"Opening Up" a Pipe's Airway

[cranseiron]

I have a 3/4 bent Ser Jacopo that used to smoke darker Virginias like gangbusters. It really brought out the low notes and deep sweetness. Three years ago, or so, I thought I would make it even better by sending it off to a reputable pipe repair business to open the airway. Additionally, I dropped the pipe and broke the stem tenon but, sent it off to the U.S. Ser Jacopo rep and had a new stem made-- this occurring well after the opening. The pipe doesn't smoke the same anymore and, as a matter of fact, is horrible. It no longer has the sensitivity it once had and any tobacco I now put in it is rather bland. It was this way before the stem broke so I think I can eliminate the new stem as any part of the problem. Has anyone else had a pipe opened up and it made it a bad smoker?

 

[blendtobac]

Anything is possible, but the new stem, coming with what I would think are factory specs, might be "choking down" the more open airway. Just a thought.
Russ

 

[georged]

This is one of the two most debate-inducing questions in the PipeWorld. (The other is chamber coating.)
The main problem with answering them is smoking a statistically valid sample size is impossible for a single individual, and if you scale the number of smokers to achieve that, tester inconsistency becomes the issue. (Everyone smokes differently in bio-mechanical terms, has different sensory ability, has different preferences, etc.)
After talking to a large number of experienced pipe people over decades, I've decided that in the final analysis what you see is what you get. Meaning it doesn't matter if a pipe smokes badly for the entirety of the human race if YOU happen to like it, or vise-versa.

 

[aldecaker]

Opening up the draft on a "tight" pipe has always made for an improvement, for me. Perhaps the more open draft is "diluting" the smoke, and calls for a slightly tighter pack?

 

[cranseiron]

Never thought of that, aldecaker. I'll give it a try.

 

[aldecaker]

I really like the wide-open draft of a cob with no filter in place, and have never been able to replicate the same mechanics with a briar. As a result, it's kind of a pain in the ass when I switch back and forth between cobs and briars; I have to use a different smoking rhythm as well as a bit of a different pack. Totally worth it if you're just nutty about pipe smoking, though. :wink:

 

[jpmcwjr]

Funny-
Just suggested a tighter pack/tamp for those who might remove filters, in another thread. I've some pipes with a somewhat tight draw, but doesn't bother me.

 

[cranseiron]

Russ, good point. I checked the new stem's draw and it's the same as my three other unopened Ser Jacops and by sight has the same airway diameter. My memory of this opened pipe could be faulty. I do remember some good smokes though. I bought a bunch of Briar Fox due to a couple of smokes from the pipe and after it was opened that tobacco no longer excited me in this pipe. I have a new suspicion-- I have four See Jacops and three were obtained from eBay including the pipe in question. All three of these pipes are under performing. The one I bought new is stellar. I have several other pipes from eBay, including some GDBs that are very poor performing. I'M going to sort all my pipes according to purchasing source and compare. From a WAG I'm gonna say most of the eBay pipes are substandard smokers. I never gave it much thought but, I wonder if eBay is a dumping ground for "dead" pipes-- or maybe I'm just unlucky. This new theory undermines my memory of the "gangbuster" performance I originally assigned to this pipe but, I concede my memory could be in error.

 

[philobeddoe]

Have you tried a salt and alcohol treatment or a retort possibly, to bring these dead pipes back? If the only pipes you are currently enjoying were bought new, maybe your estate pipes need to be deep cleaned, maybe even sent out to a pipe restorer, to bring them up to the standard of a new pipes smoking qualities to you. For me...when I buy a pipe off eBay, I will gently ream the chamber if needed, sterilize the stem with and clean the pipe with Everclear until the pipe cleaners come out clean, then the next morning they are ready to smoke. If I notice any ghosting that I don't think will come out fairly quickly, I then give the pipe a salt and alcohol treatment. On the whole, I prefer pipes with a more open draw, however....IMHO, most pipes can smoke well if you are able to adjust your pack and your puffing cadence correctly. There are exceptions: (some pipes just smoke wet regardless of the tobacco and some some hot, no matter how slow you puff and how lightly you pack, but these are poor construction issues, not draft issues) it takes time and experience, but it's not that difficult to learn, good luck with your Ser Jacs.

 

[cranseiron]

philobeddoe, yes I packed with salt/everclear, reamed and sometime after this, packed with activated charcoal and baked in a low temp oven for several hours, ala Greg Pease method. I did that with the GBDs, too-- no improvement. I've been smoking a pipe for ten years now, and while I'm far from being an expert, I've learned over time proper cadence, packing and the like. I rotate tobaccos and try to find a good match for the pipe... I think I've tried everything. As an aside, I have a Castello Canadian, bought new, 1999 Pipe of the Year, that I almost got rid of because any tobacco I put in it was so toned down you could hardly taste it. I consulted Greg Pease, who said his experience was that Castellos smoked very bright when new-- just the opposite of my experience. Anyway, I happed to put some Gawith Hoggarth Brown Irish X it and wham! it came alive. That's the only tobacco I smoke in that pipe to this day because it's the only thing it will smoke well. Not all pipes smoke good and I'm just wondering what proportion of these end up on ebay. I've gotten some very good pipes on eBay and some that seem dead-- I don't know, I'm just fishin'.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Has anyone else had a pipe opened up and it made it a bad smoker?

I haven't, but then again I am able to enjoy a pipe with a wide range of draw/resistance.
I just pack tighter and tamp more if the draw is too open.

 

[rigmedic1]

Part of the break in process is seasoning the pipe, airway included. Could be that the seasoning of the airway was removed when the pipe was opened up, because the seasoned materials were removed? Smoke it for awhile, only using a dry pipe cleaner to wipe out the shank, and see if it improves over time.

 

[cranseiron]

Rigmetic, another good suggestion. I tried a tight pack and that didn't do much. I once read somewhere where an old codger opined that if a pipe didn't smoke well then smoke the sh_t out of it till it comes around. That may become my new mission. Thanks to all for your comments.

 

[will77]

Try opening the stem as well as the airway. get them matched up.

 

[toobfreak]

I don't know if this is relevant and forgive me if I'm way off base, but I bought a MM cob some months back and the first thing I noticed when I got it was how easily it breathed. Wide open! Way more than any other pipe I've ever had. I was very apprehensive at first how this would equate-- smoke hot and dry like a blowtorch?
I found that I simply had to draw with much less negative pressure to get the same smoke, and the flavor comes through in spades. My gut feeling is that if you open the pipe up a little, you will like it better. Put another way, you DON'T like the pipe as it is now and I don't think I'd like an overly tight pipe either, so, what do you have to lose?