Filter life

[HeadMisfit]

For the life of me, 1 cant get multple smokes from a filter

6mm charcoal dr perl junior. 1 smoke and the poor filter is a solid block inside. And taste rather rancid.

peterson 9mm charcoal. The charcoal stays in good shape, nice and loose like an unused one. But the draw is reduced by 50%. And the taste.. gah.

white elephant 9mm meerschaum, are strange. The paper starts unwrapping from the end caps, on the second smoke i can suck granules of meerschaum through. And the taste is god awful. I mean god awful. But if i rotate the filter in the pipe, the draw is almost unchanged from new.

SO who, is ble to get that estimated 3 smokes from a single filter. What are you smoking?

 

[Sigmund]

I use vauen 9mm. I think either your tobacco is too wet or you arent removing the filter to dry after the smoke. Using a wet filter is nasty and it wont work properly. I let them dry a couple of days.

Wanting three smokes from a filter is a little greedy. For me first use is with a light tobacco or virginia. Second smoke with something else…an english or a burley. If the first bowl was small I may use it again for a vaper.

When a used filter is dry i squeeze and roll it in my fingers. Then blow out the dust on both ends to get rid of the dust.

Just get a system and rotation going and you should have no problems.

 

[Pypkė]

I don't count how many smokes I get out of a filter. I just change the filter when I remember or when I detect a taste of nastiness coming on. Most of my pipes are unfiltered.

If you can't get multiple smokes from a filter, then I guess you need to buy more filters. It's just the way it is for you.

 

[Sigmund]

Im starting a betting pool. I think the OP is using filters when they are still wet.

Wet filters dont filter. Absorbtion as well as the pass through filtration are important and wet doesnt work. It also reeks when wet and cold. That goes away once its dried.

I never get a funky taste using them twice when they are dry. There is probably about a 10=15 percent reduction in draw on its second use but it could simply be in my head.

I solve that problem by putting the second filter use in a 9mm pipe with a more open draw. It sounds like a complex solution but its really simple. You eventually learn you pipes and grab the right one.

Filter companies want you to use a new one every time. They dont offer instructions on how to give them less money

 

[HeadMisfit]

i dont think the filters are still wet, ive cut some of them up and only the paper directly on the end caps has any sort of moisture.

But I never understood how the 6mm perls can become a giant clump of crap.

 

[Pypkė]

Im starting a betting pool. I think the OP is using filters when they are still wet.

Wet filters dont filter. Absorbtion as well as the pass through filtration are important and wet doesnt work. It also reeks when wet and cold. That goes away once its dried.

Oh so we have to save our once- twice- thrice-used filters and dry them out before reusing them. Can you recommend a technique for doing this? A special used filter drying cabinet, perhaps?

I just draw smoke through them until they are so wet, nasty, and sloppy that they don't work anymore. Then I throw them into the bin. Never thought I could actually recycle my nasty, blackened, soggy filters. Imagine all the money I could save!

 

[Bassman65]

Most I use a 9mm is twice. Again, letting it dry fully first. Usually a few days.

Never use a 6mm twice. No reason, just don’t. Got a ton of ‘em.

Honestly, I usually only use them once. I know it’s wasteful. I should probably try to reuse them more regularly.

I also often use Nording Keystones. These I reuse till they’re black. They are expensive and hard to get up here. Again, I rotate these and let them completely dry out between uses.

I also never have time to smoke more than two bowls a week, so I figure, why not opt for the best experience I can. If I smoked more, I’d probably reuse them more also due to financial cost.

 

[Hillcrest]

My . Three is the most uses I have ever gotten from any filter but only if the tobacco is dry, rubbed out and loose packed and the pipe smokes dry. Usually shag cut. I smoke large pipes so its a lot of tobacco to filter. My Sav 2614KS has a 20mmx42mm chamber. My other pipes are 20mmx46mm to 22mmx52mm 'ish' so usually only 1 1/2 to 2 bowls per 9mm filter. My Peterson Pub @ 22.5mmx51.5mm chamber only gets one use per filter 'if that' even with dry tobacco and its a pipe that smokes dry.

I try to get two bowls per filter; I simply remove the stem after a bowl and let it sit separate from the bowl between smokes. I do not remove the filter from the stem unless I need to clean the stem and pipe because of a blockage. Once a filter is soaking wet as described above I toss it. I've never gotten a bad taste from a filter before, even when wet. That's a sign the pipe needs to be 'pipecleanered' or have a pipe cleaner run through the stem and draft. I have extra filters but only replace them when they are wet and I can't hear the charcoal grains moving when shaken. I also smoke dry meaning I do not allow saliva down the stem. As stated above you get to know your pipes and it becomes second nature. I hope this helps in some way. P.S. Its very difficult to get 2 smokes from the tiny Vauen 6mm filters unless you smoke dry.

 

[smudgersmissingleg]

After one smoke mine are always fucking gross so I replace them every time. They're cheap to buy, anyway.

 

[didimauw]

I used to get 3 to 5 smokes out of a balsa filter. I would flip mine after a around after a few to extend the life.

 

[Olkofri]

One smoke per filter.

 

[HeadMisfit]

makes me wonder how long a brigham filter would last if made in a 9mm size

 

[BingBong]

I use 6mm balsa in a Sav 315KS, the longevity depends on the type. Triangle cross section are rubbish, but the ones like Tie fighter pew pew can go 6 smokes before I think about them.

 

[sfenks]

I don't like carbon filters. I think carbon filters are for cleaning liquids. I use carbon in my water purifier and when filtering distilled alcohol. I don't want purified smoke; I just don't want moisture. I use a balsa filter for this, as it absorbs moisture wonderfully. If I smoke low-moisture tobacco and light tobacco, I use it until the balsa filter darkens. This means at least three times. If it's still yellow, I use it more. After use, I throw them in a box and it's weeks before I go back to them. I usually use a pipe without a filter.

 

[zanxion]

Tobacco pipe smoking is a very personal thing. Filters affect the taste of the smoke. You try them, and you decide you like them or not.

Me, depending on the blend and how wet it is, I might use a filter (active carbon, balsa, or none). If I cannot wait for some pretty moist mixture to dry, I will definitely use an active carbon filter. There are a few exceptions where the moist conveys lot of the taste. In these cases I use a balsa filter, or no filter at all.