Pipe shapes and styles

[anachronislad]

I'm new to pipe smoking and am a bit overwhelmed by all this lingo that's being thrown around. So to start I thought I'd get everyone's input on the different styles and shapes of pipes out there. Whatever you guys got I'd love to hear, I'm always looking for new information

 

[jsiddle]

 

[jsiddle]

Here is a chart to kinda help you differentiate one from the other...
From what I know (I am a rooke as well) you have straight, half bent, and full bent as far as the overall
shape of the pipe... then theres the bowl shapes... billiard is your most common I think, bulldogs and brandy are
pretty cool too...
Churchwardens are the real long ones...
As far as shapes go, I dont know too much if theres a certain "shape" that smokes better or worse than others, I am
pretty sure its all preference. The finish on the other hand, does affect the smoke.
Smooth pipes smoke hotter than rust or sandblast, and I am hearing churchwardens smoke cooler...
Correct me if I am wrong on any of this guys

 

[mangers]

pretty sure its all preference. The finish on the other hand, does affect the smoke.

I don't understand how you come to the fact that a finish determines how a pipe smokes. The finish has nothing to do with the plumbing of a pipe. I have pipes that are same shape, but one is smooth the other blasted and the smoking qualities are the same. I myself just don't see it, and I have been smoking pipes a long time.

 

[mangers]

Could be, but I think how a person smokes a pipe determines how hot it gets. For example: I have a GBD Poker that has extremely thin walls, I can light that pipe and it not get more than luke warm. Now if my wife smokes said pipe it gets so hot you can't hold it. I also have a no name pipe that I found at a yard sale, somebody decided to put what looks like multiple coats of Marine Varnish, I can also sip that pipe and it only gets luke warm. On the other hand, I have a Savinelli Bulldog that is finished with stain and Carnuba wax, a very heavy thick walled pipe that no matter how I smoke it, it gets hot at the bottom of the bowl.

 

[garyovich]

I see more of a difference in how hot the actual pipe gets blasted/rusticated vs smooth, but see no difference at all in how cool the smoke is.

 

[jsiddle]

the smoking style/habit of the person puffing on the stem does indeed have a lot to do with how a pipe smokes.

Agreed, but between the two that I have, one rust, one smooth...
It seems the rust allows the heat to disperse faster due to all the pits and grooves in it

 

[pstlpkr]

And for terminology and acronyms see: Terminology and Abbreviations

This link is located just below the Private Message link on the right side near the top of the Main Forum Page.

Welcome aboard!
::

 

[anachronislad]

Wow thanks a lot guys, all this info really helps me out. I like to see that I've reopened a debate, that this is all about right? Cheers guys

 

[schmitzbitz]

I like to add fuel to the fire (last paragraph) - and I have to say that Steve (Downie) has never steered me wrong in the past!

 

[bigvan]

At the Chicago show this year, there was an American pipemakers forum with Michael Butera, Lee von Erck, Jeff Gracik, Adam Davidson and Joe Nelson. Someone asked a question on finishes and, to paraphrase, they all agreed that briar does NOT breathe and that a particular finish blocking the "pores" of a pipe is a myth. So they're in agreement with Stephen Downie (which is what one would expect.)
"It seems the rust allows the heat to disperse faster due to all the pits and grooves in it"
I've heard this before, jsiddle, but I can't say I've ever experienced this myself (in almost 25 years of pipe smoking). If you've experienced this for yourself, well... that's quite remarkable. I'm not picking a fight, I'm just a bit skeptical.

 

[jsiddle]

Someone asked a question on finishes and, to paraphrase, they all agreed that briar does NOT breathe and that a particular finish blocking the "pores" of a pipe is a myth. So they're in agreement with Stephen Downie

Is this true? I am only paraphrasing myself what I have heard in these forums before, and what I have heard at my B&M

 

[captainprophesy]

well I can only speak from my wood working experience... Oak, Ebony and even Guayacan are some of the most dense woods around... and even they breath.

So I would say that even the Briar root which is whats used for our pipes is organic material and thus has pores and breaths.
But what the hell do I know... Im just a big fucking monkey!

 

[bigvan]

I've met all these guys, and I consider Joe Nelson a friend. I haven't met Stephen Downie in person but we've corresponded via email many times. I have a hard time believing that they're ALL lying.

 

[lordofthepiperings]

I have noticed that a deeper bowl with thick walls is great for aromatics. My new Nording Signature smokes aromatics better than I've ever experienced. Also, I've noticed flakes tend to smoke better in my rhodesian/bulldog (Peterson's B5 shape most call it a bulldog I'm weird and consider it a rhodesian) and Zulu.
The biggest thing is what strikes your eye. If you don't like the shape of the pipe you probably won't ever have a good relationship with it no matter how well it smokes.

 

[photoman13]

If that is true bigvan then why do pipes with thicker darker stains and a glossy finish tend to smoke hotter? At least that is what I have heard.

 

[lordofthepiperings]

I have a hard time believing that briar, a natural organic material, doesn't have pores or breath. If you can scientifically prove me wrong with a University study or something I'll be glad to admitt I'm wrong, but the word of five pipe makers really doesn't hold much weight. I've worked in the pipefitting/plumbing industry for five years and I've heard many old timers who've been in the industry for thirty-five years swear something is true which has been proven by science to be false and the apprenticeship training has infact been teaching the opposite of what the old timers hold true for years.

 

[bigvan]

The point being made, I think, is that a well made pipe made from properly cured and aged briar will not smoke any hotter than another well made pipe.
If a Peterson dress pipe smokes hot, it's not because of the finish (according to these guys) but because it's made from a hunk of cheap briar. Which makes sense; Peterson is not going to use a good piece of briar on something they're going to paint black.
Personally it's an academic point to me; I don't have a horse in this race. But when the question is "what makes a good pipe", I'm going to listen to the pipe makers.

 

[photoman13]

I'm all up for hearing your point of view Bigvan (and I do value your input, as I always have) but I don't know if this is something that can be proven wrong or right until there is a scientific explanation.

 

[ssjones]

I'm in the group that believes briar doesn't "breath". Painted car headers will blister the paint. The metal doesn't breath, it just gets hot enough to blister the paint. (same for pipes with a painted finish) The drilling of the pipe, shape of the chamber, tobacco used, how it is lit/smoked among other things dictates if a pipe smokes hot or cool. This doesn't really answer that question, but this blog entry from Mr. Archer-Roan adds some interesting tidbits of how/why a pipe behaves as it does:

http://www.apassionforpipes.com/neills-blog/2010/10/31/how-and-why-chamber-geometry-impacts-tobacco-flavor.html