Too High a Draught Hole - SP CS Claims It Is Normal

[cosmicfolklore]

Techie, you are clicking on the thumbnail. Go to the full sized picture and click to get the address.

 

[crashthegrey]

That's a bit higher of a keyhole style drilling than I like. Some would prefer a compound drilling to avoid this. But no, that is not entirely out of the ordinary.

 

[crashthegrey]

Ha, Cosmic. Sorry. Didn't realize we were racing to do the same.

 

[techie]

I have found that pipes that won't pass a cleaner are prone to gurgle

And yes, that has been my experience with this pipe so far. I'll have to try and slow down my cadence even more I suppose.

 

[techie]

I appreciate all the help and assurances. I'm just going to email SP back and thank them for their prompt reply and great customer service. I've always been very happy with them, and I hope I didn't imply in this post that I was disappointed with them.

 

[lawdawg]

Hopefully you didn't think that a dig to you, lawdawg. I personally know pipe makers who don't care about the pipe cleaner test on a bent pipe, and some who would never sell a bent pipe which didn't pass a cleaner. That's all that I meant. Some actual makers would say it is a flaw, but some would laugh at them. We live in a varied world.

Not at all, friend. I 100% agree with you that its a matter of personal preference, and also admit that mainly I like to be able to pass a cleaner for the times when I over puff or don't dry my tobacco enough. Basically, I like being able to pass a cleaner to compensate for sometimes less-than-ideal technique.
Techie, that draught hole is about as high as can be. I've got a beautiful pipe drilled like that, and I don't smoke it much unfortunately, though I have gotten great smokes out of it.

 

[sablebrush52]

That is normal for a bent. The airway has to be drilled against an angled shank such that it enters the chamber properly while not being too near one side or another of the shank.
The pipe cleaner test is a popular but highly inexact standard for establishing the quality of work. If the pipe draws well and smokes well, that's what matters. If not having everything line up in the center matters to you, stick with straight pipes.

 

[crashthegrey]

stick with straight pipes

Not going to lie. 90% of my collection is straight.

 

[warren]

100% of mine are bent, some severely. Cleaner test means little. I want my pipes to deliver what I want in a smoke.

 

[crashthegrey]

I am simply happy with centered holes and enjoy my straight pipes greatly. No judgement. My straight pipes are comfortable, smoke well, and center up, making me a happy man. I do have a few severely bent pipes that I love.

 

[saltedplug]

Drilling a bent stem is easy given that the stem in drilled before bending it. Drilling the shank such that the draft hole is bottom-center is another thing. I don't know how they do it but a draft hole that is centered but an eighth to a quarter inch higher than the bottom of the chamber is normal, and I've read that some defend it, saying that it makes a bent pipe smoke better. Think of it: the maker has one shot at the correct angle through the bend into the chamber at an acceptable place. For the pathway to start high in the mortise suggests that the angle obtained allows this.