Tamping Question

[jsiddle]

Ok, just watched a few reviews of some blends, and the guy said something about retamping constantly...
I thought I only needed to retamp when it goes out and I need to relight?
How often should one retamp? does this help with keeping it lit all the way down? because I have only done it before a relight

 

[macattack]

I usually tamp when when the tobacco starts to go out. Tamping while smoking will keep the lit tobacco in contact with unlit tobacco

 

[jsiddle]

Oh very cool... so as i see less and less smoke, and feel its gonna go out, tamp it while its lit?

 

[hawk60ce]

Tamp before you think you need to. And dont mash it with your tamper, let the weight of the tamper do the work.

 

[crpntr1]

+1 hawk

 

[jsiddle]

Tamp before you think you need to. And dont mash it with your tamper, let the weight of the tamper do the work.

So extremely light pressure?

 

[tjameson]

Let gravity do the work so yea light pressure...but then again I haven't used a tamper in over a year...I use my pointer finger. Actually had a burning piece of tobacco stick to it today lol not cool.

 

[philip]

So extremely light pressure?

Yes. You only want to ember to come into contact with the unburned tobacco. If you tamp too hard the bottom of the bowl will get packed too tight and won't burn properly, and you either have to waste it or repack it (probably after you have burned your tongue).
I find that if I tamp lightly enough I can get away with tamping more often than I really need to.

 

[lordofthepiperings]

Usually a light tamp is helpful about every five to ten minutes of the smoke. Like stated before, you'll notice the tobacco starting to go out. The key is to remember to puff while tamping the ash down. And as mentioned before let gravity light even out the ash. Tamping occassionally like this should help you get a cooler smoke. It did for me.

 

[jsiddle]

Thank you for the answers

 

[lordofthepiperings]

You're welcome. This is the place to ask questions. You won't get mocked or made fun of for asking questions and there are a lot of veteran pipe smokers here that have many years of experience who are more than happy to lend a helping hand.

 

[baronsamedi]

All you're really doing when tamping is keeping the ember in contact with the tobacco. Use minimal pressure and tamp at a slight angle. When you see the smoke start to thin out, give a light tamp and puff and you will see it spark back up again.

 

[jsiddle]

All you're really doing when tamping is keeping the ember in contact with the tobacco. Use minimal pressure and tamp at a slight angle. When you see the smoke start to thin out, give a light tamp and puff and you will see it spark back up again.

Good advice

 

[shaintiques]

And make sure you draw while tamping or it will go out

 

[twangthang]

Props to Jsiddle. Your questions and posts are on point. I am a new pipe smoker and have many of the

Same questions. Learning much from reading these threads.

Jim

 

[taerin]

In terms of time, I would say I do it like once every 5 minutes, more like 10 if I am studying. Lawrence was the one who talked about tamping constantly, while probabley the best technique, it seems like quite a strain!

 

[jsiddle]

In terms of time, I would say I do it like once every 5 minutes, more like 10 if I am studying. Lawrence was the one who talked about tamping constantly, while probabley the best technique, it seems like quite a strain!

Agreed, I would hate to have a situation where I am moving about and doing a couple things and would have to stop to tamp, or find my tamper, etc... I guess in this scenario, I could put the pipe down, let it go out and come back to it

 

[fshu2]

if you think about it like this, fire burns up in a pipe we try and reverse this by drawing down, thus you need to continually reinforce the Ember to go down. once i started thinking like that i could smoke through my pipe with far less relights.

 

[jsiddle]

Seems like a very basic theory, but have never really thought about it that way...
That should be put somewhere on here, if there is a stickied thread for newcomers...

 

[timely]

I find tamping lightly works best for me