New Briar, Weird Reaction Please Help

[canucklehead]

My only Peterson I have, a Killarney, had almost every problem a new pipe can have, including thick dip-staining and a gross bowl coating that peeled off into my tobacco when smoking and smelled just like a pile of burning dog crap (trust me I know from experience what burning dog poo smells like). After cleaning that stuff out with a few hundred q-tips and alcohol and firing a bunch of cigar leaf and dark stank burleys through there it now smokes like a champ.

 

[BROBS]

For me, the price difference between the semi basic pipes and the decently good pipes is so small that I don’t know why to choose the lower grade. And this is what I mean when I say the lower grade pipes are overpriced. It’s not a big enough difference to warrant the difference in quality received.

Although at the same time I just recently got a Peterson Deluxe with a misaligned airway... or what about @paulie66scandinavian and his recent issues with Dunhill? My recent Dunhill had shoddy stem internals.. so I sent it in for store credit ?. So even higher tier pipes can have issues, which can seem even worse when you’ve paid a higher price for the pipe.

 

[workman]

I guess that’s true. ?

Whenever I buy a new pipe I do a thorough alcohol cleaning of it: chamber, mortise, and bit. I do it for disinfecting purposes, but it helps removing tons of the coating and the staining as collateral.

Basically, I swab with a paper towel or pipe cleaner or Q-tip all the interior surfaces repeatedly till the cleaning device comes out white (or mostly white). The amount of swabbing with alcohol (gin) I have to do varies with pipes. Some take only a couple or 3-4 passes, others are so bad that I must do like 10 passes or more. A Nording Compass I purchased was the worst offender:

New Nording: Stain/Coating Issue :: Pipe Talk

Well, just got the Nording Compass I ordered last week and as I was giving it its pre-smoke clean and disinfect, I got this after wiping the bowl. Gross. Got the stain on my fingers and even after two hand washings I still had some left in my pinkie, which is the one I used to insert the paper...

pipesmagazine.com

Dip staining seems to be the issue. If the manufacturer used that process, you'll have to swab the mortise prior to smoking. I had to do that with my Brigham Chinook. It only took a few passes on that one, though.

As for Savinelli being junk, well, I've never owned one and this thread is giving me second thoughts about buying that Qandale, but the issue is not limited to Savinelli. This is certain to trigger Brobs, but Peterson was one of the worst offenders in terms of pipes tasting like crap due to their dip staining. Maybe they've solved that issue now with their new ownership; again, I don't own a Peterson, but read the horror stories here.

Savinellis are good pipes. They are factory pipes and consistently good quality. For some reason, BROBS likes to badmouth them, but he is opining, that's all. They are good pipes.

 

[olkofri]

Savinellis are good pipes. They are factory pipes and consistently good quality. For some reason, BROBS likes to badmouth them, but he is opining, that's all. They are good pipes.

Yeah, I've always considered them good. You put my mind at ease, thankee.

 

[ofafeather]

@BROBS has some great experience! Just wish he wouldn’t SHOUT all the time and and discuss his experience rather than making inflammatory statements that will get everyone up in arms. ??? Love you, Bro! If you get yourself kicked off this forum I will never forgive you...

 

[krizzose]

My experiences with several Savinellis have all been good. Stain in the chamber or shank is something that can happen in any mid-grade factory pipe; luckily it can be cleaned out or just smoked out.

 

[Alex.Jr]

Yeah I know they are good pipes overall. I’m not giving up on them.

Just wasn’t imagining that nasty stuff inside a pipe with a higher quality (in theory).

But that’s true, it can happen and it’s better just to clean them up before the first smoke.

I wiped the hell out the 106s bowl. It’s naked again.

Tomorrow morning I’ll fire that up and see how it goes.

If it helps I’ll do the same with the other 3.

 

[BROBS]

@BROBS has some great experience! Just wish he wouldn’t SHOUT all the time and and discuss his experience rather than making inflammatory statements that will get everyone up in arms. ??? Love you, Bro! If you get yourself kicked off this forum I will never forgive you...

IS JOKINGS HOLMES ?️‍

 

[BROBS]

If I’m not going to make inflammatory statements... then who’s going to make all the inflammatory statements around here?

 

[ofafeather]

If I’m not going to make inflammatory statements... then who’s going to make all the inflammatory statements around here?

I know, brother, but some people can’t take a joke or have to be funnier.

 

[krizzose]

I will add that I've had a few factory pipes, Savinellis among them, that had stain inside and the resulting nasty taste. A good scrub with alcohol, and then about 10 or 12 bowls and the issue was gone forever.

 

[Mr.Mike]

We have to remember something, these pieces were made by humans, and then used by humans. Lots of room for error there. I think every company makes great pipes, and some bad pipes. As far as low end pipes is concerned, my best smoker is a bottom tier Brigham I got new for 38 dollars. Sometimes you just get a lemon.

 

[olkofri]

If I’m not going to make inflammatory statements... then who’s going to make all the inflammatory statements around here?

At least wait till @ashdigger is back and can put them fires out. ?

 

[BROBS]

We have to remember something, these pieces were made by humans, and then used by humans. Lots of room for error there. I think every company makes great pipes, and some bad pipes. As far as low end pipes is concerned, my best smoker is a bottom tier Brigham I got new for 38 dollars. Sometimes you just get a lemon.

It’s true. Also red stained pipes always seem to be the worst for this. Not sure why.

 

[cshubhra]

I don’t think the stain is causing the issue. We will wait and watch.

 

[didimauw]

Good thing you noticed the stain. Will be interesting to see if that was the problem. Before I got through all four pages, I was going to ask you what the stem material of the older pipes you have are made of. Maybe it's something in the acrylic stems that you are allergic to? And not vulcanite?

 

[Kottan]

All this is making me afraid of buying a Savinelli. ?

I buy and smoke Savinellis since the late 60s.
Never had a fail and even the pipes below $ 100.00
were good smokers. I heard that Savinelli don't precarbonize their bowls but only use dark paint. This because of psychologial reasons. So the smoker feels more free to break in the pipe.

 

[Alex.Jr]

Well I’m back!

I’m happy to report that I just smoked two bowls on the pipes that got the alcohol scrubbing in the chamber and mortise.

I don’t know if It was the stain in the mortise or something in the chamber since I wiped the hole thing, but the smoke is a LOT different.

It’s not irritating, it’s just cool and smooth.

I really don’t know what happened here, but I don’t need to. Chemical mystery I’d say.

Lesson learned, new pipe, alcohol and Q-tip wipe right away.

When you think pipe smoking became a mastered thing after some time it comes back and bites you in the a**.

I’m now doing the same with the other two pipes, even the ones without the pre carbonization stuff.

If there was a little cake beginning to form there, so sorry, it’s going back to naked again.

I want to thank you all for your replies and effort to help me with this thing. This forum is really awesome and you guys are great.

Well now I’ll “have to” stick around here, what can I do? ?

Thank you again!

 

[olkofri]

Good thing that you're now in the habit of disinfecting your pipes even though they be brand new.

I'm not shy of buying pipes with coated chambers (point in fact, the only naked briar pipe I bought has proven to be a disaster: the burnt wood taste refuses to go away [though I suspect it's more to do with the wooden stem than the chamber, anyway...]), but I do disinfect them thoroughly with alcohol before I put them in my mouth, and if the cleaner/paper towel comes out black as sin then I continue to wipe vigorously till it comes out clear.

Even after disinfection, the first time I smoked my Vauen Quixx I ended up with my tongue completely coated in black! I was like WTH! ? It only happened once, though; fortunately, the loose, tongue-staining remnants of the coating were gone after I cleaned the pipe post-smoke. Did you know? ? I vigorously wipe my pipes' chambers with a paper towel religiously after every smoke. To hell with cake: a clean pipe is a happy pipe.

 

[workman]

Well I’m back!

I’m happy to report that I just smoked two bowls on the pipes that got the alcohol scrubbing in the chamber and mortise.

I don’t know if It was the stain in the mortise or something in the chamber since I wiped the hole thing, but the smoke is a LOT different.

It’s not irritating, it’s just cool and smooth.

I really don’t know what happened here, but I don’t need to. Chemical mystery I’d say.

Lesson learned, new pipe, alcohol and Q-tip wipe right away.

When you think pipe smoking became a mastered thing after some time it comes back and bites you in the a**.

I’m now doing the same with the other two pipes, even the ones without the pre carbonization stuff.

If there was a little cake beginning to form there, so sorry, it’s going back to naked again.

I want to thank you all for your replies and effort to help me with this thing. This forum is really awesome and you guys are great.

Well now I’ll “have to” stick around here, what can I do? ?

Thank you again!

Good for you that it turned out right. It seems we all react differently to things.