I like to smoke a pipe while walking my dog and with the weather getting pretty chilly lately I 'm wondering if there is any cause for concern about harming a briar smoked in sub-zero temperatures? Will the temperature difference between the inner and outer bowl cause cracking? Thoughts?
Is smoking in freezing weather harmful to a pipe?
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San Antonio here. What's this "sub zero" thing you speak of?
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In theory if your pipe is cold and you puff away like a train I would be worried for you, but from the ONE time I've seen someone post on the forums about a cracked pipe due to temp difference (it was a meer not a briar) I wouldn't be too concerned.
I wouldn't risk it with my more pricey pipes though.
Hopefully a piper from the north will pipe in.
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:In theory if your pipe is cold and you puff away like a train I would be worried for you, but from the ONE time I've seen someone post on the forums about a cracked pipe due to temp difference (it was a meer not a briar) I wouldn't be too concerned.
I wouldn't risk it with my more pricey pipes though.
Hopefully a piper from the north will pipe in.
I live in a very cold climate and will smoke outside when temperatures are -15C or higher. I have never had any issues with my briar or corn cob pipes at these temperatures. Meershrum pipes, on the other hand, cannot be smoked during cold weather as they will crack.
So no worries, in fact, pipes work as great hand warmers!
So no worries, in fact, pipes work as great hand warmers!
I know guys that work the Slope that have heard of pipes going to pieces in the -60 and lower temps. It's all anecdotal though. I suspect, if true, that the pipe was unshielded, hanging out of the mouth and the difference of inside to outer shell temp was too great. Most guys I know that smoke a pipe on the Slope keep it in a mittened hand when smoking and inside the parka when not in use minimizing the extremes. Oh, and they are usually sitting in the cab of a heated truck. So there shouldn't be a big difference in temps when the pipe is shielded from the direct cold.
In extreme cold the mouth and nose are always shielded so pipe smoking, while not impossible, is certainly impractical. I've smoked at zero and below more than a few times, but I usually shelter from the wind and the pipe is kept in my fist when smoking, meers included and they are none the worse for the treatment. It's all a matter of minimizing the exposure to great differences in temperatures.
In extreme cold the mouth and nose are always shielded so pipe smoking, while not impossible, is certainly impractical. I've smoked at zero and below more than a few times, but I usually shelter from the wind and the pipe is kept in my fist when smoking, meers included and they are none the worse for the treatment. It's all a matter of minimizing the exposure to great differences in temperatures.
Briar, unless it has an unseen flaw, probably accommodates low temperatures in which you'd
be likely to smoke, pretty well, I would guess. But it's just me guessing. I think with old celluloid
film, small electronic devices, cameras, etc., it never hurts to keep the items in your layers of
clothing (like under your coat) to keep them nearer a normal temperature. With a pipe this would
help, so it isn't going from nine below to burning temp all at once. Once the leaf is burning, it has
its own heat source, which will last a while. I grew up near Chicago, in the old days when the winters
were markedly colder, and my pipe smoking dad would smoke his pipe outdoors often, and for
long periods of time, and it never caused a problem. He smoked mid- and low-level briar billiards.
be likely to smoke, pretty well, I would guess. But it's just me guessing. I think with old celluloid
film, small electronic devices, cameras, etc., it never hurts to keep the items in your layers of
clothing (like under your coat) to keep them nearer a normal temperature. With a pipe this would
help, so it isn't going from nine below to burning temp all at once. Once the leaf is burning, it has
its own heat source, which will last a while. I grew up near Chicago, in the old days when the winters
were markedly colder, and my pipe smoking dad would smoke his pipe outdoors often, and for
long periods of time, and it never caused a problem. He smoked mid- and low-level briar billiards.
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Amen to that! I've worked outside for 34+ years (retired now) and I have been subjected to extreme temperatures and the LAST thing I would have ever been concerned about is smoking a pipe. My one, and only worry at the time, was trying to keep my 'ol skinny bony white ass warm! Thanks, but I'll relegate my leisurely pipe smoking to the comforts of my home where I can fully enjoy it. :wink:
Jeeze you guys obviously don't live in Northern Ontario, -30 is just when your snow machine starts running well! When I did my cold weather training in the Army in Northern Alberta there were days that were -50 and the tree's would split open when the sap froze and expanded. Going to walk the dog now, its a balmy -10C tonight. I think I might wear shorts :wink:
Work on the North Slope goes on at -60F and lower. You dress for it and watch your co-workers for frost bite, speech problems and the like. Herman Nelson's are much in evidence. Not life threatening conditions when dressed and educated for it. It can quickly become so if the rules are not followed. Mother Nature is a stern taskmaster.
No-one smokes outside in extreme temps (-10 to -20F isn't considered extreme up here. I suppose it's a matter of what you become used to. We play hockey on the pounds at -20 or -30F. Cigarette smokers really suffer if they smoke in the cold as the old blood vessels shrink quickly from the inhaled smoke (not a technical explanation but what I remember from Air Force Cold Weather School at Ft. Greely) and the fingers and toes let you know that it's time to find some warmth.
Face masks make smoking very impractical, but if you are one of the addicted you can chew, spitting downwind of course, or spend so much time in the cab of a vehicle that your co-workers get a bit PO'd as they are doing all the work.
As politically correct as Alaska has become I wouldn't be surprised if smoking in your room is now prohibited. I haven't been on up the Slope in 20 years or so.
Damn! I'm getting way off topic here! Sorry!
No-one smokes outside in extreme temps (-10 to -20F isn't considered extreme up here. I suppose it's a matter of what you become used to. We play hockey on the pounds at -20 or -30F. Cigarette smokers really suffer if they smoke in the cold as the old blood vessels shrink quickly from the inhaled smoke (not a technical explanation but what I remember from Air Force Cold Weather School at Ft. Greely) and the fingers and toes let you know that it's time to find some warmth.
Face masks make smoking very impractical, but if you are one of the addicted you can chew, spitting downwind of course, or spend so much time in the cab of a vehicle that your co-workers get a bit PO'd as they are doing all the work.
As politically correct as Alaska has become I wouldn't be surprised if smoking in your room is now prohibited. I haven't been on up the Slope in 20 years or so.
Damn! I'm getting way off topic here! Sorry!
Well, if you don't want to risk it you could always smoke a cob. If that cracks/brakes you're only out a couple dollars. Can never go wrong with a cob.
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