Pipe Rotation

[Erehwesle]

Hate to say this, but I think I cracked the stem on my favorite pipe simply from overuse.

I had just gotten started on the AT, Appalachian Trail, when I got started smoking a pipe, and brought about an ounce of tobacco, resupply on that was on occasion, so a bowl was a once a week ‘ish’ thing, as a treat.

came home and probably stressed my pipe by using it every night. ‘Ish’

thpughts on rotating? How do you work with a rotation?

TBS

 

[wolflarsen]

I don't worry about it at all. Just smoke whatever I want whenever I want to. It helps to have a few pipes to choose from but smoking one pipe every night would not concern me in the slightest. I often smoke one pipe several times in the same day and have never had a problem.

 

[mso489]

At least a few pipes is a good idea. MM cobs and MM hardwoods are good extras if you aren't ready to invest much in them.

Some people have different pipes for each genre of blend, like Latakia blends and maybe aromatics. Lakeland aromatics almost require a dedicated pipe unless you enjoy the residual rose geranium flavoring (ghosting so-called).

Many or most of the members here have the opposite problem and tend to accumulate pipes like rabbits reproduce. No number is too many, as in PAD, pipe acquisition disorder.

But for a less frequent pipe smoker, three or four pipes should do. The price level is not important. Some inexpensive pipes are pure junk, but if you stick with MM or other major brands, you'll do fine.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I think I cracked the stem on my favorite pipe simply from overuse.

That kind of crack happens when a stem is somehow forced in one direction and the tenon splits the shank.

thoughts on rotating? How do you work with a rotation?

Rotation is a marketing tool to encourage pipe buying. I often smoke the same pipe multiple (5-6) times per day for weeks at a time before switching to another pipe but I do disassemble and thoroughly clean them after each smoke.

 

[Sweet Home Alabama]

Rotating collections is not limited to pipe smoking.

 

[J-Evverrett]

I usually take two pipes with me when I leave for the day, and probably smoke ten bowls before I get home. They get shifted through my large pipe rack and probably won’t get smoked again for a week. I have others I only smoke at home. As far as I can tell, you can smoke a pipe pretty heavily day to day with no problems. My great uncle smoked his constantly, and I think he only had like three total at any given time.

 

[anotherbob]

Hate to say this, but I think I cracked the stem on my favorite pipe simply from overuse.

I had just gotten started on the AT, Appalachian Trail, when I got started smoking a pipe, and brought about an ounce of tobacco, resupply on that was on occasion, so a bowl was a once a week ‘ish’ thing, as a treat.

came home and probably stressed my pipe by using it every night. ‘Ish’

thpughts on rotating? How do you work with a rotation?

TBS

that kind of shank crack isn't from how much it's smoked. Over smoking a pipe with not letting it cool down or dry out can cause damage to the bowl not the shank. Like has been pointed out this type of fracture is from stress of how the stem is put in. Never force it is a good rule. But it sitting in a pack bouncing around might also maybe have something to do with it. I like rotation. But my oldest pipe I've had for almost thirty years and most of that time it was my only pipe. And no rotation isn't a gimmick. It is a good suggestion if you can smoke all day at home at work on the bus..... Otherwise it's not a bad idea because it's more fun to smoke more then one pipe. But if you're not smoking one bowl after another rotation is a luxury not a necessary thing.
Now cleaning them with a pipe cleaner makes a critical difference.

 

[OzPiper]

I'm one of those who prefers not to smoke a pipe back-to-back.
Unless I'm travelling and have only 1or 2 pipes packed.

This goes back to the days when I started smoking pipes in the '70's
I was dreadful at it - lots of moisture and gurgles, dottle every bowl. My pipe would smoke sour and stank.
Only way to get a decent smoke was to allow the pipe to dry out properly for a few days after each smoke.
One of the first things I did on getting a job was to buy myself a few pipes so I could get a rotation going.

I suppose the habit of resting my pipes has stuck.
Plus I have too many of them now ?

 

[Donb1972]

I do have more than enough for a rotation...but I really only ever smoke the same 3 or 4 on a regular basis. I smoke my cavalier several times a day, every day. Perhaps smoking it and taking it apart hot several times a day could cause a crack.

 

[kcghost]

We all work rotations. You can handle this with two pipes. You can literally smoke a pipe once a day and things will generally be okay. So figure how much you smoke each day and buy that many pipes and only smoke them once per day. If you smoke less than one bowl a day then you need two pipe. The second is just in case the first is damaged, lost or whatever.

 

[bullet08]

I'll say it one more time. Counterclockwise.

 

[craig61a]

Can't say where she's coming from, but I just met a lady named Dinah Moe Humm...

 

[burleybreath]

Did you crack the stem or the shank? I've bitten cheap stems until they cracked. Leaves a sharp edge of sorts that will cut your tongue. Come to think of it, those were cobs. I've only seen a cracked shank, like the one Mr. Embers posted above, after sitting on the pipe. The only harm I've experienced from smoking a pipe all day is that it becomes somewhat rank if you don't clean it.

 

[Hovannes]

The closest I've been to a rotation was an enchantment with plucky little Peterson 303s.
My previous briars were all of a more ample size and I needed to scale down when my state's tobacco taxes became obscene.
Smaller bowl=less tobacco burned.
Is there a better excuse to buy more pipes?
I ended up with two, a smooth and a rusticated (so I could tell the difference between the two)
For three years these were the only ones I took turns firing up.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Did you crack the stem or the shank?

Photo above is the pipe in question.

 

[Briar Lee]

After fifty years of pipe smoking I’m absolutely convinced briar pipes give better smoking pleasure if rested between smokes, and the easy way to rest them, is to have a bunch of pipes and rotate between them.

I never have to worry about cracking stems on my vast stash of Lee Star Grade screw stem pipes, but my stash includes maybe as many or more push stem pipes. And my meerschaums all have those replaceable nylon push joints.

A briar push stem will eventually crack if you don’t leave it alone and don’t mess with it, until it’s cold and rested. Only then, should you dismount it for cleaning.

Briar imparts a pleasing flavor to the smoke, of that I’m convinced.

A rested and clean briar gives a better smoke, than one grown soggy and rank, from smoking.

 

[Chasing Embers]

A briar push stem will eventually crack if you don’t leave it alone and don’t mess with it, until it’s cold and rested. Only then, should you dismount it for cleaning.

Not true.

A rested and clean briar gives a better smoke, than one grown soggy and rank, from smoking.

Briar is non absorbent and can only become soggy and rank if not cleaned after smoking it.

 

[Briar Lee]

One of the first things I learned about pipe smoking was that, unless I waited for the pipe to cool off completely, the next bowl didn’t taste right. This was regardless of the last of tobacco in a hot pipe tasting great not a few minutes before.

Then a few years later when I got my first “basket” pipes that had precision fitted vulcanite stems, I discovered that the stems wouldn’t come off a hot pipe easily. The heat must expand the briar to grip the stem tighter.

The pipes we love and treasure, evolved to where they were a consumable consumer product, until recently when pipe smoking has become more of a hobby than another way deliver nicotine.

But of all the ways to use tobacco, only pipe smoking involves skill gained by experience.

Take care of your briars.

You’ll enjoy them more, if you do.

 

[mav]

As others have pointed out, it seems like the crack is not from over use but from a flaw in the shank or taking it apart hot. A pipe may taste sour after a while but I don't think it would ever crack just from use (unless maybe in extreme cold temps).

As far as rotation, the only thing I would add to the above is that sometimes the rotation is more for the person smoking the pipe than for the pipe itself. Meaning, part of the enjoyment for me is going to a different pipe every time and enjoying the collection. Others don't care for that, to each his own.

 

[n_irwin]

I’m with Briar Lee. A cool, dry pipe gives a better smoke, and I encourage any pipe smoker to have at least a few pipes on hand.