Do we have too many pipes?

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bigpond

Lifer
Oct 14, 2014
2,019
13
It occurs to me the more you smoke a pipe, the less the briar matters. Since cake flavors the smoke and buffers against wet smoking from green wood, having a very small pool of well used pipes would offer a better smoking experience than having a broader pool of lesser seasoned pipes. Thoughts?

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
The answer is yes. Along with a cadre of other Forums members, I don't build cake. I wipe out the bowl after scooping it out, maintaining the size chamber and never needing reaming and its wear and tear. Some of my pipes are decades old, including the first one I owned, and they're doing well. But yes, the pipes do accumulate, and pipes I like very much don't get smoked so often. No wet smoking problems here. I'm coming at this from a somewhat different point of view, but that is a good thing. Just take my comments under advisement and carry on.

 

sablebrush52

The Bard Of Barlings
Jun 15, 2013
19,630
44,855
Southern Oregon
jrs457.wixsite.com
Based on a purely utilitarian view I totally agree with you.
But my collecting is about more than utility. Sure, that's basic, but aesthetics, and history influence my collecting as well. I will say that all of the pipes I smoke get regular use, so I don't have any that haven't been thoroughly broken in, with the exception of the antique unsmoked pieces. And I've cut back on collecting over the past several years. Anything new has be be truly special.

 
May 9, 2018
1,687
86
Raleigh, NC
Well, I don't have too many, yet. My goal is to stop after I get 2 more briars I have my eyes on and a meer or two. One meer that's just a plain bent egg, or something simple, the other will be something a little fancier. I may buy more after that to restore, but as far as new, I don't think I'll mind stopping after these next two. I know, I say that now, but after I get my hands on those few, I'll be okay unless I see something magical, kind of like Sable said. Sure, I enjoy my cobs too, so I may buy some of those as I need or want replacements, but that's it. I don't need too many, it's the wanting that'll get me in trouble.

 

bigpond

Lifer
Oct 14, 2014
2,019
13
Sable, your staggering collection is part of the genesis of this thread. There are only so many good pipes left for the rest of us.so we might as well appreciate the scraps!

 

jaytex1969

Lifer
Jun 6, 2017
9,517
50,591
Here
Aesthetics and appreciation of art and craftsmanship do factor in, but the underlying platform, for me, is to secure the pipes and tobacco I need to sustain myself after the global Federation Undertaking Complete Keelhauling Explicitly Regarding Smokers (FUCKERS, for short) demolish the industry.
jay-roger.jpg


 

ravkesef

Lifer
Aug 10, 2010
2,913
9,197
81
Cheshire, CT
Add to that the number of people who say: “Is that what pipe cleaners are used for? I always wondered how they got the name.”

 

workman

Lifer
Jan 5, 2018
2,793
4,219
The Faroe Islands
I agree. 12 briars and some cobs are what I need. But I also sometimes eat to much. And I always realize too late that I should have stopped 5-6 drinks ago...

 

warren

Lifer
Sep 13, 2013
11,700
16,209
Foothills of the Chugach Range, AK
I think I have a sufficient number of pipes. But, I will purchase another if it meets my criteria. Some are work pipes, subject to weather and a bit of maltreatment. A few, mostly meerschaums, are purely indoor, which provide an adjunct to my reading in the evening.

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
I really like all my pipes, every last one. I've traded off the ones I don't like. However, I am working on myself about sending a selection to the chaplain on Forums who distributes these to active duty military people in the Middle East. The ones I smoke the least, though I truly like them anyway. One of my several aunts, now deceased, sent me a box of books when I was serving on my minesweeper off Vietnam. That war was so unpopular, and civilian life was so prosperous and exciting at the time, I wasn't hearing much from extended family. I was greatly cheered by the books, and the several that didn't appeal to me I immediately put in the ship's (tiny closet) library. My aunt had some challenges in life, more than I knew at the time, but I have never forgotten that gesture which makes her troubles more poignant, and the books more significant.

 

jpmcwjr

Moderator
Staff member
May 12, 2015
24,570
27,077
Carmel Valley, CA
Seasoning also comes with age and letting the pipe really lose the moisture in the briar. (The inherent moisture, not so much that introduced by combustion, which is dissipated fairly quickly.)
But, yeah, you're right.

 

philobeddoe

Lifer
Oct 31, 2011
7,405
11,579
East Indiana
In the past I’ve had upwards of 150 pipes at one time, which is too many....for ME. I know there are collectors who have many hundreds of pipes, but I have found my comfortable range at 60-70 pipes. This number allows me a nice rotation of varietal specific pipes and a handful of sentimental pipes I just cannot sell, but rarely smoke. I cull my collection about once a year and I’ve generally accumulated 6 or 8 pipes since the last cull. As Jesse said, I’m not really looking for pipes anymore, I’m just looking for better examples of pipes I already own or the odd pipe that grabs my fancy. I suppose one doesn’t need more than 3 or 4 pipes, but the whole reason we are on this forum is that we have more interest in pipes than simply what we need!

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
My only misgiving on donating pipes to a good cause is the fear of then wanting to replace them! It's always a gratifying reward to myself for all of the wonderful things that I do ... ahem.

 

dochudson

Lifer
May 11, 2012
1,635
12
I have way too many middle of the road pipes.. Pete's, Sav's, Stanwell, etc.. After buying my first Castello. I'm going start moving them and work towards a 7 day set of Castello. I'm 68 and my cellar

is set so I'm moving to upgrade pipes.

 

irishearl

Lifer
Aug 2, 2016
2,146
3,762
Kansas
I recently bought what I claimed would be my last pipe. We'll see how that holds up. :mrgreen: I now have around 50 pipes. My belief is you should have no more pipes that you can reasonably some at least once every other week. However, I don't meet that standard because, like many pipers, have some pipes that speak to me very infrequently, yet I don't want to part with them.

 

bigpond

Lifer
Oct 14, 2014
2,019
13
So, I decided to put this idea to the test and for the last 10 days have been smoking one pipe for va Flake twice a day or so, with just a cleaner or two after use. So far, the pipe which has always been very good has only improved, I keep waiting for sogginess to set in or a sour taste to develop but it hasn’t and the cake seems to be adding to the flavor. I think I could probably get away with three decent pipes (va based, burley, dfk).
Hunting pipes is definitely fun, but feeling a pressure to have enough rested pipes to make every smoke worthwhile is not, for me at least.

 
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