Help me Understand why I can't Keep my Pipe Lit.

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Three things to start and keep fire going. One thing that will definitely put out a fire, wood fire.

Spark, fuel and oxygen. You got your lighter. You have your tobacco. What are you missing if you take your mouth away for 30 sec? If ember is going well, and things are good, 30 sec to even longer is ok.

What puts out fire? Water. Dry your tobacco till it's dry to touch when you grab between thumb and index and pinch. If it's Va, you can even dry more.

Another thing that will put out fire. Lack of oxygen. If you pack the tobacco tight, less oxygen. Trick to packing is, leave plenty of space at the bottom of the chamber. This allows good air exchange. If you tamp, and tamp too often, or hard, that compact the tobacco and prevent air getting to tobacco.

But these are all talk. You just have to smoke longer and more to experience all the mistakes until it just dawn on you that things are just magically happening.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

As long as the tobacco is dry and is not packed super tight this is what I recommend put a light down onto the tobacco on top and take 15 20 puffs. This gets the fire going pretty good.

Then throw a steak on?

 

[Steelman007]

Thank you all who have contributed. I feel I may not be getting a good initial light, and tamping too hard. I just picked up 3 pipes on ebay. A savinelli 622 ks, a Dr. Grabow, and a Willard. 3 nice pipes, but honestly, just by craftsmanship, nowhere near as nice as the Loewe molesworth I picked up. I hope tring different pipes helps as now if it could be a pipe thing or better understand the style.