Please Help, Very Frustrated

[skaukatt]

One other piece of advice... Tamp, tamp, tamp! Very important component that sometimes gets overlooked - it can make or break the decision to stick with it or not, from what I have heard.
I can't tell you how many times a new pipe smoker shows up at a meeting and shares the same issue about packing and keeping it lit. I ask, "Do you tamp?" and they look puzzled. I immediately provide them with a tamper and we show them how it's used and almost immediately their experience and enjoyment explodes! I'm sure you are tamping but thought I'd share this.
Lou

 

[judcasper]

One other piece of advice... Tamp, tamp, tamp! Very important component that sometimes gets overlooked

I can vouch for this. I made the mistake of dismissing the tamp almost as a gimmick, because when I watched pipe smokers doing it I couldn't possibly see what good it could be doing. But then I decided to pay more attention to it and it's helped me go from 10+ re-lights per bowl to maybe 3. When I puff and tamp at the same time I get a really thick plume of smoke very easily. I think the secret is not tamping so hard that it kills the embers. You're kind of coaxing them down from the surface and into the nest of the backy.
And don't bother buying one if you don't already have one. They're a breeze to make.
Man I need to get me a better diet. My skin's falling off like a zombie's!

 

[rdavid]

One other piece of advice... Tamp, tamp, tamp!

Funny you mention that. I didn't understand the importance of tamping when I first started and I really struggled. Once I learned how to tamp, everything went much easier. Also, I didn't understand that the purpose of tamping is to gently ease the ember back down to the tobacco, which of course keeps it going. Now I can get through a bowl with only 1 or 2 relights and maybe 3 or 4 light tampings.
Also, I can tell by the puffs of smoke starting to get a little "airy" which is my signal for a few quick, easy tamps.

 

[rdavid]

puff and tamp at the same time

Oh yeah... this too. Extremely helpful. Puff lightly while tamping.

 

[olkofri]

My skin's falling off like a zombie's!

Stop tamping with your fingers!!

 

[jpmcwjr]

If you have a golfer nearby, ask for a handful of tees. Even broken ones work fine. Or a 1/2" branch cut into 2" lengths.
When I tamp and puff, as well as lighting, my puffs tend to be stronger but shorter; several small bursts in a row. HTH.

 

[judcasper]

Stop tamping with your fingers!! []

Ah! That's where I've been going wrong. I must admit I do do this when I can't be arsed to get up and get my tamper.