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The Clay King

(Formerly HalfDan)
Oct 2, 2018
5,657
51,285
41
Chesterfield, UK
www.youtube.com
Nice pipe, Florida Man.

My first clay was "issued" to me for a pipe club slow smoke it was similar to this:

View attachment 188479

I was shocked both at how well it smoked and how long a smoke it gave. As a noob, I actually won that slow smoke at 55 minutes.

I was also shocked at how hot the bowl could get, even during a slow smoke. I held it about halfway down the shaft.

Finally, keep your lips dry or they may adhere to the clay when smoking!

I found it interesting that the traditional way to "clean" an old school "all clay" pipe is to throw it into the fire until all impurities are burned away.



View attachment 188481
@jaytex1969 Nice pipe; well done for winning the smoking competition! I'd like to see how long I can make a clay bowl last but it's not the weather for sitting anywhere long enough for a long slow smoulder at the moment...
 

blackpowderpiper

Part of the Furniture Now
Dec 19, 2018
811
3,787
Middle Tennessee
The only two clay pipes I own. I think I bought the Lepeltier pipe about 20 years ago. Never really warmed up to it. I could deal with the cork attachment (though not my favorite), but my biggest issues were the bowl is very small and I could never seem to keep it from clogging. The draught hole is directly in the bottom center of the bowl. I've tried packing it with a toothpick inserted but it clogs far too often. It has since been relegated to display status.

I recently picked up this Markus Fohr clay pipe after reading Hoosier's post. It has been a lot of fun and I'm still getting used to it. It did have a little bit of an off flavor for a few bowls but is getting better. I'm used to holding my pipes by the bowl so it has been a little awkward for me to hold the pipe by the stem. Anyway, I think it's going to be a fun pipe. The bowl holds a decent charge as well, at least by my standards.

IMG_0644.jpg
 

The Clay King

(Formerly HalfDan)
Oct 2, 2018
5,657
51,285
41
Chesterfield, UK
www.youtube.com
The only two clay pipes I own. I think I bought the Lepeltier pipe about 20 years ago. Never really warmed up to it. I could deal with the cork attachment (though not my favorite), but my biggest issues were the bowl is very small and I could never seem to keep it from clogging. The draught hole is directly in the bottom center of the bowl. I've tried packing it with a toothpick inserted but it clogs far too often. It has since been relegated to display status.

I recently picked up this Markus Fohr clay pipe after reading Hoosier's post. It has been a lot of fun and I'm still getting used to it. It did have a little bit of an off flavor for a few bowls but is getting better. I'm used to holding my pipes by the bowl so it has been a little awkward for me to hold the pipe by the stem. Anyway, I think it's going to be a fun pipe. The bowl holds a decent charge as well, at least by my standards.

View attachment 188742
@blackpowderpiper I like the black clay pipe but the Lepeltier pipe isn't my style.
Lost count of how many clays I own - and how many I've broken:)
Didn't order any more clays from Smokingpipes but I've ordered some C&D baccy to smoke in them.
 

blackpowderpiper

Part of the Furniture Now
Dec 19, 2018
811
3,787
Middle Tennessee
@blackpowderpiper I like the black clay pipe but the Lepeltier pipe isn't my style.
Lost count of how many clays I own - and how many I've broken:)
Didn't order any more clays from Smokingpipes but I've ordered some C&D baccy to smoke in them.
Halfdan,
The black clay is turning out to be a fine smoking instrument. I hope you enjoy some good smokes!
 

Swiss Army Knife

Can't Leave
Jul 12, 2021
406
1,197
North Carolina
The black and yellow is nice, and agreed on the cork thing on the Lepeltier. That would bug me. I'm looking forward to more of the hoosier clay journey!

I've got a handful of clays, I grabbed this one from SP at some point when I was traveling and didn't want to try a bunch of lakelands in my regular pipes. I've never liked how a lot of actual stems are attached to clays so I've never bothered paying the premium for them. But I'm a clencher and it seemed a huge waste of such a short lightweight pipe to go unclenched. So I MacGyver'd this abomination.

20221222_142255.jpg

It's double wrapped beeswax coated hemp wick. Lets me clench for days and my teeth fit perfectly into the bite. Very comfortable and I can take it off and throw the whole thing in a pile of embers if I need to.

Rope lighter for decorative purposes only, things are a nightmare to get a pipe lit with.
 

5star

Part of the Furniture Now
Nov 17, 2017
727
2,018
PacNW USA
I have quite a few clay pipes. When first smoking a blend that’s absolutely new to me, I’ll usually smoke it in a clay. They are neutral in terms of effect on the taste.
Traditional clays are cleaned by putting them in a fire & leaving them for awhile. (You can find the details of this online.) The gunk - inside & out - will burn off.
If a clay had an attached stem, I’d want it to be removable for this reason.
Unfortunately, the woman in the UK 🇬🇧 who made most of my clays, no longer makes them. Personal health reasons caused her to quit doing so.
I’ll be curious to see how guys experience turns out with the clays mentioned in this thread.

Mac
 

The Clay King

(Formerly HalfDan)
Oct 2, 2018
5,657
51,285
41
Chesterfield, UK
www.youtube.com
I just ordered 2 clays myself!
I have an old Scottish clay I got in Maine years ago at an antique shop included with a pipe stand.
I didn't smoke it for a long time and just kept it for display mostly.
I believe It's really old.
One day I decided to smoke it and I enjoyed it a lot.
I've been smoking it quite a bit lately and decided to order a couple of newer (non antique) clays because I'm scared to death I'll drop this one.
They do give a cleaner more neutral smoke.
@Ebarber Welcome to the Fellowship of the Clay:)
 
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