Pipes of Clay

[olkofri]

Stopped by my local B&M to buy a replacement for a windcap I lost and espied these Dutch clay pipes. With a price tag of $13 I couldn't resist buying one:



Never smoked a clay pipe before. S'posedly they smoke super cool. Any tips from anyone who's smoked them?

Can't be worse than a cob, right?

I'm thinking of baptising it with some hot-burning aromatic and see if the coolness is a myth.

Can you do the water rinse on these? ? ?

 

[Country Bladesmith]

Stopped by my local B&M to buy a replacement for a windcap I lost and espied these Dutch clay pipes. With a price tag of $13 I couldn't resist buying one:

View attachment 37348

Never smoked a clay pipe before. S'posedly they smoke super cool. Any tips from anyone who's smoked them?

Can't be worse than a cob, right?

I'm thinking of baptising it with some hot-burning aromatic and see if the coolness is a myth.

Can you do the water rinse on these? ? ?

I don’t know about that particular one, but I think some folks clean them by putting them in a fire. I don’t know though. I’m a clay virgin, too. ?‍
it’s a good looking pipe though,

 

[olkofri]

One thing I've already noticed is that the clay sticks to one's lips. ?

Grrr.

 

[alaskanpiper]

They provide a very neutral, pure tobacco taste right off the bat, no break in. Other than that, they are unclenchable (unless you get one with a vulcanite stem), get very hot, and yes, stick to your lips. Some people coat the bit to prevent this, but I don’t recall with what. And also, obviously quite fragile, but quite cheap!

I like them for sampling new blends, and of course, when I wish to feel super old school.

 

[davek]

Super cool?? No.

Neutral in taste. Great pipes with many assets.

Cool? no.

 

[brandaves]

The sticky bit goes away after the first smoke, at least that is my experience. All of mine smoke really nice and provide a more prolonged smoke then I was expecting given the bowl size. As far as the coolness of the smoke, I find that to be reasonably true despite others above disagreeing. The bowl does get quite warm but the smoke itself is rather cool. I think the traditional cutty shapes with the nub on the underside of the bowl were designed for resting ones finger against to keep from grasping the warm/hot bowl. I have no proof for that assertion, just my own experience of using it as a finger rest. There are many benefits to clay pipes in my experience. No fear of ghosting, no need to rest them, price, small bowl size, relatively easy to clean.

Give it a few smokes and see where you land.

 

[mikethompson]

If anything I heard that they run hot. The bowl especially gets hot, which is why in paintings they are depicted as this:

 

[haparnold]

Yeah, I haven't found clays to be a particularly cool smoke ,but I have a couple and I enjoy smoking them. Makes for a different, and historical experience.

I always either buy pipes with a glazed end, or wrap some NPod tape around the stem to prevent sticking.

 

[pappymac]

I have four or five clay pipes and I mainly used them when trying a blend I've never smoked before.
The stem will stick to your lips unless it is glazed or coated with something. I've heard some people say they use a clear fingernail polish but I haven't.

The bowl will get extremely hot while smoking so you don't want to touch the bowl. Just hold it by the stem.

I've always been surprised by how long you can smoke a bowl the size of most clays.

I don't think clays are necessarily cool smokers but I do think you get to taste more of the tobacco flavors because they generally don't have a cake or residue build-up.

 

[Country Bladesmith]

If anything I heard that they run hot. The bowl especially gets hot, which is why in paintings they are depicted as this:

Dude looks like all his friends ditched him and went to the other tavern ?

 

[kurtbob]

I have several also, smoke em at least 3X a week. Don’t find they smoke any cooler than anything else but much drier as most have noted they suck the moisture out of anything including your lips. As for cleaning, just pass a cleaner through the stem (if it will) and keep on using it. When they get to the point of being pretty cruddy, build a charcoal fire in the grill. When the coals are super hot, put the pipes directly on the coals and just leave em till it’s burned out and cooled down......BAM just like new!

 

[olkofri]

Yeah, I had read that the bowl gets very hot and you have to hold them by the stem. I just hope the stem doesn't get as hold and sticks to my lips and—ouch, just to think about it hurts.

Hmm, considering that I'm a fast sippuffer and tend to get my briars rather hot, I hope this thing won't explode.

 

[brian64]

Hmm, considering that I'm a fast sippuffer and tend to get my briars rather hot, I hope this thing won't explode.

When they get to the point of being pretty cruddy, build a charcoal fire in the grill. When the coals are super hot, put the pipes directly on the coals and just leave em till it’s burned out and cooled down......BAM just like new!

Or just be a "fast sippuffer" and it cleans itself while you smoke.

 

[pappymac]

Yeah, I had read that the bowl gets very hot and you have to hold them by the stem. I just hope the stem doesn't get as hold and sticks to my lips and—ouch, just to think about it hurts.

Hmm, considering that I'm a fast sippuffer and tend to get my briars rather hot, I hope this thing won't explode.

The stem doesn't get hot. Another suggestion I just remembered - rub some beeswax or chapstick on the end of the stem to prevent it from sticking to your lips.

 

[kurtbob]

The stem doesn't get hot. Another suggestion I just remembered - rub some beeswax or chapstick on the end of the stem to prevent it from sticking to your lips.

Good suggestions! You can also paint nail polish on the end of the stem, it just burns off when you fire clean em.

 

[olkofri]

The stem doesn't get hot. Another suggestion I just remembered - rub some beeswax or chapstick on the end of the stem to prevent it from sticking to your lips.

Capital! Both of those things I have. ?

I don't have nail polish. C'mon, guys! ?

 

[Chasing Embers]

You can also paint nail polish on the end of the stem, it just burns off when you fire clean em.

+1

Capital! Both of those things I have. ?

I don't have nail polish. C'mon, guys! ?

Why not?

10 Household Uses for Clear Nail Polish

Thread a Needle With Ease. Don't spend countless minutes trying to pull the end of a thread through a needle. ...

Waterproof Your Garden Markers.

Protect your garden markers from the elements. ...

Prevent Rust Rings. ...

Secure Eyeglasses. ...

Prevent Green Fingers. ...

Secure Screws. ...

Fix Frayed Shoelaces. ...

Seal Bottle Labels.

Some use it on tenons to fix loose stems as well.

 

[olkofri]

Did you use the nail polish to remove your avatar, Cap'n?
?

 

[kurtbob]

+1


Why not?

10 Household Uses for Clear Nail Polish

Thread a Needle With Ease. Don't spend countless minutes trying to pull the end of a thread through a needle. ...

Waterproof Your Garden Markers.

Protect your garden markers from the elements. ...

Prevent Rust Rings. ...

Secure Eyeglasses. ...

Prevent Green Fingers. ...

Secure Screws. ...

Fix Frayed Shoelaces. ...

Seal Bottle Labels.

Some use it on tenons to fix loose stems as well.

Ok......I’m dying to know about “prevent green fingers”

 

[Chasing Embers]

Ok......I’m dying to know about “prevent green fingers”

Use it on finger tips when weeding a garden.