Over Heating Pipe

Log in

SmokingPipes.com Updates

Watch for Updates Twice a Week

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

James8855

Might Stick Around
Sep 23, 2019
52
27
Does the briar wood of the pipe get worn out over time and eventually crack if you over heat the pipe too often?
 

F4RM3R

Part of the Furniture Now
Nov 28, 2019
567
2,512
38
Canada
Of the estate pipes I've bought, the cracked ones were almost always ones with tons of cake in them. I think when a cake is kept uneven it disperses heat, expands and shrinks at different rates which can stress the wood more and lead to cracking. Possibly the thicker walls enhanced with cake buildup could cause someone to smoke the pipe hotter as well.

A couple of my large Danish (mostly)straight grain pipes have cracks in them. They had lots of cake and are in the chunky thick Danish freehand style. Definitely smoked heavily, so I can't say the cause. The cracks are still growing, but I got them for super cheap thrown in with some other pipes I bought off someone and they smoke great, so I don't mind. Alot of times a crack will take years to develop and won't really even affect smokability for a long time.

It all depends and is somewhat unpredictable, sometimes a thin small pipe can take alot of abuse and sometimes a thick pipe will give up at some point. But stress is the key factor. Keep the cake even and heat distribution even and it should last longer. A pipe will eventually wear out, but it might not be for many many years, and the less stress the wood has, the longer it will last.
 
  • Like
Reactions: jpmcwjr
Jan 28, 2018
13,071
136,913
67
Sarasota, FL
I don't think the question was if some pipes smoke hotter than other pipes. No question, some do. And some pipes may get a bit hot to the touch with even the most patient of smokers. But that doesn't mean a pipe should survive being smoked so fast you could fry an egg on the outside of the bowl. Doing that repeatedly will unquestionably damage the pipe over time. If/when a pipe gets hot to the touch, and I think it happens with everybody at least occasionally (well, except Chasing Embers), just put it down until it cools off. I do not believe this will or should damage the pipe.

And allowing too much cake to form can damage the pipe as the cake will likely expand faster than the briar when heated exerting force on the bowl of the briar. Something has to give. At the same time, cracks in the cake do not necessarily mean the briar has cracked either. Cake will chip, crack and flake off over time. Nothing to be alarmed about. It is built up brittle carbon.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BROBS

BROBS

Lifer
Nov 13, 2019
11,765
40,028
IA
Yes you guys are on it here. Thick cake will crack a pipe... not saying heat couldn’t, but the cake also dries a lot slower than the briar. So you’ve in effect got a fat sponge inside the chamber if you have thick cake.
cake is the main culprit of cracked cobs too, whether it looks like there is cake there or not.
 

BROBS

Lifer
Nov 13, 2019
11,765
40,028
IA
So dry briar plus fat sponge heated to burning hot inside the chamber expanding against the dry briar = crack.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JLD66

olkofri

Lifer
Sep 9, 2017
8,049
14,666
The Arm of Orion
I noticed a speck of carbonation/cake near the rim in one of my pipes the other day. It was probably 0.05 mm thick. I grabbed my Czech tool and went at it with a vengeance with the spoon.

Cake...

not
in
my
pipes!
 
  • Haha
Reactions: BROBS