Beat the Gurgling!! Here's how . . . . .

Log in

SmokingPipes.com Updates

Watch for Updates Twice a Week

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

gord

Part of the Furniture Now
First of all, read Professor Moriarty's post on "toungue bite" of Apr 24 2024. He's addressed the solution from a different standpoint. Truly great post. Thanks Prof!

I've spent the last few days going over all of the suggestions and getting a great case of tongue bite myself. But the solution works. Here is what I came up with, and did:

All of your suggestions (in summary, packing too tight, dryer tobacco, gently into the pipe, meer chips, mid-pipe cleaner, and Dry-Kule), all of which seem to play a factor, but the problem is that THE DRAFT HOLE IS TOO HIGH ABOVE THE CHAMBER, which collects a foul smelling and foul tasting slag which almost led me to just display the Peterson and never smoke it again.

The solution is a coffee grinder and horticultural hardwood charcoal chips, exactly as Prof Moriarty says. Toss a half grinder of chips into the grinder bowl, give it a whirr and you will collect sizes of chips from dust, to little pebbles to larger pieces. Separate them into sizes in three containers.

Fill that useless cavern with three layers of chips, from powder, little crumbs, and small pieces, then put a flat, larger chip just below the draft hole. It only takes a few seconds when you get the hang of it, and just consider it part of packing the pipe.

Then, with a bit of due care, pack your pipe as you usually do. Then smoke as usual. Not only will there be no gurgle, but when you are finished, the charcoal will have absorbed all of the foul juices, and will come out as you clean your pipe as usual.

In addition, take a piece of pipe cleaner, cut it to size to fit in the tenon system, and trim the fabric down to half the size, inserting it into the chamber. Do this actually before adding the chips. It will act as a draft filter and absorb some of the juices that would otherwise drip to the bottom and create the usual foul mess. Take enough fabric off the cleaner so that it doesn't interfere with the draw.

That's about it. Charcoal is cheap, and if you make the process a part of your packing, the process is easy. You will also have a much tastier smoke. I figure aquarium charcoal should work as well, but the pet store is 10 miles from where I live, and the greenhouse supply store about ten blocks away.

The other great bonus is that there was left a layer of carbon at the bottom of the pipe, helping the break-in process, which is apparently part of the solution, too, much faster and easier. Cheers. I will comment further on any reply, giving further reasons for this deep trench nonsense as well!
 
Last edited:

sasquatch

Lifer
Jul 16, 2012
1,708
2,993
I mean.... wouldn't it just be easier to learn to smoke a pipe? No offense meant, truly, but when I read about tongue bite and heat and moisture and stuff, it's just.... that's "bad" pipe smoking. You'll have a much nicer time if you learn proper technique and get to where you are smoking a pipe very slowly. It tastes better (hot/fast burning just burns up all the flavor molecules, the oils and esters), it's less hard on your mouth.

Less is more with pipes.
 
Jan 28, 2018
13,909
155,394
67
Sarasota, FL
If I had to work that hard to simply enjoy a bowl, I'd probably no longer own any pipes. If I get a bit of a gurgle, I ignore it not letting it distract me. It's not often I get a gurgle but, to me anyway, seems a natural but, fairly rare occurrence usually caused by poor loading, possibly an unduly moist blend or something like that.
I mean.... wouldn't it just be easier to learn to smoke a pipe? No offense meant, truly, but when I read about tongue bite and heat and moisture and stuff, it's just.... that's "bad" pipe smoking. You'll have a much nicer time if you learn proper technique and get to where you are smoking a pipe very slowly. It tastes better (hot/fast burning just burns up all the flavor molecules, the oils and esters), it's less hard on your mouth.

Less is more with pipes.
These 2.
 

gord

Part of the Furniture Now
I mean.... wouldn't it just be easier to learn to smoke a pipe? No offense meant, truly, but when I read about tongue bite and heat and moisture and stuff, it's just.... that's "bad" pipe smoking. You'll have a much nicer time if you learn proper technique and get to where you are smoking a pipe very slowly. It tastes better (hot/fast burning just burns up all the flavor molecules, the oils and esters), it's less hard on your mouth.

Less is more with pipes.
Hmmmmm . . . . all I did was replace a Dri-Kule with a layer of charcoal, and install a trimmed pipe cleaner in the chamber. Seems simple enough, especially when the amount of experienced smokers who complained of gurgling in the thread was very high, and many said that the trench below the draft hole was the source of the problem. That's what I addressed as did Prof Moriarty but he from a standpoint of toungue bite.

As I mentioned several times in the thread, I am a VERY slow smoker and dry my tobacco thoroughly before I pack. I average about one draw every four or five seconds. In one of the forum's own instructional videos, if I remember correctly, the teacher said one draw in about three seconds is average.

I have no gurgling problems with any of my 18 pipes that have a draft hole at the bottom of the chamber. Only with the ones that do. Not being defensive, but I did mention these things in the thread. Those times that I do smoke with tobacco not properly dried, I'm in a hurry and usually pay for it lol.
 
Last edited:

gord

Part of the Furniture Now
A bit of pipe mud and 15 minutes will fix a draft hole that's too high. Problem solved.
Absolutely. Will admit this is less laborious than the charcoal . . . which actually, when you try it, doesn't take very long at all. But as you say, problem solved! Thanks!

BTW, ever tried a streamer on bass? Works like a hot damn on Vancouver Island bass, where our non-native has achieved real status! Sink tip line, casting just off of the lily pads.
 

gord

Part of the Furniture Now
My solution would be to not smoke that pipe. 🤷‍♂️
That's one way of doing it for sure, but it's a Peterson and I'll work with it. If it wasn't a fine piece, I'd do just that. A gift to boot. I have a Savinellii as well that sometimes misbehaves, but not to the extent that the Pete does. From the comments I've got, apparently curved pipes are worse offenders in this regard.
 
  • Like
Reactions: mingc

elvishrunes

Can't Leave
Jun 19, 2017
368
687
Absolutely. Will admit this is less laborious than the charcoal . . . which actually, when you try it, doesn't take very long at all. But as you say, problem solved! Thanks!

BTW, ever tried a streamer on bass? Works like a hot damn on Vancouver Island bass, where our non-native has achieved real status! Sink tip line, casting just off of the lily pads.

Bass, thumbs down 👎🏼, lol. I’m from Ontario bass are everywhere, but if I lived in BC, it would be trout and salmon all day, I guess you like what you cant have.

Just came back from Algonquin Park and caught a nice 2lb brook trout. After I netted it and brought it pretty far on shore I decided to take a pic in the net and before I could, it still had life left, spit the hook and jumped about 15 feet down moss covered granite shelves into the water and swam off, bummer, but incredibly sight to witness.

As for gurgling, some pipes do more than others. I have a new Sav that gurgles a lot, same tobacco same moisture in other pipes doesn’t. I don’t enjoy gurgling, but put up with it,,,