Big Ben pipe. Is this a stinger?

[scloyd]

No such thing as a stupid question, right? :D I purchased a Big Ben pipe and it arrived with this metal piece in the stem. Is this a stinger? Is its purpose to cut down on moisture? Can I remove it?

Thanks!

 

[ben88]

Yes, yes and yes.

 

[ignaciojn]

Yes it is. Yes you can. Yes you should.

 

[scloyd]

Thanks. I appreciate your responses.

 

[weezell]

Try it with,then with out and see what you prefer...

 

[mikethompson]

You may find you enjoy having the stinger in there. Pipe smoking is so personal, just look at the great filter debates.

 

[jaytex1969]

On one hand, it interferes with passing a pipe cleaner, so maybe you should remove it.
On the other hand, it can serve as a weapon if someone tries to jack your precious stash of unobtainium, so maybe you should keep it.
I personally remove all of them that I can.

 

[tobaccojoe]

I have one that needs the stinger removed for sure. Any sage advice? Just use heavy wire/metal cutters?

 

[aldecaker]

"Pipe smoking is so personal, just look at the great filter debates."
There's actually debate about that? I always thought those other people were slyly, tongue-in-cheek agreeing with me!

 

[mikethompson]

What are you, new? 8)
the filter debate, the Meer debate, the Dunhill debate, how much time do we have? There is no, and will probably never be, consensus among pipe smokers.

 

[michiganlover]

The stinger looks like it is a press fit into the stem. You should be able to remove it with a gentle twist.

 

[bnichols23]

Comment -- two words:
Frak. Stingers.

 

[sablebrush52]

Some I pull, some I leave. Depends on whether or not the stinger affects the draw. Also depends upon whether or not it's made to be removed. Sometimes you're better off just leaving it alone.

 

[ekert]

So the consensus seems to be... it depends and it's up to you.

 

[scloyd]

Thanks everyone. It's easily removed...just pulls out. I'm going to smoke it today with and then smoke it in a couple of days without. I'm going to smoke some Sutliff Molto Dolce in it. That stuff is pretty moist and I really like it.

 

[ignaciojn]

At least we all agree that it is in fact a stinger. Or could be a drill bit. :P

 

[mso489]

When stingers are easy to remove and not a part of fastening the stem to the shank, I take them off and carefully label them and keep them with the others. This way I have them in the unlikely event that I sell the pipe (with original equipment). The one stinger I do use, part of a Drinkless Kaywoodie with a screw-in stem, smokes fine and is quick to clean. I think it is odd that some new pipes still have them now that the trend is long gone.

 

[jaytex1969]

I think it is odd that some new pipes still have them now that the trend is long gone.

We hang on to traditions for odd reasons, some times for no reason...
From Zig Ziglar, an amazing motivational speaker of yesteryear:
"In this respect, they are as bad as “this old boy down home.” His wife sent him to the store for a ham. After he bought it, she asked him why he didn’t have the butcher cut off the end of the ham. “This old boy” asked his wife why she wanted the end cut off. She replied that her mother had always done it that way and that was reason enough for her. Since the wife’s mother was visiting, they asked her why she always cut off the end of the ham. Mother replied that this was the way her mother did it; Mother, daughter and “this old boy” then decided to call grandmother and solve this three-generation mystery. Grandmother promptly replied that she cut the end of the ham because her roaster was too small to cook it in one piece."

 

[bnichols23]

Perzactl, Jay. Another of Bill's Mantras™ is #5A: "Change is often either necessary or desirable. Change for its own sake is never either." And the same goes for *not* changing.