Breaking in a New Pipe

[JohnnyBeach]

I have begun to smoke half pipefuls now in order to break in the Brian's lower bowl section. So far it is working but I find the pipe gets hot to hold.
I do notice tongue bite and blame this on both the newness of the pipe and maybe smoking too fast in order to keep the pipe lit.
Any suggestions?

 

[walkingpipeguy]

This thread has been helpful to figure out what is going on with my no name estate pipe I just scored on Ebay.
So far none of my pipes have had a noticeable "break in" period, until I got this one yesterday. I fired it up and it was absolutely wretched, hot as hell and tasted like burning wood despite smoking slowly. Tried it again today, and it was marginally better, but still nasty. I thought I got a garbage pipe, but it probably just needs those resins cooked out of it. Looked like it was only smoked once or twice by the previous owner. I'll keep smoking it until it improves... I guess.

 

[JohnnyBeach]

I use JB Long pipe cleaners, there are a ton of decent brands out there. The bristle cleaners are for removing/keeping tobacco from clogging up the airway of your pipe. I generally only use bristle cleaners while deep cleaning a pipe. Soft bristle cleaners I use each end down the bit to the bowl then fold in half and swipe out the bowl. I do that after each smoke and call that good between deep cleans which I do six months to yearly...but I'm rotating 100 plus pipes, of which I smoke 20+ on the regular.

Do you have time left over for anything else? No offense intended.

 

[ThermionicScott]

I have begun to smoke half pipefuls now in order to break in the Brian's lower bowl section. So far it is working but I find the pipe gets hot to hold.
I do notice tongue bite and blame this on both the newness of the pipe and maybe smoking too fast in order to keep the pipe lit.
Any suggestions?

Don't work so hard to keep it lit. Let it go out and cool off before relighting.

 

[PiperCalvinist]

Smoke big bowl of Irish Flake. Then you won’t care what happens next.

 

[Swiss Army Knife]

Only pipes that have ever needed "breaking in" to me have been Meers and Cobs. Meers for that kind of chalky meer taste that only lasts one or two bowls and cobs with the corn taste and then that god awful wood bit at the bottom that takes a while to singe down.

A few Petersons that came with bowl coatings required breaking in because the bowl coatings turned into sludge, that wasn't fun. Since then I've just removed the coating with a few wet paper towels. Bare briar or less intense coatings haven't needed any kind of break in period.

 

[JohnnyBeach]

The bent pipe that I am smoking once a day is breaking in well. But I noticed that the channel from the bottom of the bowl to the stem is off-center eherr it enters the bowl. It is to the right quite a way. There is nothing I can do about it. While the pipe is new in use, it is many years old, way beyond any warranty or anyone's memory. I am hoping this is not a serious flaw.

 

[jpmcwjr]

The bent pipe that I am smoking once a day is breaking in well. But I noticed that the channel from the bottom of the bowl to the stem is off-center eherr it enters the bowl. It is to the right quite a way. There is nothing I can do about it. While the pipe is new in use, it is many years old, way beyond any warranty or anyone's memory. I am hoping this is not a serious flaw.

If the pipe smokes just fine, I don't consider it a flaw, much less serious one.

A photo or two if you can, please.

 

[JohnnyBeach]

If the pipe smokes just fine, I don't consider it a flaw, much less serious one.

A photo or two if you can, please.

Thank you. Your observation seems right. Th
e cake is noticeably thicker since I asked about the off-center vent and it does not seem to be a problem.
I smoked a bowl of Capt. Black today and things went quite well.

 

[JohnnyBeach]

I am trying to find a way to post a photo here. But even if I did. The photos I have of the inside bowl are not good enough to show the cake.
Of more concern to me is that I live in Maine, a true nanny state. By state law, no business can ship tobacco products l I keep tobacco and pipes to a private address in Maine. So, a tin of Mac Baren's tobacco that lists fir about $21 in a catalog, sells in local shops for $39.
And even then. The local shops have pitifully small offerings, most no Mac Baren products and I just have one place to shop. I tried buying a pope and tobacco from Prretti in Boston. No luck.

 

[JohnnyBeach]

I smoked some Capt. Black in the bent pipe today and it smoked all the way down, with a couple of "cheater" tricks covering the bowl with a quarter and puffing to keep it burning. The cake is developing nicely so I am encouraged. This and a straight stemmed pipe were both virgin, no varnish or coating, just the raw briar. I think that is the best way to have a new pipe, without the pollution of something artificial introduced. I am getting some bite, maybe from forcing the pipe to smoke all the way. Plus, it gets hot to hold. I know many of you say to stop and let it cool, even if that means relighting it.
I used an oxymeter to check my oxygen and pulse levels. My pulse got into the low 80s and oxygen at 97 and 98 percent. I was feeling a little lightheaded so I stopped.