentative after getting tongue bite on a few lights with loose packs. Sometimes it seems that only a few strands of tobacco have any orange to them. I use matches or a pipe zippo. I rarely, if ever get a solid cherry across the top the tobacco.
I truly appreciate all the help guys!
I truly appreciate all the help guys!
It seems like lighting technique is an issue do you do a false light then tamper down the charcoled tobacco creating an even surface? This technique does wonders for and even cherry.
I think my mobile connection took a dump. I thought I was the first to reply.
Are you trying to smoke your cobs and Savs with the filter, or are you going wide open ? You might be getting too much stem airflow which will cause things to just burn fast, creating excessive moisture.
Are you, or have you been a cigarette or cigar smoker? Having smoked the sticks for 15 years before I took up the pipe and weaned off them, it did take me about a year to "get" the whole magic.
I never let the "char" light die out. I try to ignite the entire top of the load by constantly moving the flame across the surface accompanied with light, very light "sips. Then, after a bit of time (10-15 seconds?), I tamp lightly, twisting the tamper or my finger a quarter turn or so. When the embers and ash are lightly nested I relight using the same motion but, sucking the flame deeper into the pack. With both lights I want red, glowing embers across the entire surface, no hot spots, or tobacco unlit.
Forgive me for a slight redirect but is your issue with pipe smoking solely the relights? Let's say you relight 30 times in an hour, is the rest of the experience worth it to you?
If the relights weren’t framing the whole experience perhaps the smoke could be sublime. Try not sweating the relights and just enjoying yourself. Perhaps this should be the first step you should take?
I remember reading one time (actually I might have been watching the Frank Method video) that your pipe isn't lit until the top starts to flame (usually just for a second).
If I'm smoking a wet flake straight out of the tin (I know you're not supposed to but it can be done when you're too lazy to prepare), I just use a small butane torch and burn it until it goes. One you've established a good enough cherry just about anything will burn.
Again, not ideal (warnings of burnt rims etc...), but it can be done.
If I'm smoking a wet flake straight out of the tin (I know you're not supposed to but it can be done when you're too lazy to prepare), I just use a small butane torch and burn it until it goes. One you've established a good enough cherry just about anything will burn.
Again, not ideal (warnings of burnt rims etc...), but it can be done.
I think you need an attitude check. Begin by forgetting about dottle. It's not important. Fun to smoke down to ash,
but essentially unimportant. Try some Carter Hall (just a pouch worth); it's hard to make it go out, or Prince Albert.
If you get it down to ten relights per bowl, forget about it. You'll get better with practice. You've brought a lot of
stress to this activity, and you don't want that. The other posts cover the fundamentals like dryer tobacco. Relax.
but essentially unimportant. Try some Carter Hall (just a pouch worth); it's hard to make it go out, or Prince Albert.
If you get it down to ten relights per bowl, forget about it. You'll get better with practice. You've brought a lot of
stress to this activity, and you don't want that. The other posts cover the fundamentals like dryer tobacco. Relax.
I guess having said what I did, I should also say that I always have lots of dottle, and I don't care. As long as I get my forty minutes to an hour with the bowl not a lot else matters.
And while I wouldn't say that I'm re-lighting frequently, it certainly isn't uncommon either.
And while I wouldn't say that I'm re-lighting frequently, it certainly isn't uncommon either.
I think the problem is that you live too close to Indiana. :lol:
(I live close to Indiana too, but I'm up-wind .)
(I live close to Indiana too, but I'm up-wind .)
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