Peterson bowls

[rouleur]

I'm pretty new to pipe smoking, and I just bought my second Peterson pipe. Reading around online, I've come across people talking about how the inside of Peterson bowls are stained, and I've read various methods for removing it. I've also read less about "pre-carb" on the inside of the bowl. My first pipe is also a Peterson, and when I got that and began smoking it, I had no knowledge of the stain, and therefore didn't try to remove it, and it has turned out fine.
This second pipe, which I have not smoked yet, is a red Killarney. The inside of the bowl is black though, so is that the pre-carb coating? I did rub a bit with a q-tip and some high-proof alcohol, and it looks a bit red underneath.
I'm kind of lost here. I don't want to damage the pipe, but the thought of the stain burning and the fumes going into my mouth (which probably wouldn't happen, I'm being a little melodramatic) is nasty. Like I said, the other Peterson turned out fine with no modification. Should I just shut up and smoke it? Thanks.

 

[tslex]

FWIW, I have several Petes and only ever broke them in just I do every other pipe. Never noticed an issue of any sort.
That said, I may have missed something all these years and someone on this board will know to a certainty.
ETA: Welcome to the board. I'm kind of new here myself, but been fiddling with pipes for a long time.

 

[cigrman]

I recently found my old Peterson pipe from around 1980

1/2 bent medium size with birds eye as tight as the stars in the sky on a moonless night on mount Kilimanjaro

Original price tag was on it - $25

 

[lordofthepiperings]

Not sure how far back it goes, but I'm pretty sure for a long time now most Peterson pipes have a pre-carbon lining to the bowl. For a definite answer on the subject you might look to messege thesandpiper. He's the resident Peterson expert. I have three Petersons and I've never done anything like that to the bowl. They all came pre-carbon lined and I just packed them up and went away breaking them in as usual. I would venture to say that scraping the pre-carbon off will just elongate the break in time and you might want to be more careful not to overheat the pipe while breaking it in, but it's just an uneducated guess.

 

[rouleur]

Interesting. Thanks for the replies, guys.

 

[juni]

It sounds like pre-carb if it isn't the same color as the rest of the pipe. Could Peterson be dip-staining their bowls and then add pre-carb to them?? Wouldn't that make the pipe pretty much ruined unless you removed the mess?
Many many pipe smokers hate the pre-carbing and will always remove it before smoking a pipe.

 

[pstlpkr]

I used to think that way Juni... I didn't buy several pipes that I loved because they were pre-carbed.

But, I have (with some reluctance) changed that mindset.
I have purchased a few pipes that were pre-carbed after said mindset.

Now for the life of me I couldn't tell you which ones they are.

I believe that it only aids in building a cake a bit faster, and the smoking quality isn't affected.
I have been told by my local tobacconist (Skip Elliot, who makes some beautiful pipes by-the-by) that the pre-carb recipe he uses is:

Butter milk

Sour Cream

Activated Charcoal
Simply applied and dried.

Skip sells everything he can make. Here are a couple.

 

[juni]

I have never gotten a pipe without it so I can't really tell. Two of my Petersons were dipstained in the bowl and the first few bowl-fulls were really nasty. If I get one of those again then I will sand it out.
But what if they first dipstained and then added on top of that the pre-carb stuff?

 

[rouleur]

That's what I was thinking, juni, Since the pipe is the dark red stain, but the inside of the bowl is black. And also because when I did get some of the black off, it started looking red underneath. I think I'll just let it dry all the way and smoke it and stop worrying about it - especially because I'm just so anxious!

 

[hobie1dog]

leave the inside of the pipe the way it is, I always heard they treat them for a reason and the consumer is not meant to screw with the coating

 

[rouleur]

Then it has been decided! I shall smoke it.

 

[shaintiques]

Oooh I love that horn Lawrence. Ive decided to try and make a horn or my first free hand

 

[kcvet67]

I always heard they treat them for a reason and the consumer is not meant to screw with the coating

I've got to disagree with that. Most pre-carbs are pretty neutral tasting but about 2 years ago I bought a new Tsuge. The coating they used on the bowl tasted like a combination of fish guts, sea gull droppings and a few more ingredients that were even more disgusting. That pipe was the nastiest, foulest tasting thing I've run across in 45 years of pipe smoking. I tried to smoke through it, but gave up after 3 or 4 bowls and reamed it down to bare wood. That helped, but it still had a residual taste. I sanded it down to the point that there was no trace of carbon showing. It was fine after that and has turned into an excellent smoke.

 

[rigmedic1]

The last new Pete I bought was carbonized, about a year ago. I don't remember it having a bad taste.

 

[julesholling]

Just smoked a new Peterson Donegal Rocky that had a carbonised bowl. Smoked great, definetly don't sand it down. Just load and light

I heard somewhere that Peterson used to did their bowls in the dye but then changed the manufacturing technique so that the dye doesn't get into the bowls now. But it could just be me imaging all that lol

 

[unclearthur]

Load up and fire. I have never had a problem with a pre-carbed bowl. Though the tale of the pipe tasting of fish at low tide is a bit scarey!

 

[pipetrucker]

I smoke them like they come. I have several Petes and have never altered them in any way and they have all smoked just fine.