Hemp Twine for Lighting Your Pipe

[oddfellow]

Thought I'd share how I light my pipe, as it works really well for me, and I don't see it used a whole lot. I like to use hemp twine coated with bees wax. I'll wrap it around a cheap pipe nail for convenience.



I use a bic lighter to light it, which may seem a bit redundant. It works like a match, but I don't have to wait for the sulfur to burn off and I don't have to worry about the match burning up.

Something small, but I thought it might be worth sharing. Cheers!

 

[SBC]

It doesn't give off any unwanted odours or flavors?
How slowly does it burn?

Do you just run the twine over a block of beeswax to coat it?

 

[oddfellow]

It doesn't give off any unwanted odours or flavors?
How slowly does it burn?

Do you just run the twine over a block of beeswax to coat it?

No it burns clean. It burns at a medium rate, similar to a match. I buy it pre-coated. You can search Amazon for "hemp twine beeswax".

 

[dottlejockey]

Interesting. I like the originality!
I've been spoiled by my push button butane pipe lighters. My only complaint is that i have to fill them often. My wife seems to think there's an easy fix to this: smoke less, but that is simply the unthinkable.

 

[kcghost]

Those things are effective at lighting a pipe, but they are a pain in the ass to tote around. All the guys that had them gave then up within six months.

 

[olkofri]

I still have the full yarn of hemp I purchased almost 7 years ago for lighting my pipe. I got tired of lighting the lighter real quick, specially when it didn't affect the temperature of the flame so much to prevent tongue burn.

 

[OverMountain]

I prefer cannon fuse.

 

[georged]

I used to know a guy who did the waxed twine lighter thing.

He was quite a vocal fan, too, until a roll of twine spontaneously combusted in his pocket while driving in heavy traffic at 75 mph... a couple minutes after his crazy girlfriend had tossed a tall glass of straight Bacardi 151 on his shirt and trousers.

When he got out of the hospital a year later, not a word. He just went back to using a long-neck Bic like everyone else.

 

[OzPiper]

I used to know a guy who did the waxed twine lighter thing.

He was quite a vocal fan, too, until a roll of twine spontaneously combusted in his pocket while driving in heavy traffic at 75 mph... a couple minutes after his crazy girlfriend had tossed a tall glass of straight Bacardi 151 on his shirt and trousers.

When he got out of the hospital a year later, not a word. He just went back to using a long-neck Bic like everyone else.

I would opine that his problem was NOT the waxed twine, but his crazed girlfriend
Not a good idea having 2 (in)flammable objects in close proximity

 

[AroEnglish]

I would opine that his problem was NOT the waxed twine, but his crazed girlfriend
Not a good idea having 2 (in)flammable objects in close proximity

 

[georged]

I would opine that his problem was NOT the waxed twine, but his crazed girlfriend

Depends on other variables.

He thought what made crazygirl worth the risk was a no-brainer.

(photo taken at the same party where she tossed the drink)

 

[64alex]

The hemp wick replaced matches many years ago and it is my only lighter. I use it with a Flicwic holder (you can google it) which is the perfect holder as you can light it and use with one hand.
The reason I like the hemp wick is it burns very cold (even colder that matches) it resists wind better than anything else (particularly the 2 mm thick ones) you can position the flame better inside the bowl and it is like having an infinite length match. The deal breaker was definitely the flicwic, it is the holder which makes very convenient to use the hemp wick.

 

[OzPiper]

Inflammable : English as she is spoke
Flammable: For the rest of the world

 

[bullet08]

I prefer to spill virgin chicken blood before putting a Zippo to my pipes. Everyone's gotta have some pipes torching ritual.

 

[mortonbriar]

I just use a bic lighter to light my plastic magnifying glass until the plastic handle is melting, then use the light created from the flame to rummage around in the bushes until I find two sticks to rub together to get a good smolder going, at which point I am warm enough to go back inside and sit by the fire and light my pipe with a match.

 

[mortonbriar]

p.s Sarcasm aside, I love the ritual you have found for yourself.

 

[newbroom]

I've been using wick for years now. I don't use it for every single light, but often. I currently have 3 'wick on a stick' hemp wick lighters. Just a piece of tree branch with the bark whittled off, a hole drilled at one end for security, and two or three winds of the wick. They double as tampers.

 

[PipePint&Cross]

I used it for a while and really liked it, and then I dripped wax on the outside of one of the bowl of my pipe and ruined the finish. I quit using it.

 

[captpat]

I tried it for a while but got tired of lighting the lighter. Saw no benefit to the extra step.

 

[Merton]

I like the ritual part but aren't you basically lighting something to light something?