Draw the Flame Down?

[sugardaddy]

Been pipe smoking for about a year now.

Normally I use a Zippo with the pipe lighter insert and I like it a lot.

But in my bathroom I have a butane lighter because that way I know it's not going unused and leaking/evaporating.

And over the past couple of weeks , when I use the butane lighter, I'm conscious about not pulling it down too much into my pipe because I don't want to scorch the rim.

As a result of that, it seems that sometimes I'm able to successfully light the tobacco and the flame really doesn't move down into the bowl at all.

It may take a few more Puffs than if I were to increase my draw strength to really pull the flame down, but it seems to get the job done.

Maybe it's happening more with my larger diameter chamber pipes. Which makes sense.

I'm guessing there's nothing wrong with that, and it may actually be beneficial so that I'm not scorching or overheating the tobacco.

But I just thought I'd ask you guys to confirm.

 

[mso489]

I almost always use wooden matches, I admit for the ritual and the sound they make, but also for the decidedly soft flame. I have to draw the flame into the leaf or it won't stay lit. I think with lighters that isn't necessary and even not best practice, for for wooden matches, I think it is necessary.

 

[Briar Tuck]

It depends a lot on the pipe and the dryness of the tobacco in my experience, but often the heat alone will ignite it without the flame directly contacting the tobacco.

 

[hawky454]

I don’t have the patience to sit there with my lighter puffing away to get the tobacco lit without the flame touching, a lot of people on here do it that way though, I’m not one of them. Whatever works for you.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I'm conscious about not pulling it down too much into

How long are you taking to light the pipe? You're not going to scorch a rim unless your holding the flame to the wood and not the tobacco. If not using my Beattie, I bring the lighter down to the tobacco.

 

[bullet08]

But in my bathroom I have a butane lighter because..

That could be a beginning of an interesting topic.

Draw down the flame little above from the top of the tobacco. Or something like that is ideal. But I usually pass by the tobacco pretty fast. Couple of circular pass above the top, then if there's a good size area without top ash, might go over that area. Don't want to torch the tobacco and don't want a huge ball of fire. I like even layer of ember on top at the start of the smoke.

 

[Coreios]

If the tobacco is the right dryness more likely than not it'll catch with out touching.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

Sort of draw and lift if I've got a Zippo or Peterson in hand. With Godzilla the Beattie, the tobacco is Tokyo!

 

[dunnyboy]

By butane lighter do you mean a torch or something like a Bic lighter with a soft flame? If it's a soft flame, I would assume you could use it more or less the way you use your Zippo. If it's a torch, I wouldn't risk using it at all. One moment of preoccupation or misjudgment and you have a major scorch on the rim (of the bowl ... of the pipe. I know, you're in the bathroom.)

 

[sparker69]

I starting using the Zippo pipe insert exactly for what you mentioned - to avoid scorching the rim. The flame is pulled down, but to the tobacco, not the rim. That's why I like it. With the bic, the flame comes out with more "pressure" and tends to go up against the rim unless I have it completely upside down.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I don’t draw the flame down, I just hold the lighter half an inch above the chamber and draw the heat down (not the flame) , and flames shoot up out of the bowl… like when you light a cigar with a match. This way I protect my rims. I don’t like holding fire down into the chamber. Plus, it better lights my bowl faster.

 

[samuelgawith01]

I do for the initial (false) light.After that,I hold the flame about a half inch from the surface of the tobacco and draw.

 

[olkofri]

I too use the "Cosmic Method".

 

[Peterson314]

I light my pipe like I light my cigars. I get a lot of flame over the tobacco, get real zen over the first puff or two being hot garbage, and enjoy the rest of the 20-minute ride.

When I'm home, I use my Old Boy and I get the flame right where I want it. When I'm traveling, I'll bring my pipe-insert Zippo or a $3 Bic EZ-Reach and get the same result. I have never felt pressure to have the first light taste like the rest of the bowl.

 

[TN Jed]

But in my bathroom I have a butane lighter because

 

[jpmcwjr]

I don’t draw the flame down, I just hold the lighter half an inch above the chamber and draw the heat down (not the flame) , and flames shoot up out of the bowl… like when you light a cigar with a match. This way I protect my rims. I don’t like holding fire down into the chamber. Plus, it better lights my bowl faster.

This though I'd say the flame gets drawn down to above the tobacco.

 

[K.E. Powell]

Matches are my go-to, especially for the false light. That being said, in an *ahem* bathroom situation, a match can also help mask any odors left behind after you finish your business. So, there's that.

 

[Chasing Embers]

For the "heat" users, video please.

 

[Chasing Embers]

The flame is pulled down, but to the tobacco, not the rim.

If you only bring a butane flame to the tobacco when drawing and remove it while still drawing, the flame will never touch the rim.

 

[Deano]

I use cheap book matches. I do have a Zippo with a butane insert but rarely use it.