See this post.
It's very likely you're smoking too quickly and creating a lot of condensation, hence the gurgle.
Clay pipe
- Thread starter TheSt0rm
- Start date
It's very likely you're smoking too quickly and creating a lot of condensation, hence the gurgle.
yeah. But i just dont know how much slower can I get... if I go any slower it will go out and I have to keep relighting.
I'll take long slow draws, except for when I want the ember to burn more... and more evenly.
Shd I really just smoke it so slow, that it turns off. Or when it gets too hot... put it out and relight it after cooling? I just fear doing that also, because the time the bowl isn't being smoked but still hot it is still condensating into the bowl..
But who knows.. yeah this is going to take some time to figure out.
Try drying your tobacco more and packing more loosely. You'll find that many members here dry Virginia based tobaccos on the verge of crunchy—with the condensation that occurs during combustion, the tobacco in the chamber will end up up much moister than you think.
OK thanks. I was just thinking maybe I should just turn it off after it gets too hot, try relighting it later after cooling down, and repeat. but that seems tedious...
A better lighter might be better also. Im still waiting on my order of a good zippo for my pipe lighter insert...
A better lighter might be better also. Im still waiting on my order of a good zippo for my pipe lighter insert...
Also drying the tobacco inside the pipe bowl sounds like a nice idea...
I could also practice with the RAW Hydrostone to see if I can fine tune the perfect amount of humidity I need after drying tobacco completely... because it's hard to pinpoint when to stop maybe. but who knows. I guess it's just a skill I'll have to pick up. mastering the humidity of the tobacco and/or clay pipe itself. Thats why I like the idea of drying inside the bowl...
Anyways, but yeah that's because I was thinking maybe doing it this way will teach me how to use the hydrostone. But that might just make it harder... we'll see. It might be good to practice though, drying it in the bowl.
I could also practice with the RAW Hydrostone to see if I can fine tune the perfect amount of humidity I need after drying tobacco completely... because it's hard to pinpoint when to stop maybe. but who knows. I guess it's just a skill I'll have to pick up. mastering the humidity of the tobacco and/or clay pipe itself. Thats why I like the idea of drying inside the bowl...
Anyways, but yeah that's because I was thinking maybe doing it this way will teach me how to use the hydrostone. But that might just make it harder... we'll see. It might be good to practice though, drying it in the bowl.
Cool, I'm watching his videos on YT.
yeah it's a skill to be able to smoke that fast without it getting too hot that it condenses I guess.
Clay Pipe smoking Championships
yeah it's a skill to be able to smoke that fast without it getting too hot that it condenses I guess.
I see him smoking without tamping it...... Yeah who knows.. maybe that is ideal? But one has to learn how to pack it also.
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PIPE STORY | Are Clay Pipes Still Important? Caribbean Pirate Clay Pipe with Black Varnished Tip
thought this was a cool video
I suspect you're puffing too hard/fast. Try slowing down, nothing wrong with relighting the bowl if it goes out. Try loading smaller bowls, more loosely packed, if you're not finishing them. Just focus on the flavor, you should get better flavor at a slower pace as the smoke won't be as hot.
Your clay pipes should last you many years. Best to rotate them. As others have mentioned, you don't have to build cake in a clay. And they're made in molds, so you don't have to worry about if they were drilled correctly, because they're all the same, from the mold. Most are pretty small, so you won't get a long smoke anyway. Blow through the stem before you fill it with tobacco, and that should clear any stray pipe cleaner fibers.
Check if there's a pipe club in your area, ask/search here and at local tobacco stores. That's a great way to meet people and trade blends. Enjoy!
What he said.
Clays are my favorite pipes. In my experience, clays are less gurgle-y than briars. So packing less and smoking more slowly is good advice.
But don’t despair! Give it time, this will all work out and make sense. Keep us posted. ?
I've bought a heap of pipes from Markus. Very professional. Highly recommended.
Not had any problems with my clays gurgling and I'm not a slow puffer.
It's probably got a lot to do with humidity I'd think.
Clay pipes are very good except they get hot.
I've wrapped hemp twine around the stem so I don't burn my fingers.
Most non-aromatic pipe tobacco blends are "additive free".
Daughter and Ryan have some very good non-aromatic blends that are excellent value.
They're quite dry in the bag and are ready to go.
Check out reviews at www.tobaccoreviews.com
Moisture at the bottom is from tabac, some tabac can leave more moisture behind, also chamber shapes can have an effect, but it’s mainly the tabac.
Use a small portable propane stove, or something similar, and you place the pipe over the flame, until it cleans the chamber white again, don’t build carbon in a clay pipe.
Just like any pipe, don’t let it get so hot you can’t touch it, cooler is better for a cooler smoke.
Yo @halfdan LOL ?
Use a small portable propane stove, or something similar, and you place the pipe over the flame, until it cleans the chamber white again, don’t build carbon in a clay pipe.
Just like any pipe, don’t let it get so hot you can’t touch it, cooler is better for a cooler smoke.
Yo @halfdan LOL ?
@TheSt0rm Getting some practice in:
Swigged a full 750ml bottle of mulled wine in true Viking style:
Man it went down well!
I'm just wondering how the sailors did it... with little or no fire. and maybe even pipe cleaners......
Salt water is probably handy. I wonder if they had a special method nobody or hardly anyone knows about. Eventually I'll just have to move up. Probably learn natural firing methods. Doesnt the gas firing method leave the smell of gas or propane in the pipe? I know i tried the same thing with a Stick... well first of all the flame doesnt last lol. And secondly it creates black smoke which will turn the pipe black. But some others say you need for it to touch the flame, so who knows. Maybe I just needed to do that.
Uh.. and some say that the flame should not touch the pipe and others say you do.
And, if you dont have a big enough flame to fire the whole pipe.. is there a better spot to fire than others if you dont want to fire the whole pipe? maybe just dry the uhh, hole on the bottom or something.
And /or learn to use pipe cleaners, if I can use it together with the saltwater method after it...
Salt water is probably handy. I wonder if they had a special method nobody or hardly anyone knows about. Eventually I'll just have to move up. Probably learn natural firing methods. Doesnt the gas firing method leave the smell of gas or propane in the pipe? I know i tried the same thing with a Stick... well first of all the flame doesnt last lol. And secondly it creates black smoke which will turn the pipe black. But some others say you need for it to touch the flame, so who knows. Maybe I just needed to do that.
Uh.. and some say that the flame should not touch the pipe and others say you do.
And, if you dont have a big enough flame to fire the whole pipe.. is there a better spot to fire than others if you dont want to fire the whole pipe? maybe just dry the uhh, hole on the bottom or something.
And /or learn to use pipe cleaners, if I can use it together with the saltwater method after it...
Clays are not meant for pipe cleaners. You clean them by baking them in a fire or oven after a long time of smoking. See these tips from Missouri Meerschaum.
corncobpipe.com
Tips About Clay Pipes - CornCobPipe.com
Facts to Know About Clay Pipes! Missouri Meerschaum offers the following tips to lengthen the life of your Clay Pipe and enrich your smoking experience! 1.) Don't try to clean the stem hole with a pipe cleaner as clays were never designed for pipe cleaners, and pipe cleaners can easily get...
corncobpipe.com
I’ve got to wonder if anyone at MM ever smoked a clay.
It seems I break most of their rules.
It seems I break most of their rules.
I smoked a clay pipe "once". It got hotter than a firecracker and that was it for me. Oh, and it tasted funky too. 
