Just what does the cake do for us?

[pstlpkr]

I have a question or two. A recent string brought to mind a couple of thoughts... (Yes I do have them once in a while)... I was wondering; just what purpose does the cake serve?

My thoughts on the subject were: 1) The cake is just a natural by-product of the smoking process and has no real benefits, but needs attention once in a while. 2) The cake serves to protect the walls of the pipe from the extreme temperatures in the pipe and prevents burn through.

I think some practices that you employ when attending the cake would be great to know. What do you do when the cake needs attention? What do you do when you have a piece of cake flake off?

Let's dig up some gems.
What are "yous guys" thoughts on the subject? I think anecdotal comments will do. Although if someone has some science to back up those observations that would be cool too.

 

[unclearthur]

I am in the thin cake group. I want enough to protect the inside of the bowl but not enough to diminish the chamber size very much . When I have a chunk flake off I take the bowl back to the bottom of the flake (wood if I must ). A very rare occurrence for me .

 

[kcvet67]

I'm with unclearthur.

 

[igloo]

Iscrape the bowl with a Czech tool sppon then wipe the bowl with a ushaped pipe cleaner after every smoke , Then I use a paper towl like a cork screw . Thin cake here . But with this method it is very hard . A clean pipe is a happy pipe .

 

[strongirish]

I am in the thick cake camp. I have been smoking the pipe for over 40 years and I have tried about every way there is to maintain a pipe. Cake is very importent to me in my pipes. It does protect your pipe bowl walls and is a result of burning the tobacco in your pipe, but it is much more than that. It also provides a much cooler smoke. The cake will absorb much of the heat of the smoke generated much as an insulator does. I do keep my pipes reamed and the walls neat but I like at least the thickness of a quarter in my bowls if not more. And no, it does not crack the bowls. Cracks are cause by a defect in the pipe or smoking it way to hot. Cake is carbon and tobacco residue and could not build up enough pressure when it expends to crack a pipe which the briar is a much harder substance. In all my years of smoking i have never cracked a pipe or burned one out. The cake prevents this from happening.

 

[cortezattic]

I've had the same thoughts as StrongIrish: the cake is much weaker than the wood, and I'm not terribly concerned about it expanding with destructive force.
That said, I treat my pipes exactly like Igloo, ream with the spoon side of a pipe nail and swab with a folded (used) pipe cleaner after every smoke -- frequently using a paper towel "reamer". I too end up with a thinner, hard cake.
What I can't understand is how, as some people claim, a good cake produces a sweeter, drier smoke. It seems to me that the cake and the smoke don't have much of a chance to interact. Yet, I think we've all seen pipes with a cake so thick you could barely stick a pencil into the chamber. If there are people willing to let the cake get that thick, maybe there's an upside we don't know about.

 

[bubbadreier]

I am in the thin cake group myself.

 

[collindow]

I do the exact same thing as igloo after every smoke. I feel it keeps the cake down to a nice, thin layer. Which I like because I don't have to worry about reaming huge amounts of carbon off my bowl walls every once and a while.

 

[greggors]

The cake is a lie.... Sorry wrong cake =p

Any way so far I like thia a cake. i have a habbit of smoking a lil on the hot side so for me its safer to keep it thin.

 

[chuckw]

When I took up the pipe for good and was searching for information on the 'proper' way to smoke one, I ran across an article that recommended the cake be kept between the thickness of a dime and a nickle. That has worked for me. I use two tools to ream my pipes depending on the tobacco chamber. I use a Pipnet on straight walled chambers and a Senior reamer on tapered chambers. Like Unclearhtur, I will ream a cake as far as needed to even it out if a piece flakes off.

 

[pstlpkr]

That's some good stuff guys.
I personally use a paper towel after every few bowls, and only when it's warm to smooth the cake, keep it under control and thin, and to remove any moist deposits.
For me a thickish cake makes the smoke a little harder to keep lit.

 

[admin]

I do the same thing as Igloo, Cortezattic, and Pstlpkr - paper towel like a corkscrew.
This just because I do not want the fine loose ash lingering to get all over me, my fingers and other stuff.

 

[hilojohnny]

This is proving to be a most instructive thread. I am enhancing my education significantly!

 

[caliguy]

Like chuckw, I had someone tell me that the cake should be about as thick as a dime and that seems to work for me. I gently use my grandfathers old feed store pocket knife with the sheeps-foot blade with the rounded tip to keep the cake even around the bowl. I have also used the paper towel method and that has worked as well.

 

[scratchglfr]

I only have two briars, and Lawrence told my about the paper towel method of reaming, so of course I listened and all is working well.

 

[hauntedmyst]

I'm in the thin cake group. When a pipe starts to go sour, I'll carefully ream back as close to wood as possible using a number of reamers.

 

[bronxbriar]

I prefer chocolate layer cake myself.

 

[python]

Another thing that I've noticed about cake is that it helps to give a drier smoke. During break in periods, I've notice that a lot of times the pipe(s) will gurgle a bit. After a cake starts developing, the gurgling goes away.