Airing a pipe to dry

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atskywalker

Starting to Get Obsessed
Feb 23, 2015
285
2
Canada
Would it be a bad idea to put a pipe, bowl facing downward, on an air vent to make it dry faster? If so why :)?

 

hooboy

Starting to Get Obsessed
I don't see any reason not to But I will be interested in others theories

I believe you have got it correct on storing pipes with bowl down imo

This has been discussed argued as some pipe racks are made where pipes are stored stem down,

That as well as numerous disagreements like opening up the draft hole etc.

hoo

 

yazamitaz

Lifer
Mar 1, 2013
1,757
1
I don't like to rush anything that has to do with pipe smoking, except maybe getting my online orders to the house faster. My question is why does it need to dry faster? If you don't have many pipes I would consider picking up a few cobs to add to the rotation. This will allow you to enjoy your tobacco while letting your pipes dry out in due time.
Just my .02

 
It seems like I remember someone posting pictures of a rack they made with aquarium tubing that fit inside each bowl to blow air into it (or for some other reason or other). Maybe an air pump to keep air circulating through the pipe. I thought it was clever, but I am not sure what the benefits would be.

I am not sure why it would be good or bad, but making something more complicated than it has to be never appeals to me.

 

atskywalker

Starting to Get Obsessed
Feb 23, 2015
285
2
Canada
Like every collection, some pipes are stars, others are great participants. Some of my best pipes obviously find themselves smoked ALOT. Was just making sure it won't hurt the pipe (although I thought it wouldn't, but it never hurts to ask).
As for not hurrying anything I agree. But some of these pipes are so dear to me that I wish I could just chain smoke in them without them getting wet to begin with :)

 

yazamitaz

Lifer
Mar 1, 2013
1,757
1
Well I definitely understand always wanting to go to the "stars", I am just as guilty of that as anyone. I find as I have become a tad more patient I start to look at some of my pipes that don't get enough love and give them a try. It lets the star rest and lets you know if it was you and not the pipe that made a past experience less than stellar.

 
I have one pipe that I smoke several times a day every day. It is the pipe I smoke while at my workbench. Smoking while I work requires such lack of thought to my pipe that I really like just using the one that I have learned how to smoke without having to give any thought to it. So, it gets a workout. It's not the most beautiful, nor most expensive pipe in my collection, just the one that I know how to smoke best.

 

aldecaker

Lifer
Feb 13, 2015
4,407
42
I definitely have my "go to" pipes that get more action than others, but they still have plenty of time to air-dry on their own. Part of that is certainly because of the usual low humidity here in southern AZ. The only pipes I feel I have to do anything extra to are my cobs; they are so ridiculously absorbent that I give them an outdoor sun bath every few weeks. Briars aren't nearly as absorbent, so I think just sensible rotation practices work just fine.

 

bonehed

Part of the Furniture Now
Nov 27, 2014
636
0
Cosmic's post reminds me of recent thoughts. How certain pipes are like riding a motorcycle in that I find it most pleasurable when I forget the tool altogether and it becomes an extension of my body. Other pipes, while still enjoyable, can't help but remind me that they are in my mouth and somewhat foreign. Like a good pair of worn in boots... or gloves... or jeans... they just fit. I'm lucky to have more than a few that disappear after a moment and all that's left is my mind and the chosen tobacco.

 

bigpond

Lifer
Oct 14, 2014
2,019
13
One can overthink relaxation....

Hardly a week goes by without someone posting a pipe myth debunking thread. Ol' timers didn't have the internet to tell them they needed to worry. Instead a heckuva lot of folks smoked the same pipe all day long.
Speaking of which, don't worry OP. Unless your pipe gets super hot while smoking or the air flowing from the vent is more humid than ambient, physics is on your side.

 

jpmcwjr

Moderator
Staff member
May 12, 2015
24,565
27,067
Carmel Valley, CA
As for not hurrying anything I agree. But some of these pipes are so dear to me that I wish I could just chain smoke in them without them getting wet to begin with :)
You can. Just getting the tobacco drier before loading is the key. As dry as you can without overdoing it, and smoking down to the bottom, or close to it. Good luck!

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
I don't see any harm in drying a pipe on a vent, but I also don't see the point. I like to let my pipes dry bowl down so as not to get any bowl residue/moisture in the shank and stem, although that's a minor point. Also, with most of us suffering from PAD and having too many pipes on hand, it seems like useless trouble. Anyone with more than four or five pipes -- let's not talk about dozens or scores of pipes -- air drying in the rack without extra air movement works perfectly. I guess for a few of us who have exemplary self-restraint and only own a few pipes, drying a pipe on a vent would help a small rotation of pipes dry more quickly.

 

blackbeard

Part of the Furniture Now
Sep 13, 2015
706
0
I question the matter of sanitary is it. If you just so happen to have mold....wouldn't you be spewing it into the pipe?

 

nutcracker

Might Stick Around
Oct 28, 2015
84
0
If there is that much mold in the air you have a problem anyways. The only issue I see with drying too fast is that the wood could develop cracks sooner. But being that our pipes are generally kept in HVAC areas, that (HVAC) does more damage than the pumping of air through the pipe should. This is also assuming that the air is not run through the pipe indefinitely. The pipes are not getting so much moisture that it is making significant migration of moisture into the briar. Drying the pipe faster could actually help the mitigation of mold.

 

hawke

Lifer
Feb 1, 2014
1,346
4
Augusta, Ga
I read an article where JT Cooke would rough his pipe in pretty close to completion and ran some mechanical blower thru it to reduce the resin in the briar curing it out even more. He said the weight of the pipe would be reduced by 6%-8%.

The JT Cooke Interview

In the summer when driving and the A/C is on I will cool my bowl in front of the vent. The result is often the same taste as the initial 1/3 of the bowl returns. I have even come up with a prototype bowl cooler using a peltier module for use during the moments I set my pipe down between puffs. I know I know, a little geeky, but I was bored and new at pipe smoking. I cant say I wouldn't return to the prototype table and continue it when I retire.

 
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