Myths, Misconceptions, and Other Fooey

[pipesmokingtom]

We've uncovered one of the biggest myths: That a couple hundred years of carefully gleaned information is worthless to the more knowledgeable smokers of today.

Not all of it - certainly some. It's the way of things, I suppose. Conventional wisdom isn't always right just because it's conventional.

 

[jarit]

Stop bickering! Here's myth for you:

In the seventeenth century, country folk believed that the badger had legs on one side shorter than the other – the consensus was that the short legs were on the left. The idea may originate in the observation that badgers ran easily along the furrows of ploughed fields, where the legs on one side might be on higher ground than the other.

moar hear: http://publicdomainreview.org/2015/06/17/a-bestiary-of-sir-thomas-browne/

 

[warren]

"...a briar that burns out was meant to burn out." While I personally inspected each pipe I have purchased I am fallible. My briars are too expensive to be thought of so cavalierly. If there is a missed pit or other problem, the pipe will benefit from cake which offers a bit of protection from over heating the blemished area. Though I may be wrong, the logic is impeccable. In my years of smoking I've not suffered a burnout in a briar.
I like not to think of my briars as temporary. When I find a pipe which meets my criteria I will take steps to insure that it will out last me. They are not "babied" by any stretch but, they are cared for in remedial ways to insure a life longer than mine will be.

 

[pipesmokingtom]

Definitely! I certainly wasn't implying briars are disposable or not valuable. I do think, however, that if one burns out, it's probably more to do with the wood than the smoker.
I can't speak for other that made the claim that cake is bologna, but what I meant by it is mostly the ritual of building it - half bowls and rubbing honey and all that. Cake will build where it needs to build, and to my logic, a dime thickness seems excessive. The carbon that stays in the bowl even after being wiped out after every smoke would seem sufficient. But I too may be wrong.

 

[zekest]

Been on this list long enough to have read every possible argument, every possible question one could ask about pipe smoking, and the thousands of opinions three times over.
My take is that pipe smoking is an art that must be learned, and cannot be taught.
The experts will give you opinions on what works for Them.
It is up to YOU to learn what works for you.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Yes, it's a bit of science mixed in with a lot of art. But I've learned some useful things reading here, which would have taken me a lot longer to 'cept out on my own.

 

[zekest]

I must also add that this forum has been a great help to me.
I take everything in, try many things posted here, keep doing what works for me, and disregard the rest.

 

[zekest]

As for me, I have NEVER smoked a bowl of pipe tobacco that lasted for an hour or more, regardless (illregardless?) of the size of the bowl.
I'm a proud puffer-fish and it works for me.
Cigars, on the other hand, almost always last an me an hour, except for Rothschilds (4.5 X 50 ring) that are a quick 45 minute smoke.

 

[pipesmokingtom]

My take is that pipe smoking is an art that must be learned, and cannot be taught.

The experts will give you opinions on what works for Them.

It is up to YOU to learn what works for you.

Yep yep! Concepts can be taught, but it's a hands-on sort of deal, just like learning an instrument. Advice from others is valuable to get an idea of what others do - but the application of the information and practice - that's all on you.
I mentioned it before, but the long lessons and explanations by veteran smokers followed by the "it's not what I do, personally, but.." Those make me smile.

 

[mortonbriar]

Been on this list long enough to have read every possible argument, every possible question one could ask about pipe smoking, and the thousands of opinions three times over.
My take is that pipe smoking is an art that must be learned, and cannot be taught.
The experts will give you opinions on what works for Them.
It is up to YOU to learn what works for you.

Yeah, I hear you! but....the day i read 'stick a pipe cleaner down the stem to soak up that gurgle and then relight when its cool' really was a pivotal moment that may have taken another couple of years without the info!!!
Isaac

 

[stephenw]

The statements that I find to be 100% true are Your mileage may vary, and you ALWAYS need one more pipe.