Help with Breaking In My Pipe

[Boyce999UK]

EDIT: Fixed Capitalization in Title (See Rule 9)

Hi all!

I have o my just started this hobby at the start of this month. Purchased a £20 briar pipe from an online pipe retailer in the UK. I’ve read online and watched YouTube vids that talk about breaking in the pipe.

I was wanting to know with filling the bowl half full, how many times should I do that before looking to increase to a full bowl?

Also are there any tips you can offer to help with building the cake in a new pipe.

I am looking to buy a Peterson at the end of this month (hurry up payday) and want your get the process right before having a crack at the new pipe.

thanks in advance!!

 

[coming to_falling too]

I'm in the school of just filling the pipe up and smoking it all the way down. Smoke slow and don't let it get hot.

I don't really build cake, per se, but I wipe out my chamber after each smoke with a paper towel and over time a thin, hard carbon layer forms.

 

[mso489]

The idea with the partial bowl is to be sure to get an even carbon layer going toward the bottom of the bowl, so several half bowls, and then maybe a few two-thirds should do it, and then whole bowls. Equally important is to sip rather than puff like a locomotive. Everyone puffs now and then, getting the pipe going for example, but mostly sipping should do it. Most pipe smokers build cake. I'm in the minority who scoop out the ash, then wipe out the bowl with a piece of paper towel. This maintains a thin carbon layer that is sufficient, maintains the full diameter of the chamber, and eliminates the need for reaming which can take a toll on the briar if not done just right. But many would never skip cake building. My pipes have liked the no-cake routine, a few for forty years, so I'd recommend considering it. This said, there are many rituals and directions for breaking in a pipe -- coating the bowl with honey, etc. They are fun and traditional, but most are unnecessary. Do the partial bowls over a week or so and get to just filling the bowl and enjoying it, which is the main idea.

 

[Boyce999UK]

I'm in the school of just filling the pipe up and smoking it all the way down. Smoke slow and don't let it get hot.

I don't really build cake, per se, but I wipe out my chamber after each smoke with a paper towel and over time a thin, hard carbon layer forms.

Do you only give the bowl a light wipe? I only ask because is seems that doing that would wipe away most of the carbon. But then again I’m new to this

 

[coming to_falling too]

Do you only give the bowl a light wipe? I only ask because is seems that doing that would wipe away most of the carbon. But then again I’m new to this

I wipe all the ash out of the bowl, whether that's light or heavy, I'm not sure. Over time though, a layer does form.

 

[Boyce999UK]

The idea with the partial bowl is to be sure to get an even carbon layer going toward the bottom of the bowl, so several half bowls, and then maybe a few two-thirds should do it, and then whole bowls. Equally important is to sip rather than puff like a locomotive. Everyone puffs now and then, getting the pipe going for example, but mostly sipping should do it. Most pipe smokers build cake. I'm in the minority who scoop out the ash, then wipe out the bowl with a piece of paper towel. This maintains a thin carbon layer that is sufficient, maintains the full diameter of the chamber, and eliminates the need for reaming which can take a toll on the briar if not done just right. But many would never skip cake building. My pipes have liked the no-cake routine, a few for forty years, so I'd recommend considering it. This said, there are many rituals and directions for breaking in a pipe -- coating the bowl with honey, etc. They are fun and traditional, but most are unnecessary. Do the partial bowls over a week or so and get to just filling the bowl and enjoying it, which is the main idea.

Thanks for the advice and the different methods. What do you mean when you said about sipping? Taking a longer draw on the pipe, rather than a few short draws?

 

[Boyce999UK]

I wipe all the ash out of the bowl, whether that's light or heavy, I'm not sure. Over time though, a layer does form.

Ah ok. So far i have folded a pipe cleaner in half and gave the bowl a quick wipe after dumping the contents out

 

[mso489]

About sipping, this refers to light, short draws on the pipe that fill your mouth with smoke but don't get great clouds going out of your mouth and the bowl. You're after the flavor and not a great cloud of smoke that will overheat the pipe and in extreme cases get a burn-out process going. Even the puff-prone don't usually do this, but you don't want the bowl super hot. Easy, relaxed, reflective, with a slow cadence.

 

[coming to_falling too]

Ah ok. So far i have folded a pipe cleaner in half and gave the bowl a quick wipe after dumping the contents out

People do that too. I do on occasion when I don't have a napkin or paper towel handy.

 

[Boyce999UK]

About sipping, this refers to light, short draws on the pipe that fill your mouth with smoke but don't get great clouds going out of your mouth and the bowl. You're after the flavor and not a great cloud of smoke that will overheat the pipe and in extreme cases get a burn-out process going. Even the puff-prone don't usually do this, but you don't want the bowl super hot. Easy, relaxed, reflective, with a slow cadence.

Thank you for clearing that up for me

 

[Boyce999UK]

The idea with the partial bowl is to be sure to get an even carbon layer going toward the bottom of the bowl, so several half bowls, and then maybe a few two-thirds should do it, and then whole bowls. Equally important is to sip rather than puff like a locomotive. Everyone puffs now and then, getting the pipe going for example, but mostly sipping should do it. Most pipe smokers build cake. I'm in the minority who scoop out the ash, then wipe out the bowl with a piece of paper towel. This maintains a thin carbon layer that is sufficient, maintains the full diameter of the chamber, and eliminates the need for reaming which can take a toll on the briar if not done just right. But many would never skip cake building. My pipes have liked the no-cake routine, a few for forty years, so I'd recommend considering it. This said, there are many rituals and directions for breaking in a pipe -- coating the bowl with honey, etc. They are fun and traditional, but most are unnecessary. Do the partial bowls over a week or so and get to just filling the bowl and enjoying it, which is the main idea.

If I continue with the half bowl route. Can I smoke a few half bowls back to back before giving my pipe a proper clean and resting it? Or should I smoke a half bowl, give it a proper clean and then rest it 24hrs minimum?

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

Cake is way over rated. A good briar doesn't need cake to survive an eternity of smoking unless you smoke like a bellows. Fill the bowl up and smoke it. Even if you use a water cleanse and wipe it after every smoke, you will build up cake over time, a much better thin, hard layer of cake that isn't flaking off all the time.

 

[jaytex1969]

My understanding of the purpose of the half bowls is to give the bottom a head start in being properly seasoned/broke in.

Often, especially with new smokers still forming their technique, the result of smoking a full bowl will result in excess moisture in the last half, which won't burn nicely, resulting in the top half forming that protective carbon layer while the bottom is a soggy, unprotected mess.

This could be due to inadequate dry time, poor cadence or packing or the result of Mercury going into retrograde.

 

[rdpowell]

Starting out with a inexpensive briar (I hope, otherwise worse) pipe may not be the best thing to do in my experience. Some cheaper pipes are just nasty and will never break in enough to enjoy a smoke.
And Not that you should start with a good quality one either but, I believe one should start out with a Good Corncob,
meaning no Made in China ones but, a Missouri Meerschaum Cob. There inexpensive and well made from proper materials and will smoke just fine if smoked properly and if not odds are they'll survive it and keep smoking. And two, if you don't ever get the hang of it or just decide to stop there's not much loss cash wise. I had cobs smoke just as good as some of my briars, they take a beating and you don't have to worry about hurting them too much.

 

[anotherbob]

EDIT: Fixed Capitalization in Title (See Rule 9)

Hi all!

I have o my just started this hobby at the start of this month. Purchased a £20 briar pipe from an online pipe retailer in the UK. I’ve read online and watched YouTube vids that talk about breaking in the pipe.

I was wanting to know with filling the bowl half full, how many times should I do that before looking to increase to a full bowl?

Also are there any tips you can offer to help with building the cake in a new pipe.

I am looking to buy a Peterson at the end of this month (hurry up payday) and want your get the process right before having a crack at the new pipe.

thanks in advance!!

honestly I haven't done that in years. And the thing is I don't see much difference. The only real thing I could notice is some pipes seem harsh before being broken in a little and if you do half bowls you only have to have a half of a harsh bowl. But... that could be in my head. The ones I have not done that with have broken in just as well as the ones I haven't done that with.

 

[anotherbob]

Do you only give the bowl a light wipe? I only ask because is seems that doing that would wipe away most of the carbon. But then again I’m new to this

honestly you only need a thing layer of cake for it to work. Think of it as not keeping heat away from the briar but keeping it from being in direct contact with something that is burning.

 

[Boyce999UK]

Thanks for the help everyone

 

[Sonorisis]

Potentially, an inexpensive pipe will come with residue in the chamber from the manufacturing process. Often, stain has been allowed into the chamber. This makes for a miserable "break in" period, and usually the stain has penetrated the wood and cannot be sanded out. It must be smoked out. To me, this procedure is very unpleasant and to be avoided at all costs. It can take a dozen or more bowls to start to notice improvement.

On the other hand, a high quality pipe will smoke well from the first bowl, because the maker has taken great care to insure that the end user has a positive first experience with the pipe.

 

[mso489]

Be extra gentle breaking in the pipe if you are not sure it is briar. Other woods -- like maple, pear, beech, etc. -- are not quite as durable as briar, some a lot less. So you'd want to be careful not to smoke too hard or heat up the bowl too much as you get the carbon layer going in the chamber. There's a reason briar became such a standard material for tobacco pipes. It still requires care, but a briar pipe is often a possession that lasts a lifetime.

 

[seanv]

Lots of good advice here.