Pipe Temperature
- Thread starter philous
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I recall an old standard was if you could hold it to your cheek or not. Too hot to hold against your cheek was too hot.
The rule of thumb which I was taught was that if the bowl is so warm as to be uncomfortable when placed against your cheek, then it is too hot.
To reduce the temperature, pack your pipe carefully (tobacco packed too loosely can burn hot), and slow your smoking cadence, sipping the smoke rather than puffing.
To reduce the temperature, pack your pipe carefully (tobacco packed too loosely can burn hot), and slow your smoking cadence, sipping the smoke rather than puffing.
By then, you're definitely smoking way too hot. If it's feeling quite warm and you can't hold it to your cheek, it's too hot. Slow down your cadence (how often and how forcefully you take in smoke) and just try to keep the ember smoldering. You don't want to try and get a lot of clouds of smoke. If you're puffing and puffing just to keep it lit, try packing your tobacco a little looser and try drying your tobacco out for about 15 minutes to half an hour before loading your pipe. If you pinch your tobacco and drop it on a plate and the tobacco stays pinched together, it's too moist.
Edit to clarify: Since I just saw Hunter's post above. He's absolutely right about packing too loosely. I should clarify what I said about packing looser. If your tobacco is packed so tight that you can't get a good draught and your puffing really hard to get smoke and keep it lit, the pipe will get too hot as well.
Hold in hand, if you can count to 5, it's about 150 degs if you have to take it off at 3 way over 150temp, that 31 years of putting hands on pumps, bearings, chillers. A harbor freight thermal gun is a good investment, cheap and peace of mind on new pipe.
+1 to all above. A pipe should be pleasantly warm to hold, not hot enough to be a handwarmer in the snow.
The thickness of the chamber wall as well as how hot you're smoking can vary a lot. Is the smoke pleasant? That's the main thing.
You can tell if it's getting too hot with your hands. Pleasantly warm as stated above.... a little warmer than that is when I put it down. I don't let it get hot......Also, when you put it down it gets hotter for a bit on it's own, even though you stopped smoking it.
Good rules of thumb above. Also remember, various pipes insulate well or not so well. Clay pipes often have to be held by the shank or stem to avoid feeling too hot. Thick-bowled briar pipes often never transmit enough heat to feel too warm, and there are many steps between those two polar ends. I have a Chacom zulu, a fairly small pipe, that gets too hot to hold by the bowl, but only occasionally. I have a hand-carved pocket pipe, a pot with quite a thick wall to the bowl that never transmits much heat. So the design of the pipe plays into its heat transmitting characteristics in a major way. Some freehands with grooves and ridges in the bowl are warmer to the touch at some points and not others. Most cobs never get too hot to hold by the bowl.
Why yes, most of us use one of the wife's potholders for the bowl when we smoke. We puff and puff, generating as much smoke as possible. A good grill glove will let you get the pipe to glowing. The tougher members can sit out on the porch in the late evening and read the paper by the glow. None of them speak articulately any longer, what with the tongue burned down to a nub.
To mso's point, if it is clay, it will always get too hot to hold. If it is briar, time to adjust your technique a bit.
Here's a relevant thread from years ago, where former mod Lawrence (pstlpkr) brings up the issue of wood grain and heat.
http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/bowl-temperatureconstruction-question#post-16589
http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/bowl-temperatureconstruction-question#post-16589
The man to ask how he keeps his pipe cool is Matches 860...........He puffs away like a freight train and he never has to lay it down because it's too hot !!
M
mothernaturewilleatusallforbreakfast
Guest
It depends on the pipe. I smoke pipes that have thin walls, so I can easily tell when the pipe is too hot, which is when it's too hot to hold. Pipes with thicker walls can be too hot, but still feel warm in the hand, so the cheek test is a good indicator. Tobacco can also tell you when your pipe is too hot by unpleasant changes in taste/flavor.
Although, I think that the OP has checked out,... the main issue is not just getting the pipe too hot, but smoking with the tobacco too hot, thus burning your tongue or just not getting maximum flavor from the tobacco. And, yes, if you are enjoying your smoke, who is to say whether your smoking too hot or not? If you enjoy it, then keep on. However, for those who may be looking to maximize their pleasure in smoking, I recommend clay pipes. If you can smoke one of those slowly enough and cool enough to hold it, you will be getting maximum flavors and appeal on the tongue. Just because your thick pipe stays cool, doesn't mean that you couldn't be smoking it cooler for more flavor. But, then again, if you enjoy it, then you must be doing it correctly. :
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