Finishing a smoke later?

[beerczar]

Hey guys, I'm still new, but am getting along okay. I think I'm starting to get the knack of filling my pipe and keeping it lit. Though along the same lines...Say I'm smoking on the way to work, my pipe goes out, and I don't have time to re-lite and finish, do you suggest letting the unsmoked portion of the pipe sit until later, or should I re-fill and start a new smoke for on the way home? Comments? Along the same lines, would you suggest re-using the same pipe more than once in a day. I've read a lot about resting a pipe for 24-48 hours after it's been smoked. Right now, I only have one pipe, a cob, if that makes any difference.
Thanks for all your tips!

 

[pstlpkr]

Hey Beerczar,

I routinely pack a pipe for the road, then let it sit and relight it on the homeward bound trip. I say no harm no foul on relighting a pipe.

Also we had a discussion, not long ago, about smoking a pipe for days or even weeks with no rest.

Unless it's a troublesome pipe, then there is nothing wrong with having a "utility pipe".

If you have a pipe collection that you can peruse and choose from when you are "resting easy" and want to truly relish that smoke, then smoke the one that best suits your mood.

There is no hard and fast rule that says you "must" swap up pipes.

Just enjoy them, that's the main thing.

 

[bytor]

I very frequently (meaning almost never) finish a bowl in one sitting, and will continue the smoke several hours later. However, I find with some tobacco that the smoke can turn a bit sour. I attribute the sour to how wet the particular tobacco tends to smoke...a wetter smoke usually means it will get a bit sour. In the cases that I do end up with a sour smoke, I just dump it.
The air pocket method of packing seems to help in avoiding the sour relight though (as the tobacco in the bottom isn't sitting in trapped moisture).

 

[beerczar]

Okay, that is what I had thought, and kind of the answer I was hoping to hear. I guess, as with all hobbies, you can use something for it's "utility" purpose, or use something for its "specialness". i.e, a $10.00 bottle of wine vs. a $100.00 bottle of wine. I'd see a pipe that cost me less than $5 a use it when the urge hits me type of thing! Puff away my friends. I'm sure I'll be writing back soon on any future questions.

 

[docgarr]

One thing I like to do, especially if I am out in the woods or public place, is to carry a cork with me. That way if I don't finish a pipe, I can cork it and put it my pocket without worrying that the tobacco will fall out. Then when the next chance to smoke comes up, I can uncork the pipe and light up.

 

[jonesing]

Beerczar.
I'm a relative newbie myself so take my advice for what it's worth.
I've found that common sense prevails. Somewhere here there's a post with a link to a vlog about the issue if "resting" your pipes. The guy makes the point that back int he day grandpa usually had "his pipe". One pipe that he smoked, maybe scraped at once in awhile with his pocket knife, and other wise just used the damned thing. THen when it broke, or got too beat up to be useful he bought a new one.
The guy int he video says that he bought a pipe early on in his piping smoking career and smoked it at least 3 times a day. No "resting' for 48 hours, etc.
He still smokes the pipe today and it is still a great smoker.
I just bought a Peterson 120 for less than $70 and it is "my pipe". I plan to smoke the shit out of it and so far have. Probably avg at least 2 and closer to 3 bowls a day. I mix in cobs and another Peterson when they are better choices. But for the most part this is the pipe I smoke.
So far so great.
One thing though is you have to keep it clean. Don't scrimp on pipe cleaners. Swab the bowl. And clean it like Bob outlines in his recent vlog here at our forum.
Cobs won't last forever and likely will "sour" quicker since they are more absorbent. But I wouldn't worry to much about over smoking it. If it goes bad buy another one for 6 bucks. And hell, you could build an arsenal of cobs for $40 or so to give you a different pipe for every day of the week.
As to the leaving partial bowls. I do it all the time. it's a common practice referred to as Delayed Gratification Technique (or Tobacco I don't' recall). Actually makes for a more flavorful dryer smoke I think.
Bottom line is I believe some of the the "rules' for pipe smoking are overstated. This is a piece of wood attached to a tube that you put tobacco in and set it on fire. Not a mysterious talisman of some sort that acts at the whims of the Gods.
I suppose if you're retired and looking for things to fill your day or have a rack full of $700 Dunhills you might tend to be a bit more persnickety. But for plebeians like myself I figure I buy them to smoke them so...
RJ
EDIT: Sorry for the redundant post. I actually y had to do some work in the middle of crafting the reply. So I'm late to the party.

 

[bytor]

I've tried the cork thing as well. Works well assuming the cork fits your pipe. Since all my pipes seem to have slightly different sized bowls (you wouldn't think they could vary that much), I got tired of making sure I had a cork that would fit each pipe (really each cork would fit a few pipes)...
I found that if you buy a wind cap...the ones that have spring loaded tabs on the inside...and just cover the vent holes with some electrical tape, it works almost as well as the cork and fits all my pipes. A little bit of ash still occasionally works its way between the wind cap and the rim though.

 

[beerczar]

jonesing,
I actually laughed while reading your post! I'm in the same boat. Just like back in the day...it's the difference of spending hours building a cheapo model airplane to at some point blow up with firecrackers, or spend the big bucks for a display piece that someone else assembled and that you keep under glass. I'm sure someday I'll find "my pipe", but for now, I'm enjoying myself and learning the dos and dont's as I go.

 

[cortezattic]

I find that Virginias DGT better than codger Burleys.

I routinely smoke 7 or 8 bowls a day, splitting time between at most two pipes.

No fouling problems because, I think, I use a pipe cleaner after every smoke.

Jonesing, your my kinda guy:

Bottom line is I believe some of the the "rules' for pipe smoking are overstated. This is a piece of wood attached to a tube that you put tobacco in and set it on fire. Not a mysterious talisman

 

[sapo59]

I would agree with what has been said. I have a number of cobs that I smoke during the day, I'd say I smoke them all once a day. Just keep your pipe clean and you'll be ok. The VA and Vepers tend to be better on re-light. I'd avoid burley based blends. Happy puffin.

 

[jcsoldit]

Doc, I love the cork idea... wish that I had thought of it a long time back, it would have saved me a lot of ash in my jacket pockets. One thing I do if my pipe is gone be setting half smoked for awhile, is run a pipe cleaner in until it hits the tobacco that way it soaks up any moisture in the stem, which helps keep the bowl from souring.
Regarding resting a pipe… well there was a time when my one and only pipe rested only when I did. Now that my collection is large enough that I can rotate them I do, however most of the time I will still smoke a couple bowls in the same pipe during the course of a day before I put it away.
Keep on puffin!

 

[cobsandclays]

My 2 cents- pipe cleaners. If I'm not finishing a bowl, if it starts to gurgle, if I did finish a bowl- I use a pipe cleaner. I buy the churchwarden length for my churchies and when the end gets really gross, I cut it off for use in my shorter pipes. I get less tongue bite, less nastiness (that sharp bitter taste from a little bowl juice that made it into the stem) and less ash coming back up the stem (plus I blow into the stem when I'm done with a bowl). Maybe it'll work for you, too.

I don't intentionally rest my pipes, but I'm trying a few new tobaccos and I have one tobacco per pipe- it sets up a nice rotation. But I don't have a rule against repacking.

 

[chuckw]

I will add that the only tobaccos I've found that don't do well after several hours rest are my black ropes, Black Irish Twist and Black XX. They become VERY strong and harsh.