Rotation of Pipes

[Cap]

Do what works for you and provides a pleasant experience with your pipes. Pipe smoking is an intensely personal experience. Explore and find out what you like.

Absolutely

 

[dunnyboy]

I guess I'm both an old-timer and a new-timer. Decades ago, I smoked four or five pipes, not in any rotation, cleaned them only with pipe cleaners and occasionally some proprietary pipe stem cleaner. When I finally reamed my old Dunhill shell billiard the had tooth marks in the stem, I got a good teaspoon of carbon out of it. Nowadays I have twenty pipes that I keep in pristine condition and rotate randomly. For the sake of variety, I rarely smoke the same pipe in the same week, although it would be fine if I did.

 

[bullet08]

I don't think about rotation any more. I smoke maybe one bowl a day and have enough pipes to go a month without smoking the same pipe. But on occasions, I do DGT. Then of course, same pipe for two days.

 

[Cap]

Sure enough does!!
"Be Happy - Smoke Your Pipe - Be Happy & Dont Wory About Everyone Else - Stay Happy"

And now, does that answer your question?

 

[Cap]

Generally speaking, a dry pipe will smoke better that a wet pipe.

Truth for Sure

 

[Cap]

Do what works for you and provides a pleasant experience with your pipes. Pipe smoking is an intensely personal experience. Explore and find out what you like.

Totally Agreed

 

[Cap]

Rotation is largely a marketing gimmick to sell more pipes, but there is a kernel of truth in it. Most things, pipes included, will degrade with age and use. Proper care and maintenance staves off that degradation considerably, but eventually, your pipe will burn out, especially if you're smoking it ten times a day every day. Having a rotation can help you bounce from one pipe to the next, prolonging the lifespan of all your pipes. A rotation can also allow you to have a collection of different pipes to suit different needs. For example, pipes dedicated to certain blends, or maybe a pipe used while doing chores and another for leisure.

In my humble opinion, having a robust rotation of many pipes is worthwhile if you enjoy having a collection, having variety, and value pipes aesthetically. If you view pipes as simply tools, then having a large number of pipes makes little sense (to say nothing of cost). I like having a good number of pipes, at least as good a number as my budget allows. I like seeing my pipes in my racks on display; I enjoy having a variety of shapes and materials to go along with a variety of different tobaccos; I like having pipes to suit any whim or purpose; and hell, I just plain like them. They're tools, but to me, they're a little bit more than that.

Still, given the volume of smoking you do, I think maybe adding a few more pipes wouldn't hurt, once your budget allows. But is it strictly necessary? No. And you seem to take cleaning and caring for what you do have seriously, which is a good idea.

Thank you !!
Thats kind of what my plan is. Have a few nice ones and a few for things like the tackle box, garage etc.

 

[Cap]

I have a bunch of pipes and I may get 2 to 3 “smoke breaks” out of a single bowl. It just depends on how many times I am interrupted. Yes, it may take me a while to finish a bowl, and I don’t find any issues with my method.

Although I have “enough” pipes to do the rotation thing, I’ll just change pipes after a couple bowls depending on how the pipe is doing, and how well I like the pipe. As long as the pipe can deal with the moisture in the bowl and isn’t having any issues, I’m good to go

I’ll smoke any blend I like in any pipe I have. The only exception to this rule is If I want to smoke a aromatic. Sometimes a aromatic will leave a “lasting impression “(Ghosting) in the pipe which I don’t want to deal with at the moment.

I will clean my pipe only as needed. After I finish the bowl, I wipe the bowl out with a microfiber rag, and run a pipe cleaner through the stem and shank. Deep cleanings are very rare and always used on estate pipes, or a pipe with a “bad” odor about it

I truly enjoy the process of smoking my pipes, along with the various tobacco I use in my pipe…

Thank You

 

[ThermionicScott]

If the oldtimers did it claiming they never had to buy a new one, why not experiment? My weekly average is your daily average, I like to dedicate a pipe to a blend when possible, but I also have "taster" pipes that are seeing a bit more abuse.

+1. There have been a few threads on here where people challenged themselves to smoke the same pipe every day for a year. The foulness and disaster I expected never happened, in those threads at least.

Want to give it a try, @Cap? What kind of blends do you smoke?

 

[Cap]

+1. There have been a few threads on here where people challenged themselves to smoke the same pipe every day for a year. The foulness and disaster I expected never happened, in those threads at least.

Want to give it a try, @Cap? What kind of blends do you smoke?

No Sir i dont !
Many different kinds as i search for those i truly enjoy.

Its not that i want to smoke the same pipe all day long.
I simply have no desire to be a pipe fanatic and only smoke a particular pipe once a month or year or week.

 

[tabakpfeife]

I rotate them. I think the tobacco tastes better when the pipe is dry, I probably don't deep clean them as often as some guys although I run a pipe cleaner through each time I finish a bowl. I have smoked these things for almost 50 years which is amazing since I am only 39.

 

[Chasing Embers]

The dry pipe comments are puzzling. Briar's density makes it mostly moisture resistant. If you wipe out the chamber with a paper towel and clean the airway and the mortise out after smoking, there'll be no leftover moisture. Hanging a damp pipe on a rack to dry is just asking for a sour pipe and need for alcohol cleaning.

 

[Chasing Embers]

The foulness and disaster I expected never happened, in those threads at least.

That's because he cleaned the pipe after each smoke. Keep them clean and you can smoke them as often as you like.

 

[tabakpfeife]

The dry pipe comments are puzzling. Briar's density makes it mostly moisture resistant. If you wipe out the chamber with a paper towel and clean the airway and the mortise out after smoking, there'll be no leftover moisture. Hanging a damp pipe on a rack to dry is just asking for a sour pipe and need for alcohol cleaning.

Whatever works, for sure. However, I find that if you take the pipe apart each time {when cool, of course} to clean the mortice you run the risk of loosening the mortice/stem connection. This will leave some moisture, which can lead to a sour pipe. Also, I am not sure how moisture resistant briar is and I think it retains some moisture whatever you do. I believe it is good practice to dry your pipe in some kind of rotation.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I find that if you take the pipe apart each time {when cool, of course} to clean the mortice you run the risk of loosening the mortice/stem connection.

That only happens from smoking a pipe too hot and the mortise compresses the tenon which can be reversed by heating a tenon and allowing it to cool. I disassemble mine immediately after smoking and have encountered no loosening issues.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Also, I am not sure how moisture resistant briar is and I think it retains some moisture whatever you do.

Search the forum for water cleaning. There was little to no weight difference between a pipe that had been soaked in water overnight and the same pipe that hadn't.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

I just tried the other day for the first time (successfully) an overnight charcoal and alcohol soak on some old estates followed with some simple damp paper towels and then pipe cleaners. May not be necessary, but I’m leaving them sit a couple of days - some are 100 + years old and I figured a little extra time won’t hurt even if it may not be essential.

 

[Cap]

The dry pipe comments are puzzling. Briar's density makes it mostly moisture resistant. If you wipe out the chamber with a paper towel and clean the airway and the mortise out after smoking, there'll be no leftover moisture. Hanging a damp pipe on a rack to dry is just asking for a sour pipe and need for alcohol cleaning.

What exactly is sour pipe?
I have read many opinions on this but leave me still asking what exactly is it?

I had a pipe once that no matter what i did - it still smelled like amonia.

It went out to the dumpster.
Thanks

 

[Chasing Embers]

What exactly is sour pipe

A condition where the pipe has a nasty flavor to it. Though I've never personally had it happen, my guess would be it's caused by failure to keep a pipe properly cleaned between smokes.

I had a pipe once that no matter what i did - it still smelled like amonia.

Was it an estate pipe? I've ran across ammonia in estate pieces that were used for heavy English blends.

 

[Searock Fan]

A condition where the pipe has a nasty flavor to it. Though I've never personally had it happen, my guess would be it's caused by failure to keep a pipe properly cleaned between smokes.



Was it an estate pipe? I've ran across ammonia in estate pieces that were used for heavy English blends.

I suspect the fact that they were used for "heavy English blends" is just a coincidence. I have many pipes over 50 years old, that have been smoked with nothing but English and never encountered a problem.