Peterson Short Army Coating and Break-in Questions

[Sobrbiker]

So I got myself a 102 Peterson Short Army.
I’ve got a couple dozen pipes, but this is actually the first new briar pipe I’ve had, every other pipe I’ve got (other than cobs) has been estates. I have refreshed (I’d say “restored”, but that would be a slight to many highly skilled professionals out there) all of them. I don’t shoot for building much cake, and usually smoke ‘em like I stole them.
I didn’t need a new pipe, but treated myself to celebrate 28yrs clean and sober. It won’t be treated as a collection piece, but I do want to take care of it. I know it’s not a high end, so are there issues I need to look out for or correct?

I’ve spent a bunch of time searching, and results are all over the board and many seem to be overlap with the crap old “nasty coat over dip stain” issues.
So here I am asking of members that may have recent Peterson experience regarding this new (or similar grade) line of Petersons, should I:

-smoke it as received?
-lightly remove coating with a wet paper towel, or is the newer coating good to go out of box?
-if light removal is advised, should I use water or Everclear as wetting agent?
-is there any preference to what type of tobacco to use at first for best performance down the road?

Thanks for the input in advance.

 

[RustiePyles CPG]

I lightly sand the coating smooth with some 320g, no need to remove it completely just knock down all the flakey loose stuff. Then wipe it out with a damp (water) paper towel, fill the bottom 1/3 and smoke it. I only smoke the bottom third of the pipe for a few smokes, then proceed to 2/3rds full for a few smokes then fill it all the way and your good to go.

 

[RustiePyles CPG]

FWIW Peterson stopped dip staining some time ago.

 

[Sobrbiker]

I just noticed this.
Before doing anything, is this flaw that is acceptable, or something bad enough that I should gripe to vendor?

 

[RustiePyles CPG]

I just noticed this.
Before doing anything, is this flaw that is acceptable, or something bad enough that I should gripe to vendor?
View attachment 234714

Hard to say without seeing it IRL, but it's not something I would be overly concerned with it in that pipe. Sand the coating out a bit and see what it looks like then.

 

[Hillcrest]

1-smoke it as received?
2-lightly remove coating with a wet paper towel, or is the newer coating good to go out of box?
3-if light removal is advised, should I use water or Everclear as wetting agent?
4-is there any preference to what type of tobacco to use at first for best performance down the road?

1. Yes.
2. No need. They stopped old stain prior to 2000 and now use a vegetable based stain and charcoal.
3. No, just emory paper but not necessary
4. Your favorite tobacco for about 5-10 smokes is my recommendation
5. That's just a pit where some sand or stone fell out ... completely natural...not an issue it will cover with cake in time.

6. Enjoy it !! remember the slower you smoke the better the taste.

 

[Indygrap]

I’ve gotten a couple of new Petes this year. Didn’t take the coating off, but I did(like Rusty suggested) only load the bottom 1/3rd for the first 3-5 smokes, 2/3rd the next few. It’s a precaution in case the coating didn’t get all the way to the heel. I try not build much cake as it is so I don’t mind the coating. I didn’t smoke any aros or topped tobacco at first either. Mostly VA’s or VA/Per’s to keep the ghosts at bay.

 

[Doctor Chopper]

- my 2cents.

-Smoke it as it is
-Use the tobacco you smoke. I always smoke pipes in general categories to avoid annoying ghost, such as VA/pers / English, etc..
-That small defect is not of concern, it will fill with cake.

I am no expert, but a pipe is made for smoking. Get to it.

 

[georged]

I'm impatient when it comes to breaking in pipes, so bypass tobacco altogether for the first smoke and use an ounce of tannerite.

(No need to shoot it with a .22 to ignite, ordinary matches or a BIC work just fine)

 

[ParkitoATL]

Just recently started breaking in a Rusticated System 313, and I love the Peterson Bowl Coating. PetersonPipeNotes covered this in several posts, (search for “all purpose bowl coating”) and the comments there were all rave reviews.

My 313 smoked beautifully from the second bowl onward; the first bowl had a little sharpness but it may have been me hoofing it too fast, as this was my first unfiltered pipe. I've put 18 bowls through it and it has been such a winner that I just bought a Rusticated System 315XL. Good times.

My favorite is to start with 1/2 bowl of black cavendish, then smoke a few full bowls of a burley and black cav blend, then let it rip with anything.

BTW: you can use the “all purpose bowl coating” to fill in that little spot, as you will see on PPN.

 

[Sobrbiker]

Sanded bowl out, the divot is in the briar, but I’m not gonna sweat it.
Most likely gonna 1/3, 2/3, full with some nicely dried C&D Yorktown and rock on from there.

 

[proteus]

For me its like this. I've bought many Pete's with the black coating. I follow a 5 step process.

1. Remove pipe from big green box and green bag.
2. Look at pipe and say "Wow ! So much better than having that money in my wallet. I am very happy!"
3. Load the tobacco.
4. Light it.
5. Enjoy !

 

[NC TX ID pipeman]

I am rarely buying new Petersons but I never sanded the coating and smoked them all the way up from the first time and do not remember any taste problems or cake building problems..the pit in the bowl is just fine and it is at the top of the bowl where tobacco only burns hot for a short time.cake will cover it soon..

 

[ParkitoATL]

My 313 smoked beautifully from the second bowl onward; the first bowl had a little sharpness but it may have been me hoofing it too fast, as this was my first unfiltered pipe. I've put 18 bowls through it and it has been such a winner that I just bought a Rusticated System 315XL. Good times.

First three half bowls through the Rusticated System XL315: PS Black Cavendish, PS Dutch Cavendish, Haunted Bookshop. What a great start with a great pipe.

The bowl coating was a bit thinner on this pipe, almost like a half-coat, you could see some light briar in there but it was enough so you know it was coated. It smoked like a champ, and the heel is already starting to look hard and glossy. This is my new favorite pipe!

 

[Streeper541]

1. Yes.
2. No need. They stopped old stain prior to 2000 and now use a vegetable based stain and charcoal.
3. No, just emory paper but not necessary
4. Your favorite tobacco for about 5-10 smokes is my recommendation
5. That's just a pit where some sand or stone fell out ... completely natural...not an issue it will cover with cake in time.

6. Enjoy it !! remember the slower you smoke the better the taste.

I've been going to town on my new short pipe since the moment I opened it from the mail package. In fact, I'm smoking it right now. No break in. No wipeout. Just straight to smoking. In fact, I've smoked it at least 30 times already and I haven't even cleaned it yet. YMMV. Sláinte!

 

[pipesandscotch]

Every new Pete that comes through my door, and I have about 30 of them, gets a wet paper towel taken to it. Wipe out the bowl coat and let dry. Takes less than a minute. I'm a bowl coat hater.

 

[ssjones]

For me its like this. I've bought many Pete's with the black coating. I follow a 5 step process.

1. Remove pipe from big green box and green bag.
2. Look at pipe and say "Wow ! So much better than having that money in my wallet. I am very happy!"
3. Load the tobacco.
4. Light it.
5. Enjoy !

Bingo. I love good bowl coatings.
What Peterson switched to is great. So, load & smoke.
Many naysayers have never actually tried the new coating, that's my experience.

 

[blackpowderpiper]

Be glad Peterson no longer dips their pipes. My first Peterson was a dip stained Killarney. It took me about 50 bowls to smoke that crap out of it!

 

[ssjones]

Be glad Peterson no longer dips their pipes. My first Peterson was a dip stained Killarney. It took me about 50 bowls to smoke that crap out of it!

That stain was also easily removed, so don't make that mistake should another NOS pipe from that era become available. (paper towel dipped in alcohol, scrunched into the bowl, and worked thru the shank. Takes about 10 minutes.)

 

[blackpowderpiper]

That stain was also easily removed, so don't make that mistake should another NOS pipe from that era become available. (paper towel dipped in alcohol, scrunched into the bowl, and worked thru the shank. Takes about 10 minutes.)

Sadly, I did not know better at the time, lol. It took great intestinal fortitude to smoke that stain out!