The seconds often have a heavy smell from their finish, but a couple of days of airing and they're right as rain.
Cake Being Formed? Or Scorched Rim?
- Thread starter mrmachado
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OK. That makes sense. Most of my pipes were finished with the exception of a Missouri Pride. I personally never noticed anything wrong with these and will definitely order again. One for the truck, one for the garage, one for the shop, one for Black Frigate etc. etc.
I think I finally managed to develop a technique of lighting my tobacco without scorching the rim.
I was bringing the fame too close to the pipe.
With time, I'm getting the hang of this.
My pipe is kind of not looking that good by now, but whatever... Newbie mistakes. I think I've learned from them.
I was bringing the fame too close to the pipe.
With time, I'm getting the hang of this.
My pipe is kind of not looking that good by now, but whatever... Newbie mistakes. I think I've learned from them.
Yeah, it happens. When you're dealing with fire, wood, & angle/flame-mobility issues, sooner or later we all burn a rim or two. On some pipes (like yours) it doesn't look bad if it's fairly minimal.
Most of us will have mastered technique long before it gets to the point where rim scorch is a problem. I've seen some so bad that the only fix was to "top" the rim & refinish it. It's an option if it's your own & you don't mind a slightly shorter pipe; definitely NOT something a reputable eBay seller will do before auctioning a pipe, but some surely have }}
Bill
Most of us will have mastered technique long before it gets to the point where rim scorch is a problem. I've seen some so bad that the only fix was to "top" the rim & refinish it. It's an option if it's your own & you don't mind a slightly shorter pipe; definitely NOT something a reputable eBay seller will do before auctioning a pipe, but some surely have }}
Bill
Part of the technique (in addition to the distance thing) is if you're using an adjustable lighter, keep the flame fairly low, around .5"-1"/~1-2 cm. Relights, of course, may need a little more, depending on how far down the bowl the leaf has gotten. For that, angle *is* critical since walls don't like scorch much either. -laugh-
Sometimes the inside edge of a rim can scorch by virtually no fault of the smoker. Pipes whose bowls are canted forward concentrate heat along the back wall of the chamber. Especially if the pipe has a sharp edge on the inner rim, this can cause scorching or charring. Sadly, I have a Dunhill Amber Flame bent bulldog that has this problem. Stupid design, IMHO. The damage occurred very quickly, too. The problem is exacerbated if you read while smoking, canting the bowl even further. For that reason, I only smoke my finest pipes when I can be sure I'll keep my bowl mostly level.
Great! Progress.... And if the rim is merely sooted, or scorched, it can clean up well. Only actual charring is permanent.
^^^^ 100%, craig. With some pipes it's so bad you have to rare back like you're going to bang your head into the wall to get the rim level enough for a healthy light. I have to be particularly careful of my bent bulls just for that reason, plus a few king-size Caminetto bents. Fortunately most of my beloved bent Nordings & Savs have combination of stem & sharp shank angles that help a lot in that department.
Bill
And even that's not automatically horrid if the problem's caught corrected in time. I've occasionally wondered if makers who use darkened rims didn't do that particularly on purpose partially to help users who worried about the esthetics of having "gone stupid" in lighting from time to time.
BTW, several mentioned scrubbing the rim with coffee. With sandblasted rims, I've had good luck scrubbing with damp used coffee grounds. It helps get in the nooks and crannies but the grounds aren't hard enough to scratch or damage the pipe. I put the grounds on a damp towel to help keep them kind of stationary, then turn the pipe upside down and scrub away. The coffee will work its way into the bowl and will pack in surprisingly tight. I just leave the grounds in there for a few days unti dry, which leaves the pipe nice and sweet as a side-benefit; but of course, you can remove the grounds immediately if you like.
What are you worried about? If it's a pipe under $80, like the ones I buy, I don't worry about scorching...being an outside only smoker and/or smoking on my boat while fishing, it's part of the risk I take. My grandfather used to tell me when he was onboard ship in the Navy, everyone scorched the hell out of their pipes all the time...once you burnt through the rim too much, you throw it away and get a new one. That said, it looks like a little of both to me in your picture.
Rusticated rims only increase the likelihood of this happening, but also hide it or blend with it better. I have had pipes get away from me, and if I spit wiped it after every smoke slowly regained the original finish. But yes, as you have discovered, keep the flame above the rim and tobacco, no need for flame to touch. Also, the spit on the rim before lighting is very helpful. Seems like you know what to correct now, and don't worry about the pipe.
I've been using a scrub pad with a touch of dish detergent. Works a treat, but after the pipe is dried, a bit of mineral oil is needed to replenish the plateau.
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