From what I have read this be is a highly debated subject.It starts with should you let cake form to how thick with what tobacco to use and how many half smokes in between.Since I'm getting a better quality pipe this is the question I need info on.
All depends on how anal you areDo you eyeball it when you read the chamber or use a reamer with a set thickness?
This is exactly my method. A thin layer of carbon (cake if you want to call it that) is all you need in my opinion, for a well broke in pipe.I agree. You can't really debate it because it is just a choice. I've never built cake beyond a thin layer of carbon. I scoop out the ash and wipe out the bowl after every bowl. This provides the necessary protection for the inside of the bowl, keeps the chamber the same size over years, and eliminates the need to ream. I don't own a reamer.
Yeah, if you're going to ream it, get an actual reamer, not a knife. Just my opinion.I read some where that if you team with a knife and the cake gets uneven when it gets hot and swells it could crack your pipe so I thought that is why they made the reamers that reams one thickness all the way around.