To Rest or Not to Rest

[Arklelinuke]

I got a Golden Duke for Christmas, It is my primary pipe I smoke 10 to 15 bowls a day out of it. I wipe it out reload and go again

My first (and still primary) pipe is an old Golden Duke with its original vulcanite stem. Problem being, the stem is tight and does turn in all directions both ways but won't actually unscrew anymore, so there's no taking the stem off anymore. Pipe cleaner runs through though easily though since it's a straight pipe, so I'll just continue using it lol.

 

[Old School 3319]

My first (and still primary) pipe is an old Golden Duke with its original vulcanite stem. Problem being, the stem is tight and does turn in all directions both ways but won't actually unscrew anymore, so there's no taking the stem off anymore. Pipe cleaner runs through though easily though since it's a straight pipe, so I'll just continue using it lol.

You can always put in the freezer for a few minutes then take it apart for a deep clean. or just water flush it. I only take mine apart about once a week

 

[Arklelinuke]

You can always put in the freezer for a few minutes then take it apart for a deep clean. or just water flush it. I only take mine apart about once a week

I'll try that sometime!

I think if I remember correctly from when it did unscrew, that it's threaded into a heat-pressed piece of metal in the mortise which is probably just spinning now, which should be fixable but the stem has to come out without breaking to fix it. I've just been pulling cleaners straight through, sometimes soaked in rum if it's particularly nasty, and occasionally doing the water flush (though I prefer not to) if it still is smelling particularly funky after cleaning.

 

[didimauw]

Think of it this way. You don't smoke while you are asleep right? You get rest, they get rest.

 

[anotherbob]

I generally rest a pipe as many days as bowls smoked in it in a day. If I only smoke it once, I'll rest it for a day before smoking it again. If I smoke 2 bowls in a pipe in one day, Ill rest it 2 days. I don't know that it will preserve the pipe or make it last longer, but I have enough pipes to do it and figure it certainly cant hurt. I think my concern is more about a pipe becoming sour, not longevity.

yeah that has been my experience thery take longer to get nasty if rested.

 

[mso489]

My dad owned basically one pipe at a time and smoked from just after breakfast to bedtime for about fifty years. As I recall, his pipe usually lasted about three years, and he didn't seem to have big moisture problems. They just eventually split at the bowl, and he bought a new one. Sometimes he'd save one of the nearly burnt out as a back-up.

I don't think of MM cobs as "cheap pipes." I'd get the ones with acrylic stems so the stems last, and they will go on for years.

If you have a stable of a dozen or so pipes, and rotate them regularly, they will get plenty of rest. Many Forums members have many more than that, so their pipes are on extended vacations and just come around to do star turns.

 

[edger]

Get a a Falcon and your worries re resting are over!

 

[tschiraldi]

I'm wondering where in the resting or not resting process you all take the stem off to really clean in the draft and mortise? I've always operated under the assumption that it's not good to remove the stem right after a smoke as that could damage the shank.

SO right after a smoke I usually run a pipe cleaner through with the stem on, wipe out the bowl with a few bent cleaners, and then I let mine sit overnight before I take the stem off in the morning and clean in the draft and mortise, and then leave it for a few more days before I smoke it again.

Mine only come apart twice a year.

 

[eljimmy]

These are my observations, test this too, and see if you notice the same thing(s), because I’ve always experienced the same results.

It is a fact that Briar is very fire resistant, but Briar will collect moisture and have some level of condensation.

Because of the moisture and condensation, I look at it like drying out is curing the wood.

I call this curing rather than drying, because drying something out, doesn’t always means it is at an ideal state, it is simply dry.

After you smoke a bowl smell the chamber, what does it typically smell like? For me personally every pipe I’ve smoked pretty much smells like ash and dottle.

If you notice the chamber smells like ash and dottle after smoking, let the pipe rest, until the smell of the chamber starts to resemble more of the smell of tobacco. If you let it rest long enough, the smell becomes better, even to a point of taking on a sweeter aroma sometimes.

So do this experiment, smoke the pipe, then smoke it the next day, and see how it tastes. Now rest your pipe until the chamber smells nicer, and then smoke the pipe again to compare tastes.

For me personally without fail, every pipe I have rested until the chamber starts smelling sweeter, has given me a better smoke.

The one thing about this drying/curing process, depending on your ambient temperature/humidity, it will make a difference on how long to rest.

For me personally 2-3 days is where my pipes start smelling the sweetest and taste the best.

Thats funny, without even seeing this, is exactly what I do. I smell the pipe, if it still smells ashy I go to the next Briar or Cob

 

[maduromadness]

There was recently a posting on retorting of pipes. I think everyone here is right. Consider that if retorts pull out nasty tars and resin to recondition dirty pipes then it becomes necessary to clean them. If you smoke only one pipe then you are forced to smoke a "dirty" pipe. Rotating pipes prolongs their "freshness" and gives them some fresh air. It's not nessicary but neither is taking a shower. ?. I own enough to rotate over a month. I choose randomly and always have a dry smoke unless my tobacco is overly moist. I very rarely dry out tobacco and I rarely use pipe cleaners during a smoke. I relight as needed and run a pipe cleaner after each smoke. My car pipes get the most abuse and accordingly require regular cleaning. Happy Smoking!

 

[Chasing Embers]

If you smoke only one pipe then you are forced to smoke a "dirty" pipe.

Not if you deep clean them after each smoke.

and run a pipe cleaner after each smoke.

Doing only that leaves build up between the tenon and the bottom of the mortise that will result in poor stem fitting over time.

 

[Scottishgaucho]

Each to their own I say. I personally buy pipes to enjoy smoking them not to cosset them so they'll outlive me. The missus will only throw them in the bin once I'm gone anyway!! ?

 

[saltedplug]

You meed to rest, not your pipes. Never dedicate pipes as that ties that pipe up, and it doesn't get smoked the way that it should. Resting pipes is one of the pipe myths in which n00bs find themselves involved. Smoke whatever pipe you want whenever you want to smoke it. If it gets wet clean with pipe cleaners and a paper towel.

 

[frozenchurchwarden]

The only thing that really matters is you do not leave the stem removed from a wet pipe.
Wet wood will change shape as it dries, the tenon needs to remain in the shank for the wood to keep it's shape.

The myth about never disassembling a hot pipe and resting the pipe is just the most basic instructions to ensure people don't warp the mortise and tenon joint.