Being the slow-to-change person that I am, for over 40 years I have hardly ever used a tamper. I have one tamper, a real nice premium one made of stainless that is part of a tool set (pipe scraper and it fold into a handle) that I bought long ago, but I never use it. Need a tamp? Poke a finger. That is how I've always done it.
Someone recently said they tried that and burned their finger! Well, you are supposed to wait for the flame to go out first! :wink: Or have a hell of a good callous.
At any rate, that all changed a week or two ago. I got the notion from reading here to bring the tamper with me and to try tamping here or there as I smoked it down, keeping the ember lit longer by controlling the contact of the tobacco rather than let it go out and I found I like it! So now I tamp regularly while I smoke using the rate of burn as feedback on when to tamp. I also tend to go through tobacco quicker now as I spend less time letting the pipe cool and playing with the ash. :: So there is still hope for me.
I guess if I can move this big heavy box that has a pair of panel speakers in it (magneplanars) out of my way, I will dig out a golf tee to have on hand as an auxiliary tamper!
Someone recently said they tried that and burned their finger! Well, you are supposed to wait for the flame to go out first! :wink: Or have a hell of a good callous.
At any rate, that all changed a week or two ago. I got the notion from reading here to bring the tamper with me and to try tamping here or there as I smoked it down, keeping the ember lit longer by controlling the contact of the tobacco rather than let it go out and I found I like it! So now I tamp regularly while I smoke using the rate of burn as feedback on when to tamp. I also tend to go through tobacco quicker now as I spend less time letting the pipe cool and playing with the ash. :: So there is still hope for me.
I guess if I can move this big heavy box that has a pair of panel speakers in it (magneplanars) out of my way, I will dig out a golf tee to have on hand as an auxiliary tamper!