Sticky Bowl

[chrisbushybush]

A bit of a newbie question here. So I'm about 5 or 6 bowls into my new pipe, and I've noticed that the cake is more sticky than dry. Is this normal? Will it eventually harden up. Also, when ive finished a bowl there is strips of unsmoked tobacco stuck to the bowl after even a thorough cleaning. I have been removing them but is this even necessary? Should I just leave it be?

 

[bullbriar]

If you're having a really wet smoke, sometimes "corkscrewing" a dry paper towel into the bowl after the smoke should help.

 

[chrisbushybush]

I've been smoking mainly Dunhill's My mixture. It's pretty dry. I might be wrong but I'm pretty sure it isn't flavoured.

 

[professorwheezy]

You can also get some good deals on EBAY, even pipes that are restored (cleaned, sanitized, etc). Check the pictures carefully. I would definitely go EBAY before I would pay $30 for another basket pipe. That is how I started out, and I over-smoked the pipe and the stem cracked and had to be repaired. Now I have a $60 basket pipe and nowhere near the quality of a low end Savinelli (lesson learned on basket pipes). Even firsthand cobs aren't that expensive and are great for Burley, Virginia, and OTC Codger blends. Not sure what your starter pipe is but if you smoke everyday or several bowls a day you NEED more pipes. I now have enough that I have 4 pipes I can smoke everyday in about a 3 day rotation. I will smoke 1-2 bowls out of each pipe and then it rests for a few days. (Cobs are exceptions to this). I generally rotate them every other day only.

 

[wilson]

Yes, use a paper towel to clean your bowl and let you pipe rest. I agree with the recommendations on getting some cobs. Love my cobs. They smoke great.