smoking the long stems

[atjurhs]

Good morning guys,
I have an older Dunhill 10" long Canadian estate. I find it very difficult to smoke.
Obviously there are pipes out there with much longer stems & shanks than 10".
Except for the Frog Morton series (which I would call a medium/coarse ribbon cut, some might disagree), I mostly smoke plugs, and flakes (never shag). but I haven't found that one style of cut makes much difference.
I run pipe cleaners through it and they come out clean.
I can't imagine trying to run a drill bit (by hand of course) through it to open it up, I mean where would you find a 10" long drill bit anyways?
What can I do to make a long stem pipe easier to smoke?
Thanks!
Todd

 

[ashdigger]

Throw it in a fire and buy a nosewarmer. I'm probably the last guy that should opine though, I don't smoke any pipe over 5 1/2 inches.

 

[lightmybriar]

Is it a churchwarden (I would think it is?)? If so, and you are happy with the briar portion of the pipe, you could have a "regular" length stem made for it for about $40.

 

[Sjmiller CPG]

Perhaps, and I am no rocket scientist here so I could be wrong, the problem is the fact the pipe is 10". It would seem to me that it would take more puffs to get smoke through a 10" pipe than it would a 6" pipe.

 

[jensen]

I once tried to run a drill bit through the shank of a Canadian.

I spoiled the shank.

 

[atjurhs]

lightbriar, my original post clearly stated the pipe is an older Dunhill 10" long Canadian estate; however, I would concur that this same phenomenology would likely be true of a churchwarden.
so how/why would those long churchwarden pipes smoke any easier?

 

[georged]

the pipe is an older Dunhill 10" long Canadian

Pics or it never happened

 

[kanse]

atjurhs
Take a puff from a detached stem, maybe the tightness comes from the briar?

 

[jpmcwjr]

Yes, pics, please!!
Once your photos are on a photo hosting site (such as Imgur.com; Photobucket; Postimage; Dropbox, etc.), or on virtually any site, select the full image, then Control-click (Mac) or Right-click (Windows) on the image itself, then choose copy image location. Now paste that URL (the full web address, which should end in .jpg) into the IMG box in the reply window of the thread you're posting to.

 

[atjurhs]

As I've said in many posts before, in this forum posting pics is a pita. All the other forums that I participate in pics are drag-and-drop. There's really no reason why this forum should not be the same.
georged, You are wrong. Just because I don't post a picture, doesn't mean that it never happened!
jpmcwjr, Enough websites already have gobs of information on me already, so there's a privacy issue with photobucket type websites, and I don't want any more spam than I already do.
From my experience so far, most of the time, dare say the vast majority of the time, a picture of the situation rarely conveys any more info than a clearly written post would.
Just my 2 cents on posting pictures here, hopefully I don't get kicked off for my 2 cents.
Todd

 

[kanse]

atjurhs
https://imgbb.com/ does not take any registration and such, no privacy issue unless you involve your face in photos.
Although the forum is a bit too lo-fi, it could use a bit of upgrading.

 

[lightmybriar]

Mr. Todd, I do realize you said the pipe is a Canadian and is 10" long...however, in your title and at the end of your post, you mention "long stems." Churchwardens have long stems, whereas Canadians have relatively short stems. It's the shank on Canadians that is the long part...that's why I thought it may have been a churchwarden.
Also, I don't think I understand your question, as you don't specify what exactly makes the pipe difficult to smoke. You just mention that the stem is long. That's why I recommended possibly having a shorter one made.
When you say that you run a pipe cleaner through and it comes out clean, is this a positive or a negative in your view? I don't quite understand what you were trying to convey by that statement.
It's the end of the week. Forgive me if I'm just absolutely missing all of this.

 

[fitzy]

I don't smoke any pipe over 5 1/2 inches.

Don't want to feel inadequate by smoking a big pipe?

 

[fishnbanjo]

I smoke plenty of long stemmed pipes including an old Dunhill that came in a leather case like most Meerschaum pipes do. I can't remember having any issues smoking them. Are you sure you don't have any restrictions in the stem? I'd soak the stem in some alcohol then use a pipe bristle brush to clean it, these are not pipe cleaners but brushes on a stiff wire handle. If this doesn't help I'm at a loss brother.

banjo

 

[ashdigger]

Fitzy, I don't own a big belt buckle or jacked up truck if that helps.

 

[georged]

georged, You are wrong. Just because I don't post a picture, doesn't mean that it never happened!

That's an Internet joke/catchphrase, not to be taken literally. :roll:
I'm sure you had trouble smoking a pipe.
What I'm calling bullshit on is that the pipe was an "older 10" long Dunhill Canadian".
Maybe you measured it with a fabric tape that had shrunk in the wash? :lol:

 

[pepesdad1]

Atjurs, to answer your question about where do I find a 10" drill shank...Harbor Freight has a package of 3 drill bits including the size you want for your draft hole (5/32).

 

[ssjones]

Yep, long shank or long stem, that's the question (and easily answered by a picture..)
I have only one long stemmed pipe, a 1940's Kaywoodie Churchwarden (Shape 95 I believe). It has the four-hole stinger and I find it challenging to smoke, so it only gets used on Christmas Eve, and then with care. This one is about 15" in total length. I wonder what it would be like to cut off the stinger...but that's the value of the pipe.

 

[jensen]

My Dunhill root ODA 850 Canadian is about 160 mm long which should be about 6.3 inch. The stem is about 58 mm.

 

[mawnansmiff]

"I can't imagine trying to run a drill bit (by hand of course) through it to open it up,"
Why on earth not? Get the drill bit of the size you want your draught hole to be (and suitable length) and chuck it up in a speed controlled cordless drill and off you go. Just so long as you work slowly (regularly withdrawing the bit to clear the flukes) and follow the original drilling it's hard to see how you can nawse it up.
I've done this on most of my pipes, long and short shanked and have never once had a mishap. Just be confident and work slowly.
Regards,
Jay.