Clenching

[drezz01]

I only clench my cobs if I'm working with my hands - otherwise I avoid it. Mostly just because my mouth seems to water a ton when I try to clench and I feel like I'm just drooling down my stem. Maybe I'm just a special case.
Usually when I'm smoking - which isn't too often - I'm trying to do nothing but be still. This is hard for me and I am trying to train myself to be content while not multitasking or pre-planning. So usually I am just sitting minding my ember and holding my pipe. No clenching necessary when both hands are free.

 

[okiescout]

Jmuie, don't worry about the chatter. Think comfort. You either like the softies or not. They're to protect your teeth, not your stem.
+1, Brass.
I clench because frequently I am doing something that would make it a bother to try and hold my pipe. fishing, painting, working in the yard, whatever.

 

[wyfbane]

Any thought of skeeving about the nubbies was eradicated after my deployment to Afghanistan. If I survived the funk associated with that, no amount of abuse could put enough bacteria on a nubby to disuade me.
I DO like to protect my stems AND my teeth. My first decent pipe was a nice Stanwell bent and on the way home, puffing on the freeway, I had to slam on the breaks. I did a little clench and I bit though the overbuffed stem. I guess that stuck in my mind.
Also, I have met some codgers with teeth literally worn to the nub from pipe smoking. No thanks.
If you have pipes now or later and are worried about them, get replacement stems made NOW and smoke those in your pipes. That way you can gnaw the hell out of it and still keep your pipe pristine. Those cost $15-30 at my B&M and are a small investment if you are talking about upper end pipes.

 

[av8scuba]

I clench all of my pipes. I try to only let the pipe hang from my top teeth and test on my lowers. You may still get some teeth marks, but your jaw won't hurt. And I fish, hunt, work, etc. that way and have never dropped a pipe...yet. ::

 

[misterlowercase]

If it really does cause you concern about the chatter,

and if you are smoking high-end artisan pipes,

you could always ask them to supply you with another stem,

or when you do a commission request 2 stems - one for smoking and one for saving,

I've seen that done before.
I'm a 50/50 clencher,

half in hand/ half in teeth,

I have gotten over any guilt about chatter and just enjoy my pipes.
A thread about clenching is not complete until a clip of Robert Young in Crossfire is featured,

so here it is!
::
:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eMf6tOPmqg

 

[newbroom]

I wonder? Who has made the most 'versatile' pipe with multiple stems? I've seen offerings with Church warden stems and more regular stems...but..how about anybody who's made a pipe with say 4 or 5 different stems and they all 'work'?

 

[misterlowercase]

Look no further my friend,
Jesse Silver & Scottie Piersel have the answer...
...dig this beautiful shindig!
http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/scottie-piersel-commission
::
She is a pipemaker extraordinaire!
:!:

 

[freakiefrog]

For me its a matter of what I'm doing and what pipe I'm smoking at the time. Many of my bent pipes hang very well in my mouth so I can clench them for longer periods. However some of my Billiards seem to be a little weighty on the teeth after more than 10-15 seconds. I have found that I use my lips more than my teeth at times to keep the pipe in tow. I do have some softy bits on a few pipes that are pretty heavy and they help me really bite down.

 

[jmui]

misterlowercase, thanks for the comment. Makes me feel better of my new clenching without softy bits choice. Also, I met a guy at the Chicago Pipe Show who loves Scottie Piersel pipes as well. Four stems! That's amazing!

 

[warren]

I generally smoke "bent" pipes and they rest nicely against my upper back molars or 2d molars without pressure when my jaw is at rest in it's normal position. So I do not "clench" with any real pressure on the bit. If I am pressed into smoking a cob because of weather or work I do have to exert a bit more pressure and consciously hold the bit with my teeth.
I have one large meer which is very weighty. I use a "softie" on this pipe which increases my grip without having to bit down on the bit.

 

[rottingcorpse]

This is going to sound odd, but I let my pipe "hang." What I do is allow the pipe to loosely but securely hang near where my vampire teeth would be. I don't really know how to explain it, but it works with even my biggest and heaviest pipes. The method I use sometimes can drain saliva into the stem if you become lazy and unaware, but it works for me. I personally do not like teeth marks on my stems, so I never clench. I tried using the rubber bits, but they made the clench too large and are extremely uncomfortable for me. The only time I will clench on pipes are with corn cobs, because replacement stems are dirt cheap. I'm not quite sure how to thoroughly explain my "hang" method, because it just came naturally. I apologize for not being more helpful.

 

[okiescout]

Thanks again for the Robert Young clip, Mrlowercase. I enjoy watching every time you post it. I just wish I looked that cool with my pipe ::
I saw a documentary awhile back on a gentleman who is a famous highly successful American composer, painter, writer. Sorry I can't remember his name. He has a ranch but obviously lives in a major urban center. He is an African American and pretty old. Anyway it showed him always smoking the same heavy bent pipe. He rides a horse frequently, and sets at the piano for hours, all the while with his pipe dangling. When at the piano, he lets it hang from the center of his mouth by the button more often that not. I tried it but just could not get comfortable that way.
My dental history determines how I hold a pipe.

 

[pipejunky]

I'm kind of conscious when I smoke and try not to clench, but If I'm into whatever I'm not paying attention Yard work or precision work I do bite down. But bits are cheap enough so I don't really worry. I use thin tubing on my heavier pipes and some times on my cobs that gets clenched and get roughed up pretty good.

 

[elbert]

@okiescout:
Was the gentleman in question Gordon Parks from the film Half Past Autumn? I've just moved it to the top of my 'watch' list...Thanks for the reference!

 

[okiescout]

I believe that is exactly who he was. Pretty cool guy! I remember them talking about Gorden in the conversations. Not sure about Parks. But the film title is familiar also. Sorry, Elbert. I thought had responded to your post already, must not have pushed the right button 8O

 

[jumpcannon]

I've found some chatter with my straight pipes, but with a nice bent or half bent, there's not enough chatter to speak of. As far as softie bits are concerned, I spent about 5 bucks a couple years back and found myself some clear rubber tubing that I squeezed onto the stems of my pipes, works like a charm and hardly noticeable.

 

[huntertrw]

"Everytime I see a politician, I clench."