Pack It To The Brim, Or Not?

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bnichols23

Lifer
Mar 13, 2018
4,131
9,557
SC Piedmont
If you pack your pipe to the brim, it may rise up at first, but soon settles down into the bowl and slowly burns lower. But if you pack it a little less, it has room to rise up and you don't have to settle it as much with a tamper, maybe. What's your habit? I usually pack just below the brim, but it varies.
I use the Frank method myself.... [innocent look skyward]

Actually, yeah, varies for me too. Mostly just how I feel at the time & what seems to work for the leaf.
 

dcicero

Part of the Furniture Now
Apr 23, 2019
591
2,886
Michigan
If you pack your pipe to the brim, it may rise up at first, but soon settles down into the bowl and slowly burns lower. But if you pack it a little less, it has room to rise up and you don't have to settle it as much with a tamper, maybe. What's your habit? I usually pack just below the brim, but it varies.
I pack however much I've dried. If it packs a little less then so be it...but typically it packs more so I have it to the brim 99% of the time.
 
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B_Rock

Part of the Furniture Now
Jul 11, 2020
891
16,811
65
San Jose, CA
When I first started smoking a pipe, I stuffed it to the brim. Since my return pipemsmoking this past year, I noticed how charred some of the rims of my old piped were. Now, I tend to fill just below and am more conscious when lighting to avoid the dreaded rim charring.
 
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PipeIT

Lifer
Nov 14, 2020
5,144
30,441
Hawaii
Just below the Rim, especially so I don't worry about the tobacco rising on the first light, and getting the Rim burned on nice pipes. :)
 

boston

Part of the Furniture Now
Jun 27, 2018
560
1,283
Boston
Accidents happen but generally, below. Most of my pipes are old friends, with memories, and I don't want to burn the wrong parts.
 

Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
44,963
117,415
I fill level to the top of the chamber with no scorching. How are all of these burned rims happening?
 

workman

Lifer
Jan 5, 2018
2,794
4,230
The Faroe Islands
I try to keep it a little below the brim. I'm not very careful with my packing, nor with lighting, so not packing all the way helps me avoid spilling tobacco, flying embers and charring the rim.