Do You Fear the Dark Rim?

[midwestpipesmoker70]

It depends on the pipe for me. If it is one of my better looking pipes I actually spit clean while I am smoking it. If you spit clean while smoking it really reduces or even stop the charring as long as you are lighting carefully. But there are some pipes that I don't care if they show some darkening.

 

[cigrmaster]

On my pipes that show really nice birdseye on the rim, I keep nice and clean. My other pipes I could care less.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I have a Becker Danish scoop that he blasted the entire thing and stained it black, and then polished the rim, which is slopped into the shallow bowl. I fretted over keeping that thing looking nice, till I just gave up and let the creep take over the rim. It's still one of my favorite smokers for tasting Virginias, but the pipe is entirely black now, except for a few inlaid bands on the stem. Still a pretty pipe, but just not as sharp as it once was.

 

[3rdguy]

I take care of my pipes enough to allow me to enjoy the part that is important to me, the tobacco. Never been concerned on the looks of them really.

 

[aldecaker]

Who knows, maybe a layer of soot on the rim actually protects it from an inadvertent char (capricious breezes leap to mind).

 

[johnsteam86]

It really depends on the pipe for me. On my cobs I really don't mind it since it kind of gives it the classic Mark Twain feel to them but with my Savinelli I try to keep as much of it off of it as possible. It really has to do with taste I guess. Some like it, some don't.

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

I prefer using matches, lighters in my hands too often led to darkened rims even how watchful I was, but what really pisses me off is the fact that 90% of the stems on my pipes are starting exposing tooth chatter marks and I have a hard time to get accustomed using to those softy bites.

 

[midwestpipesmoker70]

@paulie66scandinavian Have you ever tried vinyl tubing cut to fit as a softy bit? I like them because they are harder than the softy bits but still comfortable on the teeth. They last much longer as well. Pretty cheap to make as well.

 

[badbeard]

For me, it really depends on what type of finish is on the pipe. Blasts or rusticated finishes, especially if they are darker, I tend to care a lot less about. Smooth finishes, I do what I can to minimize and clean it away whenever possible. I still don't lose any sleep over it if it does happen, despite my efforts.
Thanks for this clever solution @bluegrassbrian:

On smooth pipes I lick my finger and give the rim a wipe before each light.

I am not sure why something this simple never occurred to me.

 

[balkisobrains]

I used to worry about it, now I don't. I usually see some colorization between 8 and 12 o' clock on my pipes, if the stem is 12. Radiant heat from the lighter flame, and sometimes I'll light off some "wood gas" above the tobacco and it will float over to that area. ::

 

[mrenglish]

This is one reason why I prefer blasts over smooth pipes, though there are a lot of sandblasts with a smooth rim. I am very bad about keeping the rims pristine but they do get cleaned after every couple smokes.

 

[deathmetal]

That's one reason that I avoid using a lighter. I like the pinpoint accuracy and softer flame of the match (and I can avoid charring the tobacco as well).

Hmm. That's compelling. And these Bics are not ever going to get sexier.

 

[msjones99x]

Glad I found this thread as I've been obsessing over this lately. I have darkening on the rim of one of my Savs & it's driving me nuts. I am completely far sighted & had trouble hitting the inside of the bowl with my light until I got a pipe lighter. That lighter has helped but I'm thinking of trying matches, too. I guess some darkening is inevitable, but I don't like it.

 

[upnorth1]

No. My Father, Grandfather, and Great Grandfather had dark rims. So will I. That's one of the great things about pipe smoking. All pipes have their stories. I have their pipes, and I've refurbished and smoked each of them. I refurbished them to make them smokeable, but I didn't erase their history. Those rims tell a story. An estate pipe might be a different story.

 

[wyfbane]

I do my best, but many of my pipes are also estates that came pre-darkened. Having an estate darkened up, just gets me a better deal usually, and many times the rim can be cleaned. I don't like charred rims, though. A hacked up ream job with turn me off an estate way before rim darkening will.

 

[luigi]

Not being a collector I don't care too much about rims. However I catch myself sometimes being worried about it and feel sorry for leaving marks on it. With time they probably will get darker but I'm fine with that. Scorching it instead would be a pitty, even for just an instrument for burning tobacco.

 

[madox07]

Like most guys here, I don't worry much about it. I used to be a bit more attentive with the rims, but ... neh, I need the pipe to smoke well, and that's pretty much it. If I really want to take a pipe outdoors and don't want to give a bad impression by displaying a oxidized stem/dirty briar/stained rim ... I just clean it. I take huge comfort in the fact that I have learned how to clean my pipes properly, at the same time that made me less obsessive about their outer shape.

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

MidWestPipesmoker:Thanks for the reminder,I have had this in my mind since then when I watched a Y T Video uploaded by username North West pipesmoker Tom'

 

[didimauw]

I like a Dark rim. For me, it's like a feeling of accomplishment. Especially when the cake flows over the top!

 

[mithrandir]

Most of the pipes I smoke are like me, a little rough around the edges.