Minimize Pipe Aftereffects

[tomsmithusa]

sjpipesmoker -- After a smoke, I like to take a pipe cleaner, bend it and clean the bowl, blow thru it and remove any dottle that's left, then put in a new pipe cleaner in the stem, It somewhat cuts down on the "ashtray" smell coming from the pipe.

I’ve never tried the pipe cleaner left in the stem, as I read that it prevents the pipe from drying out, leaving it soggy (I don’t know if that’s true or not).
I do, though, for your reasons, too (and for a cleaner smoke), clean out the pipes with alcohol (on pipe cleaners and Q-tips) after each use once they’ve cooled, as otherwise that stale pipe smell my family does not like. I keep my pipes in the home office – the garage has a spot I keep a smoked pipe not yet cleaned.

 

[tomsmithusa]

Johnnyxpipe -- Coffee is acidic, having a pH of less than 7 and the pH of tobacco smoke acidic as well, being between 5.6 and 5.9 on the pH scale.

Looking a little at these numbers I see coffee is barely acidic: if distilled water is neutral at “7” (tap water can range from 6-8) and coffee is 6.9? Then, with tobacco smoke I am not finding an easy answer, especially pipe-tobacco smoke, as I am getting a range just below and just above neutral “7” – it would be fun to test it. What, wave the litmus paper in the air as you exhale? LOL.
I do know acidic fruits cuts pipe-smoke residue really well, even a vitamin-C tablet (ascorbic acid) works well on occasion.

 

[maduroman]

i find that changing pipes and packing another bowl and lighting takes care of all problems from the 1st bowl...

 

[tomsmithusa]

jaywellington – thanks, Boss.
You had a couple I forgot: frequency and water while smoking. If I smoke every day my wife says the smell is always on my breath, so I don’t have a pipe every day.
Decreasing frequency keeps it special for me, instead of smoking and doing other things, I focus on the pipe, flavors, draw, smoke, etc.
Yes! For filters . . . I tried the Dr. Grabow, paper filters, and they absorb a lot of moisture, too, but they give me a paper-chemical taste to the smoke. Savinelli's balsa wood 6mm filters do a great job without adding any taste, nor slowing the draw.

 

[tomsmithusa]

First I read a reference by tokerpipes and numbersix (thank you) to Walker Briar Works (WalkerBriarWorks.com), who then has a link to an article, Airflow: The Key to Smoking Pleasure, by Ken Campbell about wider, even, and unrestricted air flow as a key a good smoke and reducing tongue bite.
He says a 5/16” minimum hole and even throughout makes for a much better smoke. Here’s a quote:

You’re getting turbulence in the airstream when you exceed a certain speed. The sound of that turbulence indicates that the smoke will get separated. Smoke is actually microdrops of moisture containing hot air and aroma. When air passes quickly through a restricted passageway, turbulence moves the heavy particles, including the moisture, to the perimeter, like separating cream from milk. This can be caused by too small a diameter or sharp corners in the smoke passage [which is] an extremely important issue....[T]he physics of the boring of your pipe will definitely have an impact on the taste of the pipe and your smoking pleasure.

I have no idea if this is accurate and first I’ve heard of it. But if it essentially does away with tongue bite, I would be a fan.

 

[lazydog]

I think I enjoy all the after effects.

 

[captainsousie]

Avid coffee drinker/addict here. I thought that coffee was acidic so I looked it up. Here is an article with a table detailing a range of pH for coffee from "low acid" to "normal". It ranges from 5.9-4.5.

 

[sparroa]

I think that untreated burley smoke might be alkaline but they are usually cased to reduce the PH.
I find a somewhat caustic mouth reaction to some burleys so there may still be an issue there...
I don't like coffee as a companion to smoke, but I do love it before or after smoking, depending upon which one I want to place the flavour emphasis on... (Mostly I want to savour the tobacco taste more, so I save the coffee as a palate cleanser)
I smoke outdoors a lot, I find it improves my enjoyment and preserves my lungs a little better than just sitting in a closed room breathing it all in...
As for the aftereffects, shower is the only thing that'll truly remove the smell of smoke but having a smoking jacket or sweater of some kind reduces the smell somewhat. It will always cling to your body to some degree, though.
Ramping up your oral hygiene is another option, but even that only goes so far. It's usually pretty easy to tell if one has been smoking.

 

[gageploungin]

Biotene is your friend

 

[tomsmithusa]

captainsousie -- that an was interesting article. I did read a range in another, just below and just above the acid-alkali, pH of 7 border – I don’t want to hijack my own thread, Ha! but I wonder if brewing method affects acidity – like a French press with less-than boiling water is a 7.1, and a brewed pot on the burner for two hours is a 4pH burning a hole in your stomach!
simenon – two good tips:

I smoke outdoors a lot, I find it improves my enjoyment and preserves my lungs a little better than just sitting in a closed room breathing it all in...
As for the aftereffects, shower is the only thing that'll truly remove the smell of smoke but having a smoking jacket or sweater of some kind reduces the smell somewhat. It will always cling to your body to some degree, though.

I find when I use a smoking jacket, it helps much to minimize residual odor. I did not think of mentioning that. Thanks.

 

[bayoubreeze]

3) After smoking: Eat food, especially chocolate or whatever can overshadow the smell/taste of smoke in the mouth

Hey, another valid reason for eating chocolate. Gotta love this hobby. :P

 

[tomsmithusa]

Well, this is funny. Toss my list and throw it in a pile when working outside.
I’ve been helping a family friend, who’s been laid up from an injury. His family has a wood-cutting business. The last couple weeks it’s been me and a chain saw going through tractor-trailer loads of wood.
I don’t know if it’s being outdoors, the elevated heart rate and breathing, the oil & gas, or what, but I can have a couple pipes a day with no lingering after affects by the time I get home and cleaned up.
.

 

[pipesicle]

I find that a listerine pocket pack is a nice thing to have around. it really kills the smoke smell on your breath.

 

[schmitzbitz]

I like to stand on my head, lighting my pipe with heat dredged from the bowels of the earth through one of the active magma chutes in Mt. St. Helens. This has the added effect of covering any offensive tobacco odours by completely saturating me in gasious sulphur all while raising the latent ph from disolved acids being carried in the plume.

When the bowl becomes extinguished, I carefully disasemble everything and using a crucible, lower the now foul smoker into the aforementioned vent, allowing 'natures pipe-cleaner' to work it's magic. Often, however, exposure to 700c+ just doesn't get all the gunk out, so I'll nap out some obsidian tools, using them to actually re-carve the pipe; eliminating any wood that has been exposed to tobacco-smoke. The shavings and tools return to the depths of the volcano; after all, they have been defiled by tobacco smoke!

I then strip myself naked, scouring my clothing with pumice in the surrounding natural hot-springs (key: look for a crusty yellow or white ring surrounding the pool; the super-saturated chemicals will help get that tough outer layer broken down), then repeat the same on myself. I cap this off by bathing myself in a tub of boiling lye while gargling reduced pickle-juice. A quick spritz of Hi-Karate and I am good to go. (Ok, I'm kidding, Hi-Karate is disgusting...)
Fortunately, stale smoke has been a part of my personal aroma longer than I've been a pipe-smoker; I think my wife and kids would be confused if I didn't have a lingering odour of tobacco smoke about me.

 

[cortezattic]

:rofl:

stale smoke has been a part of my personal aroma

ditto

 

[foggymountain]

We all have little routines we have set up for this and that. Personally, my routine for smoking is this: fill the pipe, light the pipe, smoke the pipe while drinking fine Scotch if possible, empty the pipe. The smell is good for keeping old ladies from hitting on me.

 

[kris]

Somehow, I doubt that. You're a Looker! :wink:

 

[hawk60ce]

:rofl:

 

[badbriar]

Happyjacks - like your avatar. A relative in that group photo in front of the 51? Have very similar photo of my dad & his crew - B24. He had a real appreciation for the Mustang pilots - gave the 24's escort to & from their primaries on missions.

bb

 

[undermidnight]

Lately what I have been doing is rinsing my mouth with Fabreeze and spraying myself with Listerine..
Oh wait.. that happened only once.. after a few doubles.
:mrgreen:
Seriously tho.. Fabreeze on the coat and rinsing my mouth out with listerine. I have been sucking on breath mints lately.
Jason