Looking For Fastest Method of Cake Building

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Dave760

Part of the Furniture Now
Jul 13, 2023
678
6,029
Pittsburgh, PA
I thought I heard somewhere that if you cover the top of the bowl with your thumb and then shake the ash and dottle around (after it’s cooled), it will cover the chamber and help build up cake more quickly.
I tried this with a couple of pipes and found that it does build cake faster, but the cake was fairly porous and therefore fragile.
 
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renfield

Unrepentant Philomath
Oct 16, 2011
5,664
48,818
Kansas
Smoke the pipe often and wipe the bowl out between smokes. You’ll build a better cake that way, IME.
 
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Sig

Lifer
Jul 18, 2023
1,461
8,180
54
Western NY
In my opinion you don't want a thick cake. It stays moist and smelly.
Thin walled pipes are going to feel more hot. Just smoke slowly and let a natural, thin carbon layer build.
I have very thin walled pipes with very thin, hard carbon. I've been smoking them for decades without issue.
 

WerewolfOfLondon

Part of the Furniture Now
Jun 8, 2023
581
1,836
London
This is why I have so many unsmoked pipes. Can't be bothered to break them in and build up the cake to make em smokeable. Life's just too short, can't be arsed. Although the odd time I do break one in, I find virginias that have high sugar content work best.