My clays colour a bit but yeah, more like turn black around the bowl and stay close to white everywhere else, not that gradual change like a meer of course.
Pipe Smoking Must-Do Experiences
- Thread starter alexnc
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For me, this is very much on my pipe bucket list!
That sounds really interesting. Do you have a picture you could share of a pipe that was natural when you bought it and now looks finished?
It would be nice if every pipe smoker had the opportunity to visit a real old school B&M for an afternoon. Check out the pipes, tobacco, accessories and memorabilia. Smoke a bowl or two in the lounge. Chat with other smokers. Somewhere like Iwan Ries.
Serious pipe smokers who haven't had that pleasure should put some effort into doing so. Those B&M's aren't likely to be around forever.
Serious pipe smokers who haven't had that pleasure should put some effort into doing so. Those B&M's aren't likely to be around forever.
I’d even say having a go at growing your own Tobacco. Even if only once, I found that through the process my enjoyment and understanding of smoking a pipe has increased significantly.
You aren't a real pipe smoker until you've smoked a pipe and been buck naked and been chased by a country hooker because you got drunk and decided to wrestle her pig in the mud best two out of three falls. Don't ask me how I know.
You aren’t a real pipe smoker until you use punctuation...great story by the way. The sorta stuff I hope to one day tell my grandkids
So I decided smoking a clay and a Dr Graybow might be mandatory parts of the experience. I’ve got to say I was surprised. I like the clay, it’s a good short smoke for powerful blends like War Horse Bar or Irish Flake. The Graybow is a great size for a short smoke too. I’ve only smoked it twice, but it seems OK - whereas I did not expect to like either. 
Hardly required as pipe smoking experiences, but worth considering, unless you have a strong predisposition, are churchwarden and Oom-Paul/Hungarian pipes. I was intrigued by both, but didn't take the leap, but my wife bought me one of each on two different Christmases, and I found I enjoy both of them. My avatar pictures the arrival of the churchwarden, a Sav 601, and the Oom-Paul is also a Sav, a Hercules series with a fine deep bowl that hangs as if it weighs nothing, since there is so much less leverage with the U-turn stem and shank.
Thanks I'll try it when I take part in living history re-enactments.
An Oom Paul is next on my list. I’ve never had a churchwarden either. I’ve prepped a stem for a churchwarden though. But I think the Oom Paul comes first!
If you haven't experienced a large pipe and a small pipe, one of each isn't too much, but shop carefully so you get ones you will use. Small pipes can be used for short smokes, for longer smokes with flake/coin/plug/rope cuts, and to sample at pipe shops, shows, or clubs. Large pipes are the ticket for long mediative smokes, and they don't have to be extra heavy. But shop a lot to see what is available, so you get pipes you really want. Pipes can last forever, so buy for the longterm.