Question On the False Light

[thebadkitty]

I'm one of us who gave up cigarettes a few years ago, and am much happier. A lot of my smokes are short and in a small bowl, sometimes I just smoke part and come back. Several times a day though, I have 3 or 4 that are longer, larger, slower and more relaxed like smoking my pipe rather than the ones throughout the day that are like having a quick smoke.
I've never really worried about the false light for the quick having a smoke ones, but recently I've started doing it again for the longer slow ones. I've read about it, and the thermodynamics and all, but without fretting too much over the science and physics of the combustion(pipe smoking is supposed to be relaxing haha), my question is actually two: When you do your false light, how long do you let it go for, a few puffs, a minute or so, when the entire surface has caught and is glowing? Also, when you start to tamp, has the ember gone completely out on its own or do you do all this arbitrary of any of that?
I suppose a simpler way of asking would be what determines for you, when your false light is satisfactory, and you sit back and smoke?

 

[lyle]

I've recently begun paying more attention to this as well. What is working for me is to
1) apply flame while drawing on the pipe

2) tamping down the burning strands while not puffing (this kills the ember)

3) apply flame while drawing on the pipe, trying to make sure it is burning all around the edges

4) stop puffing and tamp again (killing ember, mostly)

5) apply flame again and go!

 

[tiltjlp]

My dad was od the opinion that the false light was invented by match manufacturers in the UK in the early 19th century as a way of selling more matches. I simply load a pipe, light it, and start smoking.

 

[rotschefeller]

That's an interesting theory, tiltjlp. Sounds crazy but it honestly wouldn't surprise me.

 

[igloo]

char set down pipe and get distracted . Pat down tobacco with index finger tip while holding pipe in one hand . Relight and enjoy . The best pipe smoke is the kind one does not have to think about . 8)

 

[rmbittner]

Frankly, I've never given this one bit of thought! To my mind, the "initial" or "false" light is usually simply a requirement of the tobacco: You need to get a good solid light and an appropriately firm tamp before the bowl will stay lit and smoke its best. So I light as well as possible, tamp lightly, and smoke it for as long as it will last. Maybe it'll go out immediately, in which case I apply a second match. But often I can go to the bottom of the bowl from a single match. When that happens, I don't fret that I didn't do the recommended number of re-lights! I simply enjoy the smoke and congratulate myself for being so thrifty with my matches.
Bob