I must be doing something wrong.....

[Ben.R.C]

Tha 3-step packing is THE WORST advice any new pipe smoker can be given
Absolute tosh - a bad smoke is almost always guaranteed

I almost quit because of that and the shitty tobacco I was told to start with!

 

[josephcross]

packing a pipe is hard to teach. It's more of a knack. My suggestion is try a few different methods and see how it effects the experience.
But it takes some time before it really clicks and becomes a natural zero thought near instant process.
The way I pack a pipe is a modified version of the three step method and I find it easier and more effective.
Gravity fill the pipe (sprinkle the tobacco into the chamber and tap your palm on the heel of the pipe to level off the tobacco) I do that for the first 2/3rds of the chamber (some variation with certain blends and cuts) and only press the top 1/3rd down.
So just to step by step. Grab a pinch sprinkle it into the chamber gentle tap the pipe repeat until there is about a 1/3rd of the upper portion of the chamber empty. Sprinkle more tobacco into the chamber (usually makes a bit of a mound over the rim) and then press the tobacco town with the flat surface of your thumb. Check the draw by sucking on the pipe stem. Once you start feeling a very slight but noticeable resistance on the draw you're good to go. Works good for me.

I agree. It becomes a knack after you do it enough. I find packing is really about draw resistance, quantity, and how dry the tobacco is. Practice makes perfect.

 

[anotherbob]

I almost quit because of that and the shitty tobacco I was told to start with!

the three step pack is fine. It's the way they explain it that needs updating. If you're going to use metaphors they have to contemporary. People don't shake hands on a daily basis. If you do the instructions work well.

 

[kcghost]

I agree with @Chasing Embers.

 

[Ben.R.C]

the three step pack is fine. It's the way they explain it that needs updating. If you're going to use metaphors they have to contemporary. People don't shake hands on a daily basis. If you do the instructions work well.

I agree It’s the way they explain it.

 

[AJL67]

Well, just filled my Falcon Coolway with some lovely Pertersons 'My Mixture 965'. This time I used the 'Frank Method'....WHAT DIFFERENCE!!!

• Stays lit longer
• Cooler smoke
• Uses much less tobacco - I am probably getting two bowls to what used to be one now
• I can really taste the tobacco now

One more question if I can please? How many bowls a day is an average? I mean I tend to smoke and leave to go back later.

Thanks again!

As many as you’d like to smoke each day, do that for a week and divide by 7.

 

[anotherbob]

I agree It’s the way they explain it.

Though what also works is to only do the third step. And kind of over do the third step. Fill it and don't pack it down at all till you get to the last third. But keep doing till one of two things happen. One you get a resistence to draw that you like or until the top bit feels firm but spongy. With either you know you did it right when the bottom dottle bits look slightly substantial in the chamber but when you dump it they're just a few flakes.

 

[anotherbob]

Well, using the Frank method I don't feel as bad about smoking several bowls a day.....the three stage method was going to cost me a fortune in tobacco and it was less than a pleasant smoke. Loving this forum!!

I'll say it again and again (that's what forums are for, they're all about repeating yourself over and over again, sorta like when you get a set list), try a number of pack jobs it really helps you figure out what a good pack is and what a good pack for you is. All methods have pluses minuses and work better for some then for others. But what I think the advantage of the Frank method are. It's easy to explain. If a new person sits down with a video or type instructions they can get it right the first time. That's a big plus. It avoids vague and interpretive instructions. It's easy to get consistent results with it. Negatives it's too much too many steps and it takes time. It's consistent. More hands on methods can be altered more easily. Some tobaccos I pack tighter and sometimes I want a longer slower smoke and I pack it tighter then I do for a normal smoke or the opposite too. But I feel like the Frank method is great because it helps new smokers by being so wonderfully explicatable. And it's a good method too and just as valid as any other working method.
If you like it too another fun method is the flake ball. Especially for that surprise of smoking every last bit and having the pipe just stop.

 

[mso489]

The three step pipe packing was a psy-ops program by the Surgeon General who figured that new pipe smokers would soon give it up once they had packed their pipes like they were sealing a crypt.

That's a joke. I don't want to start another conspiracy theory.

 

[jpmcwjr]

I'll say it again and again (that's what forums are for, they're all about repeating yourself over and over again, sorta like when you get a set list). << Snipped bits out >>

That's why this re-hash thread is being shut down,,,,,