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GaiusDegrok

Lurker
Jul 8, 2021
32
65
Saint-Jerome, Qc, Canada
I am fed up with that sh**! Been smoking on and off since almost ten years now, mostly virginias and va/per. I just remembered why I always stop. I am fu***** fed up with the pipes gurgling and relighting and goo at the bottom of my pipes. I let the tobacco dry before smoking it, I smoke slow enough that my pipe is going out three four times per bowl, my pipes are clean, I don't clench, etc. I try to understand why it's always like that; watched a lot of videos and advice from smokers to other smokers... In vain... My pipes are Blatter and Blatter except one SMS Meeerschaum and one Big Ben.

Any advice are welcome but I doubt I will get it the right way anytime soon. Maybe I am just not made for that.

Best regards!
 

peteguy

Lifer
Jan 19, 2012
1,531
916
If I had to guess I would say it is the relationship between tobacco and moisture. Have you really given alternative methods a shot or are you being stubborn like this post would lead one to believe?

Some methods to consider - Microwave your baccy, food process your baccy, press your baccy into crumble cakes, etc.

Good luck either way. Some great cigar guys, snuff guys, chew guys here if you need to try another form.
 
Is it a bent pipe? I ask because bent pipes, even when drilled perfectly CAN be more prone to gurgling.
As to going out and such, it sounds like your doing well. Going out is just how the cookie crumbles at times. This is why I clench, and have just grown to enjoy the connection that clenching gives me, with less relights.

A pipe cleaner run down the draft can cure the gurgle some. Also, I will put my thumb over the bowl and sling out the water when the need presents itself. Just, don’t do that inside. It brings on looks of shock and audacity by my wife when I forget.

I am not going to hold your hand and coax you back into smoking, but if you do stick with it, I hope some of that helps. If not, then I hope you fond something that brings you as much joy as smoking does for me.
 

GaiusDegrok

Lurker
Jul 8, 2021
32
65
Saint-Jerome, Qc, Canada
If I had to guess I would say it is the relationship between tobacco and moisture. Have you really given alternative methods a shot or are you being stubborn like this post would lead one to believe?

Some methods to consider - Microwave your baccy, food process your baccy, press your baccy into crumble cakes, etc.

Good luck either way. Some great cigar guys, snuff guys, chew guys here if you need to try another form.
To be completely honest I am the stubborn type I could say but I'll try that, don't have nothing to lose!
Thank you!
 

bullet08

Lifer
Nov 26, 2018
10,340
41,824
RTP, NC. USA
How are you drying the tobacco? Are you checking to see it's actually dry? Va and Va/Per are very forgiving with being overly dried. It should be dry to touch and crispy around the edge without turning into dust. Gurgling, relight and goo at the bottom with Va all suggest moisture problem. If the tobacco is dried, pack loosely. Just drop the tobacco into the chamber and push down on the last pinch enough the tobacco won't fall out of the chamber. Relight isn't something that should be concerned with. You just run the flame over charred tobacco and that should be it. Are you tamping the tobacco? Go easy with tamping. Just enough pressure to settle the ashes on top of ember so ember will be in contact with tobacco. There shouldn't be any pushing or pressing down. Unless your pipes are really badly drilled, these should address most issues.
 

GaiusDegrok

Lurker
Jul 8, 2021
32
65
Saint-Jerome, Qc, Canada
Is it a bent pipe? I ask because bent pipes, even when drilled perfectly CAN be more prone to gurgling.
As to going out and such, it sounds like your doing well. Going out is just how the cookie crumbles at times. This is why I clench, and have just grown to enjoy the connection that clenching gives me, with less relights.

A pipe cleaner run down the draft can cure the gurgle some. Also, I will put my thumb over the bowl and sling out the water when the need presents itself. Just, don’t do that inside. It brings on looks of shock and audacity by my wife when I forget.

I am not going to hold your hand and coax you back into smoking, but if you do stick with it, I hope some of that helps. If not, then I hope you fond something that brings you as much joy as smoking does for me.
As a matter of fact my straight pipes does not gurgle as much as by bent ones. I use a pipe cleaner one or two times while smoking but it still annoys me. I would prefer not to have to. Smoking a pipe brings me a lot of joy but when I don't have the choice to run a pipe cleaner to remove the gurgle I feel like I am not smoking my pipe properly and it annoys me a lot. Like I said before I am more of the stubborn type and also a prefectionist so when I feel I am doing something not '' the right way'' I try to change the way I am doing it, but now i think I tried it all. I honestly don't know what I could change to do it better.
Thanks a lot!
 

GaiusDegrok

Lurker
Jul 8, 2021
32
65
Saint-Jerome, Qc, Canada
How are you drying the tobacco? Are you checking to see it's actually dry? Va and Va/Per are very forgiving with being overly dried. It should be dry to touch and crispy around the edge without turning into dust. Gurgling, relight and goo at the bottom with Va all suggest moisture problem. If the tobacco is dried, pack loosely. Just drop the tobacco into the chamber and push down on the last pinch enough the tobacco won't fall out of the chamber. Relight isn't something that should be concerned with. You just run the flame over charred tobacco and that should be it. Are you tamping the tobacco? Go easy with tamping. Just enough pressure to settle the ashes on top of ember so ember will be in contact with tobacco. There shouldn't be any pushing or pressing down. Unless your pipes are really badly drilled, these should address most issues.
Thanks a lot I will try to dry more the tobacco as for the tamper I do it very lightly but I will be more cautious with that too!
 

GaiusDegrok

Lurker
Jul 8, 2021
32
65
Saint-Jerome, Qc, Canada
Unfinished straight MM cobs are a good, yet inexpensive way to see what may be going wrong. - One would almost have to try to get one to gurgle (if they did any proper tobacco prep at all).

What kind of baccy are you smoking ?
I will surely give a try to MM cobs. At the moment I am smoking Sutliff Match Victorian, Peter Stokkebye Luxury Navy Flake and Sutliff Virginia 507C
 
Jun 25, 2021
1,369
4,448
England
Honestly don't know how it happens, but I'm the complete opposite and for the last 10 years I've had no gurgle at all, not even in a bent pipe.
I smoke my tobacco moist, often straight out of the tin, so I'm afraid I'm no help to you.
I sympathize with your frustration. I really hope someone comes up up with a satisfactory answer for you. Yeah maybe a cob will do the trick.

A thought has just come to me that it may be you are drawing on the pipe, instead of just breathing naturally.
 

GaiusDegrok

Lurker
Jul 8, 2021
32
65
Saint-Jerome, Qc, Canada
Honestly don't know how it happens, but I'm the complete opposite and for the last 10 years I've had no gurgle at all, not even in a bent pipe.
I smoke my tobacco moist, often straight out of the tin, so I'm afraid I'm no help to you.
I sympathize with your frustration. I really hope someone comes up up with a satisfactory answer for you. Yeah maybe a cob will do the trick.

A thought has just come to me that it may be you are drawing on the pipe, instead of just breathing naturally.
Thank you very much! You are absolutely right I am litteraly drawing on the pipe, to be completely honest I don't really understand the breathing technique as my pipe is always going out when I try that technique. I think you got a very good pointer there.