Thick vs Thin Chamber Wall

[Fiver5]

I'm no physics expert but I'm hoping someone here is. I know the general consensus is the thicker the wall the cooler the smoke, but somehow that doesn't make sense to me. I believe the thinking is that a thick wall will soaks up some of the heat, but doesn't a thicker wall just provide more insulation keeping more heat in? A thin wall will feel hotter to the hand, but to my simpleton way of thinking that's a good thing, it just means more of the heat is dissipating rather than being trapped inside.
An air cooled internal combustion engine does everything to get the heat out, including more surface area with cooling fins (or in the pipe world rustication), heat is just the unwanted byproduct.
I'd love to see a real scientific study of this...

 

[blackpowderpiper]

I have no scientific evidence to present, only my opinions. I don't believe that the thickness of bowl has anything to do with how cool a pipe smokes. I would wager that you could take 10 pipes with thin walls, 10 pipes with thick walls and within each subgroup you will find pipes that smoke cool and some that will smoke hotter. My opinion is that how cool a pipe smokes depends more on the individual piece of briar and how it was processed as well as the technique of the smoker. Factor in also the drilling of the pipe and moisture content of the tobacco, etc.

To support this hypothesis I have pipes with thin walls that smoke relatively cool, at least for me, and pipes with thicker walls that smoke hotter than others. I suspect that how hot or cool a pipe smokes is all subjective to the individual smoker. Just my two cents.

 

[Sweet Home Alabama]

If you want a hot pipe, smoke outside in the wind...LOL!!

My thick walled Author is just a cool as the others with thinner walls. For me, the shape and thickness is what makes the pipe enjoyable to hold and smoke.

 

[john19]

I do not know what the difference is, and if it matters, but I like it thicker. It gives me the impression that it is stronger.

And I like the pipe heavier. The stanwell de luxe 15 Rustic I have is around 80-90 gr.

 

[fireground_piper]

One of my favorites pipes has walls 3mm thin. Smokes just fine. Yes I can feel warmth more than a thicker walled pipe in the hand, but the smoke is fine.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

Probably wrong but tossing this out - shouldn't really be any difference except that if you are smoking too hot you are more likely to know that with a thinner walled pipe and can adjust whereas it's possible a thicker walled pipe may disguise that a bit?

 

[workman]

Air is a bad conductor of heat. Therefore your thin walled pipe will receive more heat than it can get rid off, thus overheating. The larger mass of the thick walled pipe makes it more likely to reach an even in vs out balance of heat.
In my experience, thin walled pipes can be fine smokers but require more attention than I am willing to give. I haven't got any real fat pipes, but my medium sized pipes do a better job than my lightweights of providing a no fuzz smoking experience.

 

[john19]

I think the walls are very thick. I also smoked outdoors with wind (the lighter did not light easily). The bowl was not hot, when I smoked (with a little wind).

 

[Charlie718]

The first few pipes I bought all had thin walls, I figured if I can feel the heat more then I can learn a good cadence quicker and get less tongue bite

 

[jpmcwjr]

The temperature of the smoke is not dependent on the thickness of the walls, but the heat coming off the bowl is.

Length of the stem also has no measurable effect on the temperature of the smoke reaching the mouth.

 

[Merton]

I had an Eltang pencil shank dublin with incredibly thin walls. The bowl became so hot that it was really impossible to touch it. However, i agree with john that it is not the smoke but the temperature of the bowl which is at issue. Of course cadence also needs to be considered.

 

[workman]

The temperature of the smoke is not dependent on the thickness of the walls, but the heat coming off the bowl is.

Length of the stem also has no measurable effect on the temperature of the smoke reaching the mouth.

I think there is some confusion about what "a hot smoke" is.
I certainly don't think it has anything to do with the temperature of the smoke coming out of the stem.
When the bowl and the tobacco in the bowl overheat, some changes in flavor and PH will occur, as well as excessive moisture. I don't know why, but that is what happens and it is unpleasant when it does. The smoke probably isn't hotter, but it is wetter and and more acidic, I think.

 

[frozenchurchwarden]

I'm no physics expert but I'm hoping someone here is. I know the general consensus is the thicker the wall the cooler the smoke, but somehow that doesn't make sense to me. I believe the thinking is that a thick wall will soaks up some of the heat, but doesn't a thicker wall just provide more insulation keeping more heat in? A thin wall will feel hotter to the hand, but to my simpleton way of thinking that's a good thing, it just means more of the heat is dissipating rather than being trapped inside.
An air cooled internal combustion engine does everything to get the heat out, including more surface area with cooling fins (or in the pipe world rustication), heat is just the unwanted byproduct.
I'd love to see a real scientific study of this...

100% agree.
The idea of the shape of the bowl affecting the temperature of the smoke is another myth, regardless of the design of the pipe we all know the temperature of the smoke is controlled by your smoking cadence, if your cadence is too fast for a thin pipe then it's too fast in any other pipe.

 

[sablebrush52]

Probably wrong but tossing this out - shouldn't really be any difference except that if you are smoking too hot you are more likely to know that with a thinner walled pipe and can adjust whereas it's possible a thicker walled pipe may disguise that a bit?

Bingo!

The thick VS thin wall pipe myth is, like all pipe myths, a matter of opinion based on observation that fails to connect the dots, and as opinion, is basically bullshit.

I use my thin walled pipes as trainers for keeping my slow smoking cool.

 

[Chasing Embers]

The temperature of the smoke is not dependent on the thickness of the walls, but the heat coming off the bowl is.

This.

Temperature of the ember is controlled by the smoker and laws of combustion, not the thickness of the pipe. I can smoke this fellow and the outside of the stummel barely gets warm to the touch.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Throwing science out the window, I have two very thick walled pipes that the smoke as it hits my tongue is much cooler than any of my other pipes. Whether it’s explainable by science, the stars, or magic…. it just is, and by thicker, I mean chamber walls more than a half inch of briar. Now, whether this is just a fluke of draft engineering, quality of the briar used, or some psychosomatic influence of heaviness of briar on my smoking technique… for me it just is what it is.

 

[danish]

I just measured the thickness of the walls of some of my favorite pipes, including a Dunhill, a Georg Jensen and a Winslow. They were all only about 8-9 mm thick somewhat down the bowls. As I was already in 'measuring mode', I found the stem bites were all only about 4,5 mm thick.

 

[mso489]

I'm interested that some thin walled pipes remain cool to the touch. This is especially noticeable with Kaywoodie Saxons. Other thin walled pipes can get hot enough that I handle them by the stems, only one or two that I own. However, my tiny thin walled Peterson Belgique remains cool to the touch. I think some briar handles heat better than other briar. The thick walled pipe certainly feel cool to the touch, but I doubt that means that the ember itself is cooler.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Throwing science out the window, I have two very thick walled pipes that the smoke as it hits my tongue is much cooler than any of my other pipes. Whether it’s explainable by science, the stars, or magic…. it just is, and by thicker, I mean chamber walls more than a half inch of briar. Now, whether this is just a fluke of draft engineering, quality of the briar used, or some psychosomatic influence of heaviness of briar on my smoking technique… for me it just is what it is.

Is the draw on them wide open?

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I can't see how well thickness would make any discernible difference especially compared to moisture level in the tobacco, how tightly you pack and cadence. In general, you'll probably enjoy a cooler smoke in a very thin walled pipe as you'll be more aware from the touch if you're smoking too fast.