Newbie still having trouble

[timmay]

Hi all. Been smoking for a few weeks now, 3-4 bowls a week, and I for the life of me cannot keep my pipe lit. I've tried several of the packing methods, both the 1/3 at a time method and a more 1/2 at a time/gravity fill method and nothing seems to help. I usually have to relight 8+ times and when I'm not relighting, I wind up smoking too fast and hot to keep it from going out. Furthermore, getting to the bottom of a bowl is near impossible. Any idea what I could be doing wrong? Is it my pipe? My tobacco? Technique? (probably)

 

[lyst36]

A lot depends on the tobacco. A lot of them are too moist and need some sort of drying out before smoking.

 

[maduroman]

it COULD be the tobacco is to wet...
or you are not loading the pipe right. don't feel bad, it took me a long time to figure out how to do it, mainly because i did it by trial and error. no place like this around when i started so the curve was steep for me.
it could also be the pipe. some pipes are plan pita to keep going.
don't get frustrated, just keep working at it, start by drying out a bit of your tobacco for a hour or so befor you smoke and go from there...

 

[marmal4de]

Dry your tobacco more than you think you need to.

Load your pipe with less tobacco than you think you need to.

Pack you tobacco more lightly than you think you need to.

Tamp your tobacco with a much lighter hand than you think you need to.
Once I started smoking by these 'rules' the smokes started to get much better, also the frank method helped me a lot.

 

[pstlpkr]

I'm sorry about your difficulties Timmay.
You may find a gem or two in these... Some of my old Blog Posts:
Dottle Diggers, Ember Chasing, and Slow Smoking
Setting the Benchmark
Lighting Your Pipe & Controlling Air Flow
Practice Pipe Selection and Competition Rules

 

[schmitzbitz]

It seems to me that far too much emphasis is placed on smoking to the bottom of the bowl, particularly for us noobs...I know that up until recently, I worried about ensuring every single scrap of tobacco was burned up, usually to the detriment of my smoking enjoyment. A couple of weeks ago, I made a concious decision to not give a damn, take it as it comes, and just enjoy myself - and low and behold, I'm suddenly building cake in my heels.
I don't worry too much about relights these days, either - if I have to light every second puff, so be it; I figure I am helping to support my local forestry industry by doing so...but that said, perhaps some creative tamping will help (assuming drying your tobacco more doesn't)?

 

[echopipe]

To add to what has already been said. It was hard for me to for the above reasons. But also my pipe was a little to blame..try getting a cob and test that out. It made things much easier for me.

Good luck

 

[hobie1dog]

Patience my son

 

[timmay]

Reassuring advice everybody. I'll be reading the provided links.
On dryness: my tobacco seems pretty dry already, it doesn't really clump at all, could it be too dry?
On tamping/packing: how loose/light is too light? How will I know?
On pipes: I currently have an estate Medico Gold crest, billiard i think its called. Could this be the culprit? I'd have a hard time smoking a cob, just can't get past the looks.

 

[cortezattic]

I think most of the foregoing advice is pretty good. But failing that...
An estate can be a sensible entry-level pipe -- if it's a good one; but if it's lousy it can be the

experience that turns you away from pipe smoking permanently.

Maybe the Medico Gold crest is an "estate" pipe because its previous owner had a hard time with it too.

I suggest you get a new entry level pipe like a Savinelli or Jobey, and a well-behaved blend like 1-Q

if you're into aromatics; or McClelland 5100 -- a tame, red Virginia. Prince Albert is also a very nice burning tobacco.

 

[bootlegbonvivant]

On dryness: my tobacco seems pretty dry already, it doesn't really clump at all, could it be too dry?

If it was too dry, I think the tobacco would be really crunchy and brittle.

On tamping/packing: how loose/light is too light? How will I know?

For this one, think about how you draw in a breath through the stem. If it's really airy, like the pipe is without tobacco in it, it's too loose. If you packed it so tight that you really have to give effort to draw in a puff, then you know you need to add airflow. Quick way I've done this is by using that nifty stick looking part of the metal pipe tools. Just poke one hole down the center.
It takes time to figure out your own packing method well enough to smoke with fewer relights. Just keep playing with it, experimenting and trying different things.

 

[pstlpkr]

 

[igloo]

Slow down and set a rythem , count to 10 puff or what number works for you . Soon you will be doing fine

 

[tiltjlp]

Tobacco holds a lot of internal moisture, so while you may think your blend is dry, maybe it really isn't. Here's the advice my dad gave me during the summer of 1959, and it still works for me.
Dry your tobacco more than you think you need to.

Pack it looser than you think you need to.

Smoke it slower than you think you need to.

Tamp it less , and more lightly, than you think you need to.

Clean your pipes after every smoke, using pipe spirits of some sort.

Don’t worry if you have a few relights.

 

[bootlegbonvivant]

Thanks Lawrence, lol.

 

[timmay]

Lawrence: Yep, have one of those!
tltjlp: How should I dry my tobacco? How do I know when its dry enough?
Is it possible for it to go out frequently because i smoke too fast/hard? It usually takes me 45 minutes to an hour to get thru a bowl.

 

[tiltjlp]

tltjlp: How should I dry my tobacco? How do I know when its dry enough?
Is it possible for it to go out frequently because i smoke too fast/hard? It usually takes me 45 minutes to an hour to get thru a bowl.
There are no exact answers to most pipe smoking questions. As for it going out frequently, that's more likely to be caused by the way you pack, or load your pipe, which is probably much too tight. The tobacco should be fairly loose in the bowl so that air can get to it, which keeps the tobacco lit and the ember going.
Sorry to say that a lot of this stuff is subjective, and it's something you slowly learn over time. But rather than watching all sorts of videos on how to pack your pipe, what I suggest is to use one of two methods. Either take a small amount of tobacco and lightly push it into your pipe bowl, and push it onlu until you feel resistance. repeat until your pipe is filled. The 2nd method is similar, except you use your forefinger to scoop the tobacco into your pipe bowl.
As for drying, since every blend differs, there is no hard and fast rule of thumb. You may have heard of the Pinch Test, and that's good, but most people apply it wrongly, in my opinion. A tobacco isn't dry enough unless, when you Pinch it, it falls without clumping. It's the combination of drying and packing, along with slower puffing, that will allow you to begin to really taste your tobacco, and fully enjoy your pipes,
With all that said, that's simply what works for me, and may not suit you. Drying times can and do vary according to your location, and time of year/relative humidity. And while I have more experience than you, I'm by no means an expert, as I don't believe anyone is an expert. Experience and knowledge don't always make a person right.

 

[puffintuff]

I don't follow any of those rules for packing. Just pack it firm enough to draw, pre-light, tamp down a bit, relight. When you feel like it might go out, tamp again. A few relights are O.K.

 

[echopipe]

Just to confuse you more...since I'm a new smoker and its fresh in my mind..as I said before my estate pipe was part to blame..but what helped me was the method of packing that leaves air at the bottom. (Is that the frank method?)you can look up the frank method on youtube or google. But for some reason its what got my pipe to smoke..even with my very cased tobacco...give it a try..it only takes one bowl to try..it got me over the hump.

Keep at it. It will happen. : )

 

[marmal4de]

That's the air pocket method, I believe.