How Often Do You Have to Smoke a New Pipe to Break It In?

[bludgeoningdeath]

I bought a new Savinelli pipe. I now have 4 pipes in my collection. I thought only smoking your pipe once a day was enough time to dry and rest?

 

[lordofthepiperings]

The rate at which a pipe breaks in and gets a good cake forming varies for many reasons. There's the quality of the briar, if there's any fills, if there's a stain, whether it's smooth, rusticated, or sandblasted, whether it has a bare briar bowl or a pre carbon lined bowl etc.
Then there's how you want to break it in. Some guys swear by the third then half then full method and others will simply fill her up completely and smoke it slowly. Lately I've just been filling them up and smoking them slow.
I haven't heard of smoking a new pipe consectuively to break it in, but to each their own. Personally I give mine a days rest in between bowls when I'm breaking them in. I've had good results by doing this.
Whatever method you choose I wish you the best of luck.

 

[bigvan]

"The rate at which a pipe breaks in and gets a good cake forming varies for many reasons. There's the quality of the briar, if there's any fills, if there's a stain, whether it's smooth, rusticated, or sandblasted..."
I respectfully disagree that things like fills and finish will impact the creation of cake. Personally, I think a half dozen full bowls are enough to break in a pipe.

 

[tbradsim1]

I use a different approach, every pipe is different, some pipes smoke like a champ right at the first smoke, others are sometimes a sob to get going right, I use a burley that is a cooler smoke and use a thermal gun that I used to use on engines, also the count 5 method, if you have to pull your hand off before you finish 5 it's too hot, working with machinery for over 30 yrs if you have to take your hand away before 5 it's over 150 degs, I had a V shaped Ferndown that one side consently went over 170 deg, finally had to butter some fireplace mortar mix thinly on that side as an insulation, it worked, you also have to look at the moisture of your pipe cleaner after your first smoke, most of the time that is the critical test, very wet, oh shit, I have a high end Artisan pipe that is crap, it's not the Artisans fault I believe he bought bad briar, the running joke in Europe is the Americans get the leftovers, but I don"t believe that, we have some very fine American carvers, Good common sense , smoke slow, put it down when it gets hot, know your temps even if its only by feel this is IMHO. The old cajun

 

[cortezattic]

This Ser Jacopo hawkbill was carbon coated, and it took ~30 bowls to start smoking "sweetly". (I kept track: ||||| ||||| ||||| etc.)

I lined this Sebastien Beo bulldog with honey and let it dry. It took only 3 bowls, or so, before it started singing like Pavarotti!

 

[alexl]

in my experience Virginia and Virginia/Perique flakes build a nice hard cake very quickly.

I respectfully disagree. Virginia can burn hot. Oriental/Latakia mixes are more suitable for a new pipe.

 

[cortezattic]

I use VaPers, primarily. I find the carbon cake ends up being harder and less prone to chipping -- especially when

I take my time and smoke slowly, reaming out the bowl with a wadded-up paper towel after each smoke. The reaming

thing removes just about all the progress you make in any given break-in session, but eventually it builds-up a hard

shell of carbon. Since a pipe will be in service for decades to come, there's really no sense in rushing things.

 

[nsfisher]

I have a Comoy Strauss, Private Stock. Beautiful Canadian style pipe and I got it last yr unsmoked. It's probably about 30-40 yrs old and was happy to recieve it but.......... It has been one miserable SOB to get a decent smoke out of. It would run hot, gurgle and everything else you could think of to make a smoke unenjoyable. After trying about 25 bowls out of it, I put it in the rack and it sat there for a couple months. Well last month I took it down and tried it again. It has been probably 6-8 more smokes out of it again and it is really coming around good now. The last 2 smokes out of it have been terrific. I have NEVER had such a stubborn piece of Briar before in all the 18 yrs I been on the pipe. However, I now think that it may have been worth the effort. So I guess what I'm saying mate, is hang in there. Good things sometimes take a bit more effort

 

[captainbob]

+1 rothnh!
I buy only pipes from Hayes and the bowls are "unfinished-uncoated". I never have a problem. I smoke them just like my old pipes and all the way down to the bottom of the bowl. Me thinks the important thing is to rotate your pipes and give them a rest. I have 17 pipes in rotation dedicated to specific (or similar) blends. I smoke about seven bowls per day. My pipes are always scraped with a dull pipe knife and cleaned with a pipe cleaner after every smoke and put back on the rack for a rest.

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[metalheadycigarguy]

I don't believe in letting your pipe rest. My Savinelli 645 Bent Apple pipe has been smoked hard in the last 1+ year I've owned it and it's still in excellent condition and smokes like a champ every time. I can smoke multiple bowls out of it in a day and even back to back bowls, and I can turn around and smoke it again the next day and the next day after that and I don't ever have an issue. It doesn't get hot, it doesn't gurgle it just smokes great. Now I don't smoke everyday, but I have no problem using the same pipe day after day if that's the one I want to smoke.
For those that rest their pipes for several days to a week before smoking them again that's completely fine, but to me that's just a myth that pipe makers and tobacconists created to get people to buy more pipes. A friend of mine who is also a pipe carver/maker has smoked the same pipe multiple times a day for well over 300 days in a row and has yet to have a problem with the pipe.

 

[cigrmaster]

metal, you are certainly entitled to your opinion, however in my experience a pipe needs rest and will not smoke as good when it is wet. Every carver I know suggests resting a pipe. I can see moisture at the bottom of my bowl the next day so I know for a fact the pipe is not dry. Just because your friend who makes pipes says he has not seen a problem after 300 days does not mean the pipe will not perform better if it had been rested. Briar needs to dry to perform at it's optimum capabilities, this is not a theory it is a well known fact. Sure you can smoke a pipe when it is wet without damaging it, but you will not get a better smoke out of a wet pipe as you will a dry one, this fact is indisputable.
I honestly think you are doing a disservice to the new smokers by saying what you are. People should rest their briar pipes if they want to get the most out of their tobacco.

 

[bigvan]

I don't think ANYBODY has recommended resting a pipe "several days to a week", but allowing a pipe to dry out is just common sense. Can you smoke back to back bowls? Of course you can, but no experienced pipe smoker will say you'll get your best smoke this way. At least none I've ever talked to in 25 years of pipe smoking.

 

[cigrmaster]

I generally let my pipe rest at least one day after smoking one bowl in it. If I smoke two bowls in the same pipe in one day, I will let it rest at least two days. I agree with bigvan that no one is saying you need to rest it a full week after smoking just one bowl, although I know people who do that.
I also do not subscribe to the theory that pipe makers and tobacconists are telling you to rest your pipes multiple days just to get you to buy more pipes.