Tamper Tamper One Niner

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toobfreak

Lifer
Dec 19, 2016
1,365
7
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. :puffy: 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!

 

snoopy311

Can't Leave
Dec 21, 2016
402
155
Golf tees are excellent tampers and readily available on the golf course. My go to tamper. And cheap... :puffy:

 

barleydog

Lurker
Mar 25, 2017
11
0
HAH! I too use my finger as it is always readily available. It's also my glue spreader when woodworking. Never have to go and look for it like I do with my tape measures. I must have about 12 of them (tape measures that is) but can never find one when I need it. Might have to start learning to use a tamper now. I remember always seeing my grandfather use his finger when I was a kid, maybe thats where I picked it up from.
Good post, made me chuckle

 

Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
43,248
108,340
I use my finger out of convenience, but still love my tampers.
img_20170326_235555-337x600.jpg


 

theloniousmonkfish

Part of the Furniture Now
Jan 1, 2017
943
497
You guys are lucky, I'd use my fingers but can only tamp with them once or twice in a few bowls. Can't squeeze a tip into the chamber on most so homemade tampers left around the house and car help because I lose little things regularly.

 

winton

Lifer
Oct 20, 2010
2,318
771
A tamper needs to fulfill three functions. It needs to tamp ash, dig out dottle, and increase your pleasure in smoking. My normal tamper in my garage is a "shop tamper". It has a significant defect, but works. But sometimes I really want to use one that was given to my by a friend, or is really cool. Those are the times that I use a tamper that enhances my smoking pleasure.

 

crashthegrey

Lifer
Dec 18, 2015
3,810
3,566
41
Cobleskill, NY
www.greywoodie.com
I have often used the finger method, but I must say. Keeping the pipe lit with less thought is the most obvious advantage of a proper tamper, and they are inexpensive. I really enjoy a pipe more with proper tamping and feel that most people will, once they get the hang of it. I keep a brass tamper with an anvil top in my car, it fits perfectly between my fingers so I can tamp with one hand whilst driving. It really makes my commute much nicer.

 

toobfreak

Lifer
Dec 19, 2016
1,365
7
Well, surprise of all prises, I sat down last night to smoke a really big bowl of a new aro mix I was trying out and here I am with my trusty tamper again. I bought the thing about 10-15 years ago and it was the best one they had at the time. Well made case with a stainless tamper that swings out, very solid and impervious to everything. For years, I've mainly used it for the flat-bladed scraper it also has when cleaning my pipes:
p1010079-600x450.jpg

I'm sitting there playing with the thing looking at it and as I look at it closer under the light, to my amazement I spy what looks like another tool in there! Sure enough, it has a third tool in there, sort of a toothpick thing that I had totally forgotten it had!
p1010076-600x450.jpg

So now I have this ultimate pipe tool with three implements I had forgotten I even had! I might as well just carry the thing in my pocket as everywhere I go now, if I'm not tamping down a bowl I am cleaning one out. :mrgreen:

 

bonanzadriver

Can't Leave
Nov 28, 2016
476
6
I've got a variety of tampers in pretty much every place I smoke.
None of em are expensive. I picked up 10 of the cheap Chinese knockoff Czech 3 in 1 tools from ebay last year. It cost less than $10 for all of em, delivered. Now it seem's like they're everywhere 8O
I've also got one of those cheap pipe lighters (sideways flame thrower) that has the built in tamper,poker and spoon that fold out like a swiss army knife... Another cheap Chinese ebay purchase (I think it was less than $10 as well)
Not to mention half a dozen of those cheap little aluminum jobbies that has a spoon on one end and tamper on the other. Got em free with somethinorother I bought last year.
Yet with all of these I still managed to use a golf tee almost exclusively during Sunday's round. :roll:

 

mayfair70

Lifer
Sep 14, 2015
1,968
2
I find I am slowly starting to use my Chech tool instead of my finger. It is always on my keys, my keys are always with me, but I use it half the time now. I suppose if I spend for a fancy tamper, I'd have to use it to justify the purchase. Behavioral Modification 101 for me.
Nice find of your ultimate tool Toobfreak ! Hey, you should make a GIF of all the stages of your Avatar catching on fire and regenerating. That would be highly entertaining, if you are so inclined. Maybe tobacco will start growing out of his ears now? :puffy:

 

toobfreak

Lifer
Dec 19, 2016
1,365
7
Hey, you should make a GIF of all the stages of your Avatar catching on fire and regenerating.
Damn you, don't give me any ideas mayfair! :mrgreen: Actually, I have a long string of future images I've already made whenever a new idea comes to mind, taking the picture in all kinds of sick, twisted directions. Just the other day I thought up a few more. When I originally started this I doubted anyone would even notice as many are just a subtle change hard to see at the tiny thumbnail size, but I've been surprised that more are apparently following than I ever thought would. Something to make the forum a little more fun.
Most people are probably thinking: "What's this jackass gone done to his picture now?" :puffy:
Right now, he has skin cancer or something left over still healing up from the fire.
Every time he catches on fire, I have a different outcome planned for him, so it might be a long while before I ever make it back to the original image.
I've never made a gif yet but you are giving me an idea to think about. :worship:

 
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