Draw the Flame Down?

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Epip Oc'Cabot

Can't Leave
Oct 11, 2019
482
1,332
This is news to me. I have always drawn the flame of whatever fire source I am using into the tobacco itself. I would never have thought of any other method. I do not have “scorched” rims or anything of the sort.

Hovering the flame above, but not letting it meld with the leaf…. Just seems…. I do not know what to say….. just “odd” to me. And to me it seems rather like “steaming” the tobacco leaf instead of combusting the tobacco leaf.

YMMV of course.
 

hyperstar

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jun 10, 2022
226
594
Formosa, Taiwan
The flame does not have to "touch" the tobacco.

And if you draw the flame down too much, you might hurt your tongue.

So, I always keep my lighter's flame 1 cm above the pipe rim.

Long and deep draw about 3 times, the pipe will be lit.



The tobacco in the bottom of the bowl is hard to lit beacause of the moisture.

You can use a torch lighter litting it if you really want to smoke it to the end.

Beware that you might damage the pipe using a torch.
 
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elvishrunes

Can't Leave
Jun 19, 2017
387
752
Yes as mentioned above I draw the flame down deep into the bowl with just a normal lighter held on an angle precisely so it doesn’t scorch the rim!
 
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bullet08

Lifer
Nov 26, 2018
10,340
41,824
RTP, NC. USA
Bottom of the chamber can be easily reached with flame provided by both Zippo and Bic. Unless you are smoking pipes like @Chasing Embers . Even then, it's possible. Problem with sucking flame all the way down to the bottom of the chamber often isn't your tongue. Tongue will heal. Briar won't. And there's a reason why the tobacco at the bottom is moist. You didn't dry your tobacco enough. Of course, there are times when you want you tobacco less dry, but the reason isn't to keep it moist at the bottom.
 
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tirefire

Starting to Get Obsessed
. . . 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 is a great tip and reminder, and as a new pipe smoker, I did not even think about it . . . Spent over 30 years lighting cigars this way but never applied it to pipe tobacco - Light with the heat and use as little fire on the tobacco as possible.

Thanx.
 

Sobrbiker

Lifer
Jan 7, 2023
4,189
54,901
Casa Grande, AZ
Since this has resurrected, I would add that I too keep soft flame above, and fire “springs forth” from tobak. Mind you, this has gotten much better once I got a handle on packing and drying tobacco.

Also popped in to mention: I only use bic lighter since they took away the gas adjustment as a backup. I haven’t gotten a zippo with pipe insert, but I will.
I seek out the old Djeep lighter, in my opinion they are the best disposable lighters-last longer and still allow user to adjust flame.
If not available at local convenience stores, etc, they can be had on scamazon.
 
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