Carburetor Pipes?

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chopper

Lifer
Aug 24, 2019
1,480
3,317
I've bought a couple of 'carburetor' pipes but have yet to smoke one.
They're stored in a box somewhere.

The first one I bought was for it's uniqueness. A 100yo Fumetta.

fumetta 1a.jpg

fumetta 1c.jpg

I'll have to search my file to find the 2nd one. I thought it might be good for slow burning flakes.
 
Last edited:
Mar 1, 2014
3,646
4,916
Oh dear, if this allows Flakes to burn faster, or at all in my case, that might actually be worth something.
I hope the system actually doesn't work.

I'm pretty sure most collectors would be annoyed but not absolutely dismayed at my stem and button modifications, the stem is usually somewhat disposable anyway, but if I start drilling holes in Briar some of these guys might come back from the grave to stop me.
 
Dec 6, 2019
4,296
19,375
33
AL/GA
Diluting the smoke seems useless to me for average smoking tobacco, but providing another oxygen source to help keep the pipe lit could possibly be useful for difficult tobaccos that don't burn well. (If it works like that).

I'm with you, I wouldn't give up much flavor for a better burn.
 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
I've owned only one, an E.A. Carey. I couldn't see any benefit from the carburetor and filter insert. It seemed to over ventilate the draw and eliminate flavor. I finally taped it over, but it still wasn't much of a pipe. I hope someone had some use out of it, but I was not at all impressed.
 

chopper

Lifer
Aug 24, 2019
1,480
3,317
Thats a cool pipe.
Starting in 2018 a German ebay seller was selling off NOS from a just closed 100+yo tobacconist shop.
They must have found a hidden storage in the building because he had a heap of really old unique pipes.

I went overboard & won way more than I need but have some very unique pipes that we'll never see again.
Maybe I should start a thread & show off a few pics.
 
Dec 6, 2019
4,296
19,375
33
AL/GA
Starting in 2018 a German ebay seller was selling off NOS from a just closed 100+yo tobacconist shop.
They must have found a hidden storage in the building because he had a heap of really old unique pipes.

I went overboard & won way more than I need but have some very unique pipes that we'll never see again.
Maybe I should start a thread & show off a few pics.

Do it.
 

snagstangl

Lifer
Jul 1, 2013
1,606
768
Iowa, United States
There was a member , who is not active much anymore, who said that carburetor pipes were the easiest way to smoke down to fine white ash. I have a yello bole carberator i have smoke about half a dozen times. I moved and misplaced it in the last year. What I recall is a super cool smoke, but I didn't try it with flakes or different types of tobacco.
 

TimeKiller

Might Stick Around
Feb 2, 2021
84
190
Texas
carburetor pipes were the easiest way to smoke down to fine white ash
I totally believe this, and I've been looking at carb pipes just out of curiosity. I imagine they might also be more forgiving for those heavy handed savages who can't help overpacking the bowl.
 
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edger

Lifer
Dec 9, 2016
2,988
22,299
74
Mayer AZ
I had a duncan hill that i think i got in a trade. Iirc it had a hole in the side of the pipe, surrounded by a metal ring that let some air into the smoke stream.
I didnt really care for it, i felt i had to concentrate on smoking it to get the same amount of smoke. I guess they would be fine once you got used to them.
I had one years ago and I found that it condensed moisture so well that it leaked around the stem. I think I smoked my leaf too moist in those days.
 

edger

Lifer
Dec 9, 2016
2,988
22,299
74
Mayer AZ
I have four Carey Magic Inch pipes that smoke very well. The "metering" of the cool air from the vents, for me, does not degrade or weaken the richness of the smoke at all. The older pipes were "London made"( the stummels) and were quite nice. The papyrate sleeves work well and are cheap to own a lifetime supply. There is not much to dislike about these pipes if you are not a briar snob.
 
Mar 1, 2014
3,646
4,916
Ah, I just figured out how to try it out and not suffer the same fate as Scrooge.
Falcon pipe bowls are already drilled straight down the middle, and the aluminum shank and bottom chamber is not made of sacred Briar.
Should be a very simple job drilling a hole in one of those.
 

edger

Lifer
Dec 9, 2016
2,988
22,299
74
Mayer AZ
Ah, I just figured out how to try it out and not suffer the same fate as Scrooge.
Falcon pipe bowls are already drilled straight down the middle, and the aluminum shank and bottom chamber is not made of sacred Briar.
Should be a very simple job drilling a hole in one of those.
Why? Falcons have some of the best functional engineering out there. They smoke exceedingly cool just the way they are.
 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
I owned a Cary carburetor pipe for a long time, but it never gave me a satisfactory smoke. I finally taped over the air vents, but it was still not a great pipe. Others enjoy them, so there's that. Along with all kinds of systems, stingers, keystones, and inserts, this was an effort to specialize pipes in a highly competitive market when brands were fighting for business. Kaywoodie finally gave up their Drinkless stinger screw-on stem, and those pipes are now push-on stems.
 

elessar

Part of the Furniture Now
Apr 24, 2019
667
1,398
This one of my Kaywoodie Carburetor pipes (that I smoke, the rest are in restoration backlog). It's a good smoker but no matter how much I fiddle with plugging or not plugging the hole in the bowl I don't really notice much of a difference with the carburetor feature.
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