Resting a pipe: 4 days or more?

[numbersix]

When I first heard that some rest their pipes for as much as 7 days, I thought it might be a bit overkill - actually I thought it was way overkill to be totally honest.
But now I am not so sure. The other day I picked up my nice 1930s-era Hardcastle for a smoke. I hadn't picked up the pipe in at least 4 days, and was more than a bit surprised to see a small puddle of moisture at the bottom of the bowl!
I run a pipe cleaner through my pipes after use and then store it in a pipe rack (with the pipe upside down). I thought that would be enough to remove excess moisture, so I couldn't believe my eyes when after at least 4 days (likely 5) it was still visibly wet. I ran a pipe cleaner through it again and even the stem and shank had moisture in it.
Now I am thinking that a day or two of rest may not be enough after all.

 

[sparroa]

Experience trumps theory in this case, since most of the "rules of thumb" regarding pipe rest are pure conjecture anyway.
Err on the side of caution and give your briars a little more rest based on your observations.
It looks like you have an excuse to expand your collection!

 

[doctorthoss]

I've never found a need to rest them more than 3 or 4 days (and that's after smoking multiple bowls a day), but as Simenon pointed out, use experience as your guide!
Out of curiosity, what kind of tobacco are we talking about? I also imagine that the individual pipe makes a difference, as well.

 

[twangthang]

Showing this to the wife... You are my alibi as to why so many pipes keep showing up.

 

[numbersix]

Lately I've been enjoying a 50/50 mix of Dunhill Morning Pipe and Wilke Rumcake (an aro). But the rumcake isn't very wet or goopy.

Showing this to the wife... You are my alibi as to why so many pipes keep showing up.

lol!

 

[judcole]

I let mine rest a week. And it is rare that I smoke more than 1 bowl in a pipe in 1 day.

 

[keith929]

I let mine rest a week. And it is rare that I smoke more than 1 bowl in a pipe in 1 day.

I'm wih Jud. I usually rest them a week and rarely smoke more than 1 bowl per pipe per day. Having a large collection helps.(Excuse to buy more pipes). ::

 

[sparroa]

I say this every time but cobs are probably the best workhorses out there.
If more briars are not in your immediate future, then throwing a few cobs into the mix for those moments when you don't "need" a specific pipe is an ideal and affordable solution... (I prefer Country Gentlemen for the large bowl size and the aesthetics) Unless you don't like cobs, and in that case you'll have to dig deep for more briar!
With that said, I still only smoke my cobs once or twice a day, clean them, and then let them rest until the next day just to get optimal smokes every time. Some people will puff on them non-stop, so YMMV.

 

[foggymountain]

For me a 4 day rest is the minimum, a week for older pipes that have been heavily smoked. That is briars. Meerschaums may be smoked much more often. Not that I always do this, but if you bend over the last pipecleaner and use it to wipe out the bottom of the chamber, there won't be any moisture pools.

 

[kris]

I'm going to sound like a broke record here...but seriously, Falcons!
The official company line is that all you need is 3 bowls for a rotation, but damn can those bowls take some abuse!
I suppose it's because all the moisture is captured in the metal "humidome" so nothing is soaking into wood, thus providing a dry smoke all the time (granted, I don't like the "Dry-Rings" so unscrew the bowl and flick out the juice about halfway through the smoke).
Did I mention I love my Falcons? :lol:

 

[papipeguy]

For me it's 2-3 days. I've never had an issue with this in over 40 years; of course now that I've said that..........

I do have the habit of inserting a pipe cleaner all the way through right after I'm done smoking so that undoubtedly helps.

 

[captainprophesy]

My pipes usually get anywhere from 4-7 days rest (these are the ones I smoke more often) and this is after smoking several bowls a day from the same pipe (well sometimes) but I give them a good wipe down when they go to bed at night, right before I tuck them in and read them their bed time story.

but if you bend over the last pipecleaner and use it to wipe out the bottom of the chamber, there won't be any moisture pools

This is part of my nightly cleaning... I also lightly swipe the inner walls with the pipe cleaner, I have found it helps with creating a nice even cake in the bowl.

 

[numbersix]

Not that I always do this, but if you bend over the last pipecleaner and use it to wipe out the bottom of the chamber, there won't be any moisture pools.

I actually do this every time.
It has been raining a lot, so the humidity is prolly high (but it's also cold, which reduces it a bit).
And I can believe Falcon's are good pipes, just don't love the look of them - just love the old style look and feel of a briar.

 

[lordofthepiperings]

I've only ever gone with the minimum day rest. A lot of times some pipes do get neglected for two or three days, but I've never had any problems such as moisture in the bottom of the bowl even after just one day of rest. I only smoke aromatics. Actually, lately I've been having a half a bowl in my Brindisi 605 each morning to work. It get's a rest from 4:45AM until 4:20AM the next morning and it hasn't shown any problems with this routine yet. Guess it all depends on the smoker, the briar, and the blend.