Protecting Bowl From Charring

[americaman]

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?

 

[bullet08]

don't overfill. watch the flame while lighting the tobacco. clean the bowl often.

 

[python]

Also, don't hold the flame over the bowl for too long. Perform a few shorter lights rather than one or two long lights.

If you don't get the rim hot, it won't char. The burning point of the tobacco is far lower than that of the pipe.

 

[Sonorisis]

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

 

[python]

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

Do not use a butane TORCH lighter.

A lot of butane lighters have soft flames, like Bic lighters.

 

[Sonorisis]

Thank you. That's what I thought I meant before I got confused in making a statement that reflected my thinking before I had thought it all the way through to the point of making a distinction that should have come to mind in the beginning before I spoke up and made a misleading statement.

 

[warren]

I don't apply fire to the rim.

 

[donjgiles]

Keep your pipe absolutely level when lighting. Most burns are from tipping the bowl when you light. I also recommend using matches.

 

[sisyphus]

Do not use a butane TORCH lighter.

A lot of butane lighters have soft flames, like Bic lighters.

even so, there is a temperature difference between the flame of a match, a zippo, and a butane lighter. I'd feel weird lighting a pipe with anything but a wooden match, but to each his own.

 

[python]

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 ?.

 

[americaman]

...clean the bowl often.

What do you mean by this - reaming the bowl often, using pipe cleaners to lightly clean out ash, or something else? In addition, how would this prevent rim charring? Cheers.

 

[cossackjack]

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?

Petroleum jelly (Vaseline) is flammable; I use Vaseline soaked cotton balls as campfire starters.
A good coating of saliva on the rim works well for me, along with the above mentioned suggestions, to prevent rim scorching. It also works well to remove soot & tar from the rim.

 

[smokeyweb]

I usually use a zippo with a pipe lighter insert, and have never charred a rim that way. Tonight I chose to use a butane soft flame lighter, and charred the rim. Oh well... pipes are meant to be used. Battle scars. No worries.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

Keep the flame above the bowl and Tobacco. Do not let the flame touch the Tobacco. If you draw the flame to the Tobacco, it can never touch the rim (unless you're so far off center you're wasted). The other suggestions are good ones as well.

If you smoke enough, I think it's near impossible to avoid at least a little charring. The effort to do so isn't worth it, at least to me.

 

[bullet08]

What do you mean by this - reaming the bowl often, using pipe cleaners to lightly clean out ash, or something else? In addition, how would this prevent rim charring? Cheers.

just cleaning the rim often. this allows you to see clean rim and notice any damage starting.

 

[americaman]

A good coating of saliva on the rim works well for me, along with the above mentioned suggestions, to prevent rim scorching. It also works well to remove soot & tar from the rim.

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.

 

[warren]

I don't beat my pipes up as a rule. They are tools in my estimation, I'm not a collector, and so there is wear and tear. I keep them in good working order. By and large the meers stay home. Briers go to work with me, rain, snow, dust, etc. they may take a beating, lose finish, get a scar or two but, they get used and take good care of me. Now cobs? Poor devils! I treat 'em badly, lose them often and yes, they will float away when unattended in the float tube.

None of my pipes have charred rims though. I've never felt the need to burn them.

 

[sablebrush52]

I wet the rim with a bit of spit before applying flame, don't overfill the chamber, and light carefully. A torch lighter is not a good tool to use unless you're overly fond of turning your pipe into a charcoal briquet.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I don't apply fire to the rim.

I don't apply fire to the rim or bowl, only the tobacco in the chamber. Didn't know they made a lighter big enough to light the whole bowl.

 

[Chasing Embers]

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.

Never had it happen here.