How Long to Rest a Pipe?

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Professor Moriarty

Can't Leave
Apr 13, 2023
466
1,380
United States
What is the minimum amount of time you consider to be necessary to rest a pipe between smokes, so that your pipe does not become stinky from insufficient drying?

I find 48 hours to be sufficient if I separate bit from shank while resting.
The climate here is not humid.
It is better to not shut the pipe within a cabinet while drying.
 
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Epip Oc'Cabot

Can't Leave
Oct 11, 2019
473
1,314
Hmm, the amount of time to knock out the ashes would be ~20 seconds (generously), and perhaps ~25 seconds to refill the bowl (presuming your pouch is handy and you are not itching to switch blends)…..

So, on average…. ~45 seconds (~3/4 a minute) is all that is necessary.

Now, I know this differs SIGNIFICANTLY from VDL Piper’s analysis…. but keep in mind…. as you can see in his avatar, he’s smoking a church warden… and folks who gravitate towards them are known to be a bit on the “fussy” and “persnickety “ side and hence tend to do things a bit more slowly and meticulously.
 

warren

Lifer
Sep 13, 2013
12,299
18,322
Foothills of the Chugach Range, AK
No reason I know of that requires pipes to be rested. Lotta people only own one pipe, smoke multiple bowls daily, pay little to no attention to cleaning after smoking and simply replace it when the pipe can't be properly filled. That's one extreme. Other smokers are fastidious with regard to "resting" a pipe for a number of days with a thorough cleaning before the next bowl. Your choice. Some smokers complain of "sourness" after numerous bowls in a "poorly" pipe. Others worry about somehow damaging a pipe unless it is cleaned relentlessly after a bowl.

Kind of your choice. Most smokers fall somewhere between the extremes above.
 

VDL_Piper

Lifer
Jun 4, 2021
1,500
14,606
Tasmania, Australia
Hmm, the amount of time to knock out the ashes would be ~20 seconds (generously), and perhaps ~25 seconds to refill the bowl (presuming your pouch is handy and you are not itching to switch blends)…..

So, on average…. ~45 seconds (~3/4 a minute) is all that is necessary.

Now, I know this differs SIGNIFICANTLY from VDL Piper’s analysis…. but keep in mind…. as you can see in his avatar, he’s smoking a church warden… and folks who gravitate towards them are known to be a bit on the “fussy” and “persnickety “ side and hence tend to do things a bit more slowly and meticulously.
Well just for you I shall change my avatar for 24 hours. I seek not to be branded as a churchwarden'esk smoker, rather a really rough bastard whom eschews a warden.
IMG_3277.jpeg
 

judcole

Lifer
Sep 14, 2011
7,437
38,379
Detroit
But if you have but one pipe, let it completely cool, about thirty minutes or more is better, between smokes.

Then rest it at least a day or two, and a week is better.
If I smoke multiple bowls in the same day in the same pipe, I make sure that it i rest it at least that 30 minutes, so that it has cooled down. It then rests at least a number of days equal to the number of bowls I smoked in it; usually quite a bit longer.
 

PipeWI

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jan 30, 2023
275
2,525
Somerset WI
As with any thread here, I suspect there will be as many opinions as posters! I have enough pipes that I can rest each for 2 days, but I clench and smoke hot and I have found through bitter experience that if I don't rest them, beloved pipes crack. At least, that was my conclusion.... So it may also depend on how hard you drive your pipes 😀
 

captpat

Lifer
Dec 16, 2014
2,389
12,422
North Carolina
Resting pipes seems to be another of those pieces of conventional wisdom for pipe smokers to follow. I‘m not entirely sure what malady is to be avoided nor what evidence one can observe to ensure pipes are sufficiently “rested.” I suspect that different pipe designs, materials, tobaccos, and individual smoking practices all play a roll—in other words YMMV. As for me I don’t worry about pipe down time and have occasionally smoked a pipe back to back without any observable effects, good or bad. Unless you are abusing a pipe, I believe resting is not worth the worry.
 

Professor Moriarty

Can't Leave
Apr 13, 2023
466
1,380
United States
Resting pipes seems to be another of those pieces of conventional wisdom for pipe smokers to follow. I‘m not entirely sure what malady is to be avoided nor what evidence one can observe to ensure pipes are sufficiently “rested.” I suspect that different pipe designs, materials, tobaccos, and individual smoking practices all play a roll—in other words YMMV. As for me I don’t worry about pipe down time and have occasionally smoked a pipe back to back without any observable effects, good or bad. Unless you are abusing a pipe, I believe resting is not worth the worry.
If I do not sufficiently dry out a pipe, then I noticed a sour smell develops which I figure is not a good thing.
 

HeavyLeadBelly

Part of the Furniture Now
Dec 9, 2023
958
10,498
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
My afternoon and evening smokes I rotate pipes but for the most part I use a Dr Grabow for my morning smokes. I run a pipe cleaner through it after each session and ream it out from time to time but it keeps on trucking.

I think it’s good to have a couple tree pipes minimum but like others said, old timers just used one pipe and smoked the hell out of it. Unless your smoking an expensive pipe you want to keep in very good condition for decades I don’t think you have to too concerned about resting your pipes.
 
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Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
44,909
117,164
If I do not sufficiently dry out a pipe, then I noticed a sour smell develops which I figure is not a good thing.
If you don't thoroughly clean a pipe after use and put it up with moisture still in it it can get sour. I often smoke the same pipe multiple times per day for weeks at a time before switching to another one.