Peterson System Gurgling

[ashdigger]

That’s it. I own a shit ton of Pete’s. They’ve never failed me. From an 1898 to a 2021. But because one gurgled and a current non smoker hates them…. I’ll add them to the horrible boating accident that cost me my guns and cannon.

Dry your tobacco and you’ll be fine.

I won’t name drop but Castello’s and Savinelli’s are inferior to Peterson’s in all shapes and forms.

I don’t care if you disagree. I own zero Castello and Savinelli pipes. So I’m what you call an authority.

 

[paulfg]

I didn't realize they were so bad

there not he's just a ?

 

[sasquatch]

So is this a regular issue with system pipes? Is the moisture trap supposed to prevent gurgle?

In theory, the system is knocking moisture out of the smoke, causing turbulence and condensation. Kind of a great idea, except that if it doesn't work perfectly, all you've done is build a terrible pipe. The system sort of fixes a problem, but since it causes the problem in the first place, a guy has to determine for himself the efficacy of the fix.

 

[Pete-Sav]

I have maybe 50 Petes. 8 bent house pipes, 307, 312, 314, XL90, etc. Only 2 gurgle. An old house pipe with a poorly fabricated stem and an XL90 with acrylic fishtail. Both stem related issues and neither is a P-Lip.

 

[burleybreath]

A Sherlock Rathbone I have can be counted on to gurgle every time I smoke it. It's the only one out of six dozen of various brands including "no names" that does this. But I like Petes in general. Not sure why, other than looks and history. In my experience, they smoke OK. Just OK. Can't say a Castello or Dunhill is overwhelmingly better.

Now cobs, cobs are another matter.

 

[burleybreath]

In theory, the system is knocking moisture out of the smoke, causing turbulence and condensation. Kind of a great idea, except that if it doesn't work perfectly, all you've done is build a terrible pipe. The system sort of fixes a problem, but since it causes the problem in the first place, a guy has to determine for himself the efficacy of the fix.

Totally agree with every word of this. But I smoke 'em anyhow. You know, Mark Twain and stuff?

 

[irishearl]

I have 60+ Petersons. Of those that I have smoked, which is probably over 50% of them, none gurgle.

That is unless the tobacco is too wet, I packed the bowl poorly, I'm smoking too fast, or the ambient humidity is off the charts. Even then, I can set it down for a few minutes, and then go back to it and it's fine.

I have somewhere over 20 Petes which range in date of manufacture from the early part of the 20th century to this year. Only 2 of them will get a little wet 30 minutes into a smoke but that's what they make pipe cleaners for.

 

[Country Bladesmith]

I have the exact same pipe, a 307 System, also an Ebony. No gurgling. And sometimes I dry tobacco out, sometimes not. Never an issue. I would say maybe a saliva issue, but it’s hard to drool into a P-lip stem ?‍

 

[saltedplug]

I'm considering making a career out of lame-ass remarks by someone without the wit to make them.

 

[romaso]

I also like Peterson's. I find gurgling is much more correlated to the tobacco than the pipe.

I also especially like the Peterson System pipes, because you can dry them out quickly and thus smoke the heck out of them, great for traveling if you don't want to carry alot of pipes.

I've also been very impressed with the smoking qualities of their briar, which I believe is from Spain (Corisca for high-ends). Almost all of my Petes were sweet smokers from the start.

 

[seanv]

I have 8 Pete's, 2 are system standard and 1 is a system premiere. No gurgle or issues on any of them

 

[Kal]

Lol. Peterson natural silver spigot is my dream pipe. If it's gurgling, I'd just smile and dry my tobacco more and stop exhaling while clinching it.
Peterson makes so many pipes I'm sure a few may slip through the cracks on quality. But not many.
I'm figuring that by how popular they are. My unqualified 2 cents.

 

[Sweet Home Alabama]

I have but one Peterson and have had none of the issues mentioned here or from their bowl coating. In fact, it’s a great smoking pipe. It’s attractive to me. And, I’m happy I made the purchase. I’ll not get another lest I suffer needlessly…..lol!!

 

[workman]

I have two Peterson system pipes and both gurgle. Since they are army mounts, I just remove the stem and blow out the moisture when it happens.
I clench and I guess that's the problem, unless it rarely happens with my other pipes. So, I dunno. I smoke them anyway. I'm not looking for zen here, it's a smoke.

 

[ofafeather]

I have over 20 Pete’s, about 8 are systems. I have one that gurgles, but the truth is I can make almost any pipe gurgle! I don’t let it bother me. I flick it out or run a cleaner through. The Pete’s are great because you can remove the stem easily mid smoke to deal with it.

Systems don’t cause the moisture problem but trap the majority of it from the smoke. The ones with the chimneys actual work the best as the chimney is below the airway in the stummel and drops the moisture into the well more efficiently.

 

[Country Bladesmith]

I have two Peterson system pipes and both gurgle. Since they are army mounts, I just remove the stem and blow out the moisture when it happens.
I clench and I guess that's the problem, unless it rarely happens with my other pipes. So, I dunno. I smoke them anyway. I'm not looking for zen here, it's a smoke.

You bring up a good point. I rarely have much moisture in the sump, but that is the allure of the army mount on a system. You can destem and dump moisture without concern for the mortise/tenon fit.

 

[workman]

You bring up a good point. I rarely have much moisture in the sump, but that is the allure of the army mount on a system. You can destem and dump moisture without concern for the mortise/tenon fit.

Yes. And maybe the stems of these pipes should have a wider airway.

 

[romaso]

Yes. And maybe the stems of these pipes should have a wider airway.

I think chamfering the tenon could have the same effect:
236. Chamfering Tenons for a Cooler Smoke – Peterson Pipe Notes

I've tried this on a couple 'expendable' pipes and it helps, though I just used a drill bit. Maybe I'll have to get the tools to do it right (chamfer & tapered bit).

 

[craig61a]

Chamfering does help to small degree, but if your tobacco is too wet, then your going have problems in any case.

The whole design theory behind the Peterson System, or so I've read, is that the space in the well creates a larger area, reducing air pressure and allowing the moisture to condense out of the smoke.

If you suck on it like a Hoover, and there is a small amount of moisture that has settled into the bottom of the draft hole, then it might gurgle a bit. But that would be just about any pipe.

 

[Peter Peachfuzz]

Pretty much everything there is to know..

The Peterson System Pipe | Smokingpipes.com

Everything you need to know about Peterson's patented System Pipe.

www.smokingpipes.com