Cake, and Cake Questions (with Pictures)

[cosmicfolklore]

are they really that bad?

Most guys love them, and I won't disparage them that. I have a few, but as a farmer, they add a fragrance to the smoke that reminds me of the fetid smell of the inside of a rotten corn silo. It makes me gag.

The reason guys give me crap about cobs, is that cob fans used to always jump in on any thread about a pipe and suggest that cobs were better. And, when you try to explain to them how rude this is on a thread where someone is showing off their pipes, they would dogpile me. Ha ha.
But, I am still not afraid of the cob thugs.
Who knows, you might like them.

 

[Malaclypse]

I have a few, but as a farmer, they add a fragrance to the smoke that reminds me of the fetid smell of the inside of a rotten corn silo. It makes me gag.

Same actually, it's why I prefer the peterson. We used to farm maize and it smells like the bottom of the silo at the end of the season. Is there some cheap alternatives to corncobs? I just spent 120 on a peterson system, and paid 20 for a mm corncob, is there a nice inbetween brair pipe?

 

[cigrmaster]

I know for myself that a nice hard cake will make my pipes smoke cooler and with more flavor.
When I break in a new pipe it never smokes as well as one of my broke in pipes with a nice cake.

There are different kinds of cake. All of mine are hard as a rock right around a dime's thickness or less. Loose cake that is soft and breaks off is no good. I get a hard cake because I break in every pipe with some type of Va, Vaper or Vabur flake.

Years of experience dealing with cake has proven to me that my system works for me.

 

[Malaclypse]

I know for myself that a nice hard cake will make my pipes smoke cooler and with more flavor.
When I break in a new pipe it never smokes as well as one of my broke in pipes with a nice cake.

There are different kinds of cake. All of mine are hard as a rock right around a dime's thickness or less. Loose cake that is soft and breaks off is no good. I get a hard cake because I break in every pipe with some type of Va, Vaper or Vabur flake.

Years of experience dealing with cake has proven to me that my system works for me.

By va i'm assuming you mean virgina's? I'm not a huge fan of them, I have navy flake, which is a virgina burley blend as i understand. I like it, but it's not my favorite. How much tobacco would you smoke to consider a pipe as "broken in" ?

 

[oldred]

is there a nice inbetween brair pipe?

Most of my pipes are Savinelli Series III. They can be found for $50-60 and smoke great.

 

[Bowie]

cob thugs

This is my new favorite term. I'm stealing it.

I should append it to the end of my username. Bowie the Cob Thug.

 

[olkofri]

Dear God, the forum will hear me say this for the first time ever... :::cough cough::: maybe pick up a few MM corncobs... Oh God, I think I'm going to be sick. Kill me!!! Kill me!!!

*Olkofri slaps Cosmic around a bit with a medicated trout

Snap out of it, man!!

 

[Malaclypse]

Most of my pipes are Savinelli Series III. They can be found for $50-60 and smoke great.

muttnchops on youtube, who taught me how to load and smoke my pipe loves his savinelli's I hear they even make system-like pipes now, I'll go and look a few up!

 

[burleyboy]

savinelli's [...] I hear they even make system-like pipes now, I'll go and look a few up!

Some time ago I had a Savinelli from probably the late 70ies, which was drilled like a Peterson System Pipe, so I guess, this is not new at all. If you want one of those look out for the term "dry system", I think that's how they call it.

 

[cigrmaster]

By va i'm assuming you mean virgina's? I'm not a huge fan of them, I have navy flake, which is a virgina burley blend as i understand. I like it, but it's not my favorite. How much tobacco would you smoke to consider a pipe as "broken in" ?

Yes Va equals Virginia. Navy flake would be fine to build a nice hard cake.It generally takes 10-15 bowls for one of my pipes to be broken in. When using flakes for the break in process, you will be amazed at how quickly the cake forms. Also most of all my new pipes were naked bowls as I hate that pre carb shit.

A couple of nice Virginia's that build a nice hard cake and taste great are Capstan Blue Flake and the new Peterson Flake which used to be Dunhill flake.

 

[Malaclypse]

Also most of all my new pipes were naked bowls as I hate that pre carb shit.

I've heard about the pre-carbed stuff, but i have no idea if mine was or not, how would I know? a pre-blacked inside?

the new Peterson Flake

I haven't seen a peterson flake, is it on pipesandcigars? or do you have any links to purchase?

 

[cigrmaster]

When a new pipe has a black coating on the insie of the bowl that is a pre carb.
Peterson Flake is listed under Peterson at smoking pipes.

 

[Malaclypse]

When a new pipe has a black coating on the insie of the bowl that is a pre carb.
Peterson Flake is listed under Peterson at smoking pipes.

Ahh okay, mine wasn't, though it had a striped inside, you can kinda see the stripes on the bottom of the bowl still. Idk why that was.

 

[pappymac]

After smoking a bowl, I wipe the inside of the bowl with a tissue and run a pipe cleaner through the stem. I never worry about whether its building cake that way.

I do prefer pie.

 

[Malaclypse]

After smoking a bowl, I wipe the inside of the bowl with a tissue and run a pipe cleaner through the stem. I never worry about whether its building cake that way.

I do prefer pie.

I figure a finger does about the same thing as a tissue.

 

[bullet08]

Forget about cake. Dry your tobacco until it doesn't feel wet to your fingers when pinched. But not to a point where the tobacco will break apart. Pack the pipe loose. Make sure you have almost no resistance when drawing the smoke. If there's resistance, run pipe cleaner through the shank to bottom of the chamber few times. You'll get good amount of smoke and easier to just let the smoke roll into your mouth without smoking like sucking bowling ball through a hose. Easy draw and slow sipping will help with burning pipe.

 

[BROBS]

The "striped inside" of the chamber is machining chatter.

Your cake looks like it's building normally.

I would bet you are not drying your tobacco enough. Try setting it out until it's crispy dry.
I dry mine until it breaks with my fingers.

to get more cake on the bottom smoke some really dry half bowls.. shake up the ash afterwards, dump it out, and screw a paper towel down in the chamber.

 

[Malaclypse]

The "striped inside" of the chamber is machining chatter.

what do you mean by chatter? sorry, im new to all of this.

I would bet you are not drying your tobacco enough. Try setting it out until it's crispy dry.
I dry mine until it breaks with my fingers.

my navy flake seems like an in-between of gamblers and plum pudding, its not so dry it crumbles, but it definitely doesn't leave residue like plum puding.

Make sure you have almost no resistance when drawing the smoke. If there's resistance, run pipe cleaner through the shank to bottom of the chamber few times.

I've been using a glass of water with a straw in it to test the draw of my pipes, is that too much? too litte?

 

[BROBS]

there should be almost no resistance to your draw.
a system pipe you will feel a bit more resistance.

Plum pudding is I believe heavily topped and cased while a navy flake is cased only.
Also MacBaren stuff is better quality than that other crap but that's purely my opinion, man.

 

[BROBS]

chatter from the drill bit bouncing around. won't hurt anything and actually probably helps the first smokes.

also caused from the softer spots in the grain.