Carbon Won’t Buildup In Chamber

[PipeIT]

Hello,

All of my pipes, except one won’t build up carbon inside the entire chamber.

I ponder all the reasons this could be; briar, types of blends, etc..

The thing is, I’ve smoked many various blends in it, but especially a lot of Va blends, that I assumed by now, there would be a small carbon build up in the entire chamber.

I’ve smoked it around 150 times, just to throw a number out there, but I have two other pipes, with as little as being smoked 20-30 times, already show carbon in half of the chambers.

Do you also experience this with some pipes too?

The last blend I smoked in it, was Sutliff Queen Anne’s Revenge, a Rum Aro, and if memory serves me correctly about half of the chamber did have carbon, and I swear, after smoking this blend, and wiping the chamber out with a paper towel after smoking, that the makeup of this blend, something in it, ate away at the carbon, so when I wiped out the chamber, I feel like I wiped a lot of it away, like it had turned very soft.

I’ve never smoked any blends, that seemed like they softened up the carbon build up so much, that it would easily wipe away.

Here are some pics I took, see how there is only a slight black carbon layer, only 1/4 the way down.



Here is looking further down the chamber, below the carbon, this is how the rest of the chamber looks, like a dark gray coating, and I can also see slight faint colrs of some brown of the wood too underneath it.

If you zoom up the pics, you see a slight brown color showing throw this gray on the right side.

 

[Dudditz]

Really....???? 150 times an no carbon buildup???
Ok I am a relative newbie and I will digress to to wealth of knowledge and expertise on this site. But all I got is FM!
FM?
Fu*%in Magic!!!!
I mean...you did light the pipe the 150 times you smoked it i am assuming...LOL.
Seriously, snarky comments aside, I am not quite sure how that happens. (Or in this case doesn't happen)

 

[FurCoat]

It normal. I personally don't don't like any build up in the bowl so I would be thrilled to have your problem.

 

[PipeIT]

Well, I just want the black carbon, as you can see on the top 1/4 of the pipe all the way down, which is very thin, barely 1mm.

It’s always been my understanding this very light layer all they way through the chamber helps protect the briar, custom carvers have told me this, it helps to protect from possibly getting thin hair line cracks inside the chamber.

@FurCoat if you wipe the chamber out with a paper towel/napkin right after smoking, while the chamber is still warm, the carbon will be softer, more pliable to wipe away excess.

When the paper towel/napkin doesn’t get the carbon good enough, I’ll stick my index finger in the chamber, and with some pressure, flatten out the carbon, and also wipe away excess.

 

[didimauw]

This might not be your case, but I know that however the bowl is sitting matters. My straight pipes hang at a downward angle. So the smoke always hits the "back" of the bowl. This causes the cake to build much faster on that side.

Also every pipe I owned only had cake down to the last 1/4 where it was clean. So I started to understand why you would want to smoke partial bowls in the beginning. To get the cake to form there first.

 

[bullet08]

I wouldn't worry about it. As long as it smokes fine and you like it, no cake shouldn't cause concern.

 

[FurCoat]

Well, I just want the black carbon, as you can see on the top 1/4 of the pipe all the way down, which is very thin, barely 1mm.

It’s always been my understanding this very light layer all they way through the chamber helps protect the briar, custom carvers have told me this, it helps to protect from possibly getting thin hair line cracks inside the chamber.

@FurCoat if you wipe the chamber out with a paper towel/napkin right after smoking, while the chamber is still warm, the carbon will be softer, more pliable to wipe away excess.

When the paper towel/napkin doesn’t get the carbon good enough, I’ll stick my index finger in the chamber, and with some pressure, flatten out the carbon, and also wipe away excess.

I do the same. I admit I have problems getting the last quarter to carbon.

 

[PipeIT]

I do the same. I admit I have problems getting the last quarter to carbon.

So you have some pipes that behave the same way?

Thanks

 

[Chasing Embers]

The last blend I smoked in it, was Sutliff Queen Anne’s Revenge, a Rum Aro, and if memory serves me correctly about half of the chamber did have carbon, and I swear, after smoking this blend, and wiping the chamber out with a paper towel after smoking, that the makeup of this blend, something in it, ate away at the carbon, so when I wiped out the chamber, I feel like I wiped a lot of it away, like it had turned very soft.

Wet aromatics remove cake. I've started using them in meerschaum pipes to avoid reaming.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I wouldn't worry about it. As long as it smokes fine and you like it, no cake shouldn't cause concern.

This. Don't waste time looking for a solution too a problem that really doesn't exist.

 

[PipeIT]

Wet aromatics remove cake. I've started using them in meerschaum pipes to avoid reaming.

Ahh so I wasn’t loosing my mind... LOL ?

The Queen Anne’s Revenge really wiped the chamber clean.

Is this only a ‘Wet Aro’ thing? I’m assuming all the moisture goopyness to Aros and the toppings have this effect.

@hoosierpipeguy well, I always thought, not particularly always for breakins, but that a thin carbon layer helped to protect the chambers, as I mentioned. Jose Rubio even said this to me, that he recommended a 1mm layer for protection.

Cheap pipes I’m not concerned, I just wouldn’t want to get cracks inside the chamber in expensive pipes.

 

[reloader]

I'm really surprised you haven't built up a cake layer after 150 smokes. If you really are concerned with building cake maybe stop using the paper towel to clean the bowl and just use a folded pipe cleaner to lightly swab the chamber until you get the layer you want. If its smoking with no problems I wouldn't worry about it though.

 

[PipeIT]

I'm really surprised you haven't built up a cake layer after 150 smokes. If you really are concerned with building cake maybe stop using the paper towel to clean the bowl and just use a folded pipe cleaner to lightly swab the chamber until you get the layer you want. If its smoking with no problems I wouldn't worry about it though.

I think goopy/wet Aros are the issue, even if you dry them out as I did.

I’ll stick with these types of Aros in the future, smoking them in my cobs.

 

[didimauw]

Wet aromatics remove cake. I've started using them in meerschaum pipes to avoid reaming.

Dry as a bone Carter hall did this. Once that cake grows, there's no stopping it.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Dry as a bone Carter hall did this. Once that cake grows, there's no stopping it.
View attachment 142367

Smoke something like Molto Dolce in that one and it will begin to dissolve it.

 

[craiginthecorn]

As others have alluded to, it's very blend-dependent. I do like a bit of cake, so I often break in pipes with Carter Hall. It builds cake fairly quickly, but it's quite soft.

 

[burleybreath]

I have several pipes that did that. Took forever to build a cake (which I like, within reason), other than the top 1/4 inch or so, like yours. One was an Upshall, circa 1980s or so, that was a real bear. Seems weird, as though whatever quality the pipe has that makes it do that eventually gives up and you'll have a cake like any other pipe.

 

[frozenchurchwarden]

I've conjectured that to get the right type of cake it might be beneficial to rub down the bowl with something non-absorbent after every smoke, like using newspaper instead of paper towel.

 

[PipeIT]

Well as chasing pointed out with wet aros, in all honesty I never noticed this happening in the past. I just thought I was being forgetful, but that’s my Radice, and it did have more buildup, so I really believe that was the issue, plus my paper towel was blacker than usual, it really did dissolve the tar.

Wet Aros are now going in my cobs, or until I buy a pipe dedicated to them.

 

[Ahi Ka]

yeah, I think this thread is pretty much done….

(Sorry @PipeIT y’know us kiwis are smart arses)