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Jun 23, 2021
4
3
Hello! I'm a novice and I have a question, I'm sorry in advance if it is not worded up to standard.

I have these two pipes that are nearly identical in bowl shapes and wall thickness, and up until a point they were smoking equally well. I then had a not the brightest idea of trying some poor quality tobacco in one of them, and it feels like it has ruined it (though for all I know it may be unrelated). The walls instantly grow hot and the smoke is never cool or of normal flavour. It will be quite troublesome to try to describe it, but it almost feels second-hand, as if I'm attempting to smoke moistened ash. The chamber appears to be without damage beyond of what the other pipe I mentioned has suffered.

I have tried routine cleaning, lighter packing (almost to the point of not being able to light), tighter packing, reaming, salt-and-alcohol cleaning (however poorly I might have done it). The pipe has been drying for at least 4 days, but the issue still persists.

A third pipe I have has the same issue, but it is an estate, slightly drilled out it appears, its walls are almost twice thinner and I have no idea what to make of that, to be perfectly honest.

Questions are, then, these: Could a half-bowl of overly wet (with dubious liquids) tobacco have caused that? If not, what could have? What can I try?
Thank you for your attention, I'm ready to clarify what I may.
 
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Reactions: germinal

karam

Lifer
Feb 2, 2019
2,359
9,055
Basel, Switzerland
I'd say it is the tobacco, not the pipe. Some tobaccos burn hotter than others in the same pipes. Is it an aromatic? Is it an OTC aromatic?

Cake and dirt shouldn't make any pipe smoke hotter. Some people believe cake insulates the wood from the heat, I doubt it but hey, I'd accept it is a barrier between burning tobacco and wood. Taking this idea to the extreme, I'd say cake - masses of cake - may make the pipe feel cool to the touch by insulating from the heat until the pipe is hot enough to glow in the dark. I'm being sarcastic of course.

Ultimately the pipe bowl is a piece of wood, it is inert, and pretty hard to cause serious harm to - other than smoking it WAY too hot, repeatedly and for prolonged periods of time.
 
Jun 23, 2021
4
3
I'd say it is the tobacco, not the pipe. Some tobaccos burn hotter than others in the same pipes. Is it an aromatic? Is it an OTC aromatic?
Thank you for replying! I forgot to mention the part that is probably the most important: I usually smoke only one blend — a non-aromatic Virginia. Before putting whatever that was in the problem pipe it smoked normal, and it still does now in the reference pipe.
 

Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
43,411
109,210
Jun 23, 2021
4
3
Define poor quality tobacco
Thanks! I have no idea what sort of leaf it was, it was drenched in something so smelly and chemically unnatural it felt almost like vape liquid, or a brake cleaner.
Dry out the tobacco.
Thank you, I will. Question still stands though, what may be the cause of it starting to feel so radically different in similar pipes and in similar circumstances? What may be the reason it smokes different than before in the same pipe and in pretty much the same condition? I'm certain the tobacco was moister when it felt fine also.
 
Jun 23, 2021
4
3
Actually, I reamed it bit more thoroughly and swabbed the chamber some more and now it's slightly better. I could not think the sauce from that one time was just this toxic. I'm really grateful for your answers and sorry that a thread died for this.
 
Jun 18, 2020
3,848
13,660
Wilmington, NC
Sounds like it may be ghosted with the nasty stuff that was on the tobacco. There ae several different ways to remove a ghost, one being just smoke through it. Another often mentioned method is filling the pipe with coffee and letting it sit for a day. i have no experience with that one, but it does get mentioned a lot.
 

paulfg

Lifer
Feb 21, 2016
1,573
2,948
Corfu Greece
Sounds like it may be ghosted with the nasty stuff that was on the tobacco. There ae several different ways to remove a ghost, one being just smoke through it. Another often mentioned method is filling the pipe with coffee and letting it sit for a day. i have no experience with that one, but it does get mentioned a lot.
that would be damp used coffee grounds not liquid coffee ;)
 
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mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,455
Sip don't puff is good advice. Beginners tend to puff too hard, trying to get the flavor and keep the pipe lit. Gentle sipping will get you better results, a cooler pipe, and a better experience. Technique is all, and it will come with time and practice.
 

germinal

Lurker
Mar 18, 2021
41
251
Sweden
Stab in the dark here, but could be something blocking the stem (pipe cleaner fluff, bits of tobacco.) This tends to cause a hot and wet smoke since the draw is poor and there is additional turbulence. I've had instances where a pipe cleaner passes fine but it's still almost completely blocked when smoking.

Shine a light through one end to see if something seems stuck.
 

anotherbob

Lifer
Mar 30, 2019
15,779
29,587
45
In the semi-rural NorthEastern USA
I honestly think it's just the pipe was angry at you and now it's not. I think that explanation is as functional as any of the others. And the things is all anyone can do is speculate on what happened. The good thing is that any tobacco that you describe as crappy is probably not something you're going to smoke any time soon. My advice is apologize to the pipe and tell it how much you love it. Kind of act like it's a cat or dog that you was acting pissy after you didn't look where you were going and you stepped on it's paw.
And if it ever happens again think about what's the same about both times. And if it never happens again it's a one off and you know that somehow someway smoking subpar (in your opinion, and from your description mine too) is a shitty idea not to repeat.
 

ncshawn

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jul 1, 2021
106
183
Raleigh, NC
Dry the tobacco more than you think you need to, don't pack too tight, and slow down your cadence. I suggest over drying some tobacco and work your way back to more moist from there. That's the best way to learn. Every tobacco is different.