How Many Bowls is Too Much for a Pipe Everyday?

[minfarshaw]

I have 4 briars and 3 cobs. I just rotate them so each gets smoked once every 2 days. If one starts to taste bad, I just give it a thorough cleaning with alcohol and rest it 2 days and then it is good to go again. Cobs get smoked twice and then rest. Briars once or twice depending on the session and the get in the back of the line.

 

[frank13]

I'm having a hell of a time. I have two pipes: One is my trusty Dr. Grabow, and the other, a fairly nice Peterson. I've made the switch from cigarettes to a pipe, and I'm now five or six days without a single cig. Whoo-hoo and yay... :roll: Right now, I'm smoking my pipes like a freight train, but can't afford anymore pipes right now.
Long story short: I'm smoking both pipes, every day, and smoke a total of 4-8 bowls per day. Once they are empty, I may or may not clean them, but I usually try. Wipe the bowl out, brush the shank and then wipe it out with cotton swabs, run a swab and then a pipe cleaner down the mouthpiece, and call it good. I usually work the briar over with some extra virgin olive oil... If I can let one of them rest for a day, then I do so. I hope that's enough. Otherwise, I'm basically screwed. :|

 

[highlander]

Good topic. Let me expand it a bit:
1. The travel pipe. I understand that folks have small, sturdy pipes that they keep on their person and travel with. I have been advised that such a pipe is a valuable thing to have as it lets one have a pipe available instantaneously whenever the urge or opportunity arises. However, having such a pipe implies that it will be smoked several times a day over several days. How does one factor in "resting" a travel pipe?
2. Dry. What I am hearing on this thread is that, if a pipe is dry, it is probably OK to smoke again. If not, then not. Is that correct?

 

[briarfanatic]

Frank13: Many here will recommend buying a few inexpensive Missouri Meerschaum corn cobs. Cheap, decent smoke, and will allow your briars to rest.
Might want to save up for an actual Meerschaum as well, which can be smoked more frequently than a briar pipe.

 

[jimbo69]

My Grandfather, although having several pipe racks, pretty much smoked his non-stop all day - only pausing to unceremoniously hammer it on his stand ashtray and reload with half/half.
I carry a two pipe pouch and rotate between pipes and pouches and don't sweat it to much, although I swap pouches and clean the pipes at the end of the evening.
I tend to side with ole' papa in that you shouldn't sweat it to much

 

[codyj]

I have 2 meershaums that I rotate out every day and smoke 2 to 3 bowls a day in. And I have not had any problems at all with a sour pipe. Dont know if its just because they are meers instead of briars. I have briars but prefer my meers over anything else. I also clean them fairly well after each smoke so they dont build cake.

 

[frank13]

Thanks... I'll look into getting some cobs. I usually clean my pipes every day, usually in the mornings. I now have four pipes, so I can rest three of them. The one I pick for the day, is usually smoked all day, especially if I'm doing a lot of driving, or I'm in the woodshop. As far as briars go, (the one pipe that I just abuse, day after day), I've been pretty impressed with a cheapo Dr. Grabow. As long as I clean it daily, it never delivers a sour smoke, doesn't build up a lot of cake, and it's just been very good to me.
I've been reading up on the meerschaums, and I like what I've read, so far. This place is such a wealth of information! I now know how to choose a quality meer, and I've got my eye on a couple of plain billiards, once I actually have some money... The meers are just as expensive as the briars, but I really like the way the meers color with age.
Thanks!

 

[mso489]

This has been an interesting discussion, but odd, since most Forums members have at least ten pipes,

and many more than 20, 30, or 40 or more. For the folks with dozens of pipes, I would think it behooves

them (us) to keep the rotation moving. With 20 pipes on the rack, why would you smoke two or three bowls in

the same pipe in a day? Rotating pipes is an excuse to have too many, which is what most of us want. Even

traveling, most of us tote four or five pipes, enough to reload a dry pipe every time. Longer trip ... more pipes.

 

[snagstangl]

Only 20 pipes? What have you been smoking a week?

 

[mso489]

snag, I was just trying to be inclusive. Some Forums members have just a few pipes, or eight or ten. I seem to

have more than sixty, but I'm trying not to count. I think foggy has 90 or more Dunhills, and others have way

more than that. A guy at my local pipe shop had 200, but spared it down to 60. His wife wrote a letter to the

editor accusing the pipe shop of alienation of affection. Let's say, most of us have more pipes than we absolutely

need, unless we are pipe shopping for the Department of Defense. If a pipe bowl doesn't have the pungent scent

of tobacco, I consider it neglected.

 

[warren]

When you go to pull a pipe off the rack and the bowl turns into a pile of briar dust . . . it is time to rest that pipe!