Position of Draft Hole in New Full-Bent Pipe

[Usman]

Hi guys,

I've just got a new Vauen 1435 full-bent pipe and before smoking it I thought I should pass my pipe cleaner through it. When it didn't go through to the bowl (despite my best efforts), I decided to remove the stem, and then saw that the position of the draft hole is quite high - so much so, in fact, that that from a front-on perspective, it almost looks partially obstructed (it isn't but it just appears that way because it's so high). This is my first full-bent pipe and I know that it's normal for draft holes to not be completely centered in these kinds of pipes. I'm also not worried about the pipe cleaner's not being able to reach the bowl. I am a bit concerned, though, about the large distance of the draft hole from the center and am not sure how that would affect the draw.

Could you please have a look at the attached photograph and let me know what you think?

Thanks!

Usman

 

[kschatey]

Hmm... Not sure, but sometimes they gotta do what the gotta do to hit the bottom of the bowl just right on the full bent pipes. I would say that if you don't like it then see if it can be returned or exchanged. No matter what people say here or anywhere, you need to be happy with it. If not you won't use it and it's just a waste.

 

[Usman]

Hmm... Not sure, but sometimes they gotta do what the gotta do to hit the bottom of the bowl just right on the full bent pipes. I would say that if you don't like it then see if it can be returned or exchanged. No matter what people say here or anywhere, you need to be happy with it. If not you won't use it and it's just a waste.

Thank you for your reply. I'm really undecided because if I smoke it and don't like it, I won't be able to return it. On the other hand, i might be returning a pipe that's intentionally designed this way and which might very well be a really good one. Do I need to use an adapter (I don't use a filter) or can I smoke it without one? I think that might help with the airflow.

Thank you again.

 

[bullet08]

Some of the full bent pipes will look like that due to the angle of drill to reach the bottom of chamber. You are looking inside the mortise. You should be able to understand a straight drill bit will not make angled draught hole. And forget about pipe cleaner test. That's complete nonsense.

 

[sasquatch]

It's really hard to make a full bent pipe pass a cleaner without all kinds of ramping inside the pipe (which doesn't help how it smokes) or without taking about an hour to set up the drilling, which in a factory environment is never going to happen. That pipe will smoke fine I expect. Passing a cleaner is more sort of a handy thing if the tobacco is jammed in the airway than a guarantee of a good smoker.

I've posted these pics before - you can design and build an Oom Paul that will pass a cleaner, no gimmicks, no shortcuts, but actually manufacturing one is really tricky.


That would be typical, deep mortise at say, 5/16" diameter.


Done with a really wide shallow mortise, you can hit center:



But you can't expect this realistically in a factory made pipe.

 

[OzPiper]

That "high" drilling is quite common in fully-bent pipes for the reasons illustrated so succinctly by @sasquatch
I have a few half-bent pipes with similar drilling.

While they don't pass a cleaner, I don't find that the drilling has a negative impact on the smoking
A niggle, not a deal breaker for me.

 

[georged]

Common problem, easy solution:

Before Using Your Pipes as Flower Pots or Throwing Them in a Landfill, do this... :: Pipe Talk

Because geometry tolerates no argument, sometimes the bottom-dead-center of a pipe's tobacco chamber and the bullseye-dead-center of its mortise floor cannot be connected with a straight line. It isn't a brand-dependent thing, or even (necessarily) a "quality thing". It's simply three...

pipesmagazine.com

 

[sasquatch]

The worse part is when they miss the chamber high, the hole is already a tall oval at best, and if they miss the chamber bottom, it's easy to have a pipe where the airway is 1/2" above the bottom of the chamber.

 

[georged]

The worse part is when they miss the chamber high, the hole is already a tall oval at best, and if they miss the chamber bottom, it's easy to have a pipe where the airway is 1/2" above the bottom of the chamber.

Yup. Nothing to be done about a miss at THAT end of the airway.

(The "pipe mud" thing is only a Band-Aid)

 

[ThermionicScott]

What I do with my Peterson is to pre-bend the first inch or so of the pipe cleaner into a gentle curve, insert it far enough to clear the mortice, then twist it 180 degrees so the end is now curling “up.” That lets it find the drilling much easier.

 

[Jef]

It's really hard to make a full bent pipe pass a cleaner without all kinds of ramping inside the pipe (which doesn't help how it smokes) or without taking about an hour to set up the drilling, which in a factory environment is never going to happen. That pipe will smoke fine I expect. Passing a cleaner is more sort of a handy thing if the tobacco is jammed in the airway than a guarantee of a good smoker.

I've posted these pics before - you can design and build an Oom Paul that will pass a cleaner, no gimmicks, no shortcuts, but actually manufacturing one is really tricky.

View attachment 169664
That would be typical, deep mortise at say, 5/16" diameter.


Done with a really wide shallow mortise, you can hit center:

View attachment 169665

But you can't expect this realistically in a factory made pipe.

Excellent example!

 

[mingc]

Hi guys,

I've just got a new Vauen 1435 full-bent pipe and before smoking it I thought I should pass my pipe cleaner through it. When it didn't go through to the bowl (despite my best efforts), I decided to remove the stem, and then saw that the position of the draft hole is quite high - so much so, in fact, that that from a front-on perspective, it almost looks partially obstructed (it isn't but it just appears that way because it's so high). This is my first full-bent pipe and I know that it's normal for draft holes to not be completely centered in these kinds of pipes. I'm also not worried about the pipe cleaner's not being able to reach the bowl. I am a bit concerned, though, about the large distance of the draft hole from the center and am not sure how that would affect the draw.

Could you please have a look at the attached photograph and let me know what you think?

Thanks!

Usman

I think this is pretty common for a factory pipe. Unfortunately, the only way to know how it'll smoke is to smoke it.

Common problem, easy solution:

Before Using Your Pipes as Flower Pots or Throwing Them in a Landfill, do this... :: Pipe Talk

Because geometry tolerates no argument, sometimes the bottom-dead-center of a pipe's tobacco chamber and the bullseye-dead-center of its mortise floor cannot be connected with a straight line. It isn't a brand-dependent thing, or even (necessarily) a "quality thing". It's simply three...

pipesmagazine.com

Is it a problem that effects how the pipe will perform or an aesthetic one you think? I don't have enough experience of bents to know.

I do have a Comoy 215 3/4 bent where the airway starts entirely on the mortise wall. Amazingly enough, I can get it to pass a cleaner. Which is good because that pipe smokes wet (probably due to unfilled space in the mortise) and I'm one of those guys who insist on mopping up mid smoke. I keep it because it has killer 360° straight grain.

The worse part is when they miss the chamber high, the hole is already a tall oval at best, and if they miss the chamber bottom, it's easy to have a pipe where the airway is 1/2" above the bottom of the chamber.

I mail ordered a Peterson once that was drilled like that. A tiny shrunken alien could have taken a high dive from the opening of the airway into the chamber. I returned it.

By the way, it took me three days to finish smoking a bowl from the big boy you made me. Very satisfying!

 

[Usman]

Thanks, everyone, and thanks for the great explanation, Sasquatch! I will just use the pipe without a filter or filter-adapter, and remove the stem after smoking it so I can clean it properly.

 

[bullet08]

Draught hole is like an asshole. Everyone has one. But not everyone can hit the toilet in a public bathroom.