Protecting Bowl From Charring

[rmpeeps]

I am wondering how you all avoid charring/burn marks along the rims of your bowls. Is it avoidable or is it inevitable? Any techniques you use?

I remember a while back Steve Fallon (Pipestud.com) mentioned that you could put Vaseline along the rim of your bowl to protect it from burn marks. Is this safe to use or will it strip the finish?

I would NOT use petroleum jelly on a pipe.
NO how, NO way.
If Steve posts that, I hope it was in jest.
Urban legend stuff!!
No way.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I would NOT use petroleum jelly on a pipe.
NO how, NO way.
If Steve posts that, I hope it was in jest.
Urban legend stuff!!
No way.

It's good for protecting tenons and airways during an Oxyclean bath.

 

[hauntedmyst]

Use a ceramic pipers tile rim. Same thing used to protect the space shuttle can protect your pipe.

 

[Casual]

If pristine were my goal, I don’t think I’d use wood for a pipe. Maybe pipestone.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

 

[BROBS]

Thank you, and thank you to everyone giving responses. I had heard this before, and used saliva to clean tar from one of my bowls, but I saw that it also stripped some color from the finish onto the tissue or paper towel I used to wipe it off. I haven't done it since. I am wondering if this is normal, and if it's normal to expect some of the finish to be stripped off when removing tar from the top of the bowl.

On my Stanwell I stripped off part of the film-like coating from the top of the bowl using water and a tissue (might have been a paper towel) to clean off the tar. I have had bad luck with pipe maintenance.

Was the pipe still hot?
Make sure the pipe is 100% cool before you do this.

 

[donjgiles]

You could use these...

 

[jpmcwjr]

Use a soft flame. Do not, ever use a butane lighter to light a pipe.

Ah, no. Butane is fine, and preferred by many. Most butanes are a soft flame anyway.

 

[jpmcwjr]

I do agree that there are temperature differences. However, I have been using lighters to light my pipes for well over 20 years and have no scorched or charred rims on any of them. It is all about proper technique.

I just find lighters to be more convenient than matches. But as you said, to each his own ?.

Absolutely. I've charred only a small section of one pipe, and suspect the briar was soft there. Regardless, much of what is termed "charring" is simply soot/lava/cake. And it can be minimized holding the flame away from the tobacco and drawing it down in short bursts.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Thank you, and thank you to everyone giving responses. I had heard this before, and used saliva to clean tar from one of my bowls, but I saw that it also stripped some color from the finish onto the tissue or paper towel I used to wipe it off. I haven't done it since. I am wondering if this is normal, and if it's normal to expect some of the finish to be stripped off when removing tar from the top of the bowl.

On my Stanwell I stripped off part of the film-like coating from the top of the bowl using water and a tissue (might have been a paper towel) to clean off the tar. I have had bad luck with pipe maintenance.

Just touch it up with a light wipe of mineral oil. I bet it springs back to normal.

 

[rmpeeps]

It's good for protecting tenons and airways during an Oxyclean bath.

Correct, but I’d not recommend anybody use petroleum jelly on the rim to guard against charring.
In my mind, that’s just nuts.

 

[pipestud]

I would NOT use petroleum jelly on a pipe.
NO how, NO way.
If Steve posts that, I hope it was in jest.
Urban legend stuff!!
No way.

Steve did post that here and it was not in jest. I did not post it here but in my First Responders members weekly newsletter a couple of months back. In that newsletter I invite fellow members to give us their pipe smoking tips and one member said that he puts a very light coating of Vaseline around the rim wile smoking and then when he is done smoking he uses a paper towel to wipe it off and the grime comes right off because it is trapped by the Vaseline.

It may work with no harm to your pipe at all or it may suck the finish right off of the rim. I don't know which because I never used that particular tip. (-:

 

[BROBS]

if you have enough on there .. no way could you light it.

however I would think that it might give you a little bit of a greasy smoking experience. Don't touch that rim! or even better don't touch it after smoking then touch your face or you might have war paint.

maybe that's why you should never put your finger in the bowl.

 

[rmpeeps]

Steve did post that here and it was not in jest. I did not post it here but in my First Responders members weekly newsletter a couple of months back. In that newsletter I invite fellow members to give us their pipe smoking tips and one member said that he puts a very light coating of Vaseline around the rim wile smoking and then when he is done smoking he uses a paper towel to wipe it off and the grime comes right off because it is trapped by the Vaseline.

It may work with no harm to your pipe at all or it may suck the finish right off of the rim. I don't know which because I never used that particular tip. (-:

A lot of somewhat questionable methods get passed around on these here interwebs.
That is one particular tip I would never use either.

 

[Humblepipe]

Restored this Larsen. Check out the char 3/4 up on the exterior bowl (the only photo I have available at the moment). How did that happen? I got as aggressive as one can get to try to make it disappear. Nope. It's permanent.

 

[alaskanpiper]

Restored this Larsen. Check out the char 3/4 up on the exterior bowl (the only photo I have available at the moment). How did that happen? I got as aggressive as one can get to try to make it disappear. Nope. It's permanent.

View attachment 17046

Scotch and a Pipe pair particularly well.

Or it could be from the stick of dynamite the last owner smoked in it before you cleaned it up.

 

[Humblepipe]

Scotch and a Pipe pair particularly well.

Or it could be from the stick of dynamite the last owner smoked in it before you cleaned it up.

Ha! You may be on to something.

 

[americaman]

...Regardless, much of what is termed "charring" is simply soot/lava/cake. And it can be minimized holding the flame away from the tobacco and drawing it down in short bursts.

This is true. I thought I had charring on one of my pre-transition Barlings, but I just cleaned the top and it appears to be as good as when I got it!

At the same time, I do try to hold the flame just above the tobacco, but on my smaller flake pipes it can be hard to avoid having the flame touch the wood, especially when it’s windy.

 

[BROBS]

Restored this Larsen. Check out the char 3/4 up on the exterior bowl (the only photo I have available at the moment). How did that happen? I got as aggressive as one can get to try to make it disappear. Nope. It's permanent.

View attachment 17046

Do you think the top was always smooth? I think the whole thing was sandblasted and someone either polished or sanded the top?

 

[Chasing Embers]

Do you think the top was always smooth? I think the whole thing was sandblasted and someone either polished or sanded the top?

Partial blasts are common in Danish design.