How I Break In A New Pipe

[jpmcwjr]

Who made the abomination of a varnished bowl?

 

[mso489]

I'm in the pack and light school. I smoke what I'd smoke in any other pipe on the rack. If the pipe shop offers honey in the bowl of a new pipe, I'll accept, just for the ritual, but I'd never bother at home. I think it is fun for new pipe smokers to get into some ritual of preparation, but eventually it wears off. In my experience, pipes are ready to go, adaptable to various owners, and not complicated.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Not complicated????? Are you kidding?

A good part of this forum is dedicated to making the simple complicated. But there is both art and science to all aspects of pipe smoking.

 

[maulragoth]

Here’s how I break in a new pipe. First my methodology. ... other pipers approach this issue.

I like your method. I go with Chatham Manor or 5 Brothers, but if I'm going English on a pipe I probably just get straight to it with Presbyterian or Presbyterian Match. I use 1/3 a time or two, then 2/3 a smoke or two, then full bowls pretty much. I don't believe not just packing a full bowl is a problem either, but I just never do it preferring to error a little on caution.

 

[jpmcwjr]

I had the unpleasant experience of smoking a varnished bowl once... never again. I share your desire to strip that stuff.
<< Snipped bits out >>

Who made that varnished bowl? And are you talking about the chamber?

 

[mso489]

The rigamarole recommended for breaking in pipes reminds me of the literary let-down at the end of Huckleberry Finn, where the tidy, privileged Tom Sawyer, with Huck complicit, puts Jim, the slave recently escaped to freedom, through a bunch of nonsense magic to supposedly secure his freedom. Jim is the only responsible adult in Huck's life, so this is all the more horrible while cloaked in humor. Moral: Don't get too elaborate about anything.

 

[BROBS]

I have Peterson pamphlets from the 60's/70's and they say to do 10 half bowls as break-in.

 

[Simmerdown☕️]

I grab my tub of Chatham Manor and load and smoke...works for me!️

 

[anotherbob]

I used to do the half bowl for a week because it was what I was told is 100 percent essential for breaking in a pipe. Noticed though that now just smoking it normally seems to work just as well. From what I understand it should help make an even cake if you start the cake at the bottom not the top. The thing is no matter what I do it feels like the cake is even.

 

[carcosa]

I read on these forums years ago, that some people use a little jam to coat the inside of a new bowl to get the cake going, anyone ever tried that?

 

[whsergent]

I have heard honey but not jam, jam sounds even messier. The most pains im willing to take to break in a pipe is that if its bare briar, smoke a few partial bowls before using it normally.

 

[Casual]

I usually start with marmalade and burley, followed by marmite and Virginias. If it really needs a cake boost, that calls for guacamole and Black Frigate.

Of course, I’ve tried none of these. I just smoke the pipe and wipe it out with paper towel.

 

[rdoss16]

my process is pretty simple. i unpack the pipe and immediately proceed to make a sacrifice to Odin. Generally this would be a cow, but you can substitute a goat if in a real time crunch. Once this is done i let the pipe sit on a windowsill under direct moonlight for 2 nights to charge up. Once fully charged, obviously the next step is to burn exactly 3.5 bowls of sage to drive out any unforeseen evil spirits within the stem of the pipe. Next I read a jiminks tobacco review backwards in the nude. Once this is done im all set and can proceed w packing a full bowl of a captain black grape. easy peasy.

 

[Dandy Pipesmoker]

Not a piper myself but as a pipe smoker I fill the pipe, light it, smoke it, and repeat to break it in.

That's it. Just that simple.

 

[chopper]

I wont touch a charcoal coated chamber.

A Road Town Poker, made in China, had a 'charcoal' coating that tasted toxic.
It's the only time I've dumped a bowl of tobacco.

Considering that the Chinese will put formaldehyde in baby/infants formula and on fabric to help stop wrinkling for example, only Thor knows what was used in the 'charcoal' coating, so I wasn't taking any chances.

I removed it with a bit of sandpaper wrapped around my pinky finger and did the same to the other two Chinese made pipes.

Although the Poker is a good smoker I will not buy another Chinese made pipe [plus the ebay seller is a rip-off - charges $5 for each extra pipe and did not include promised free tamper]