Truth or???

[hooboy]

by hooboy » Fri Nov 06, 2015 7:20 am
We have read , been told etc. many thing about pipe smoking such as

Never take a warm pipe apart, use a honey coating in breaking in a new pipe , Don't use honey in breaking in a new pipe, dedicate a separate pipe to use in aromatic blends , dedicate a separate pipe for English blends, Use rum or any good spirits to rehydrate dried out tobacco, Don't use rum or any good spirits to rehydrate dried out tobacco, Use a slice of apple instead, don't use a slice of apple and the list just keeps going and going!!!

Most of the suggestions , rule , laws, beliefs, you will find have been passed down thru the ages and I myself have my own opinion of these, like I suppose everyone does

There is much advise on this subject which gets contradicted just as much .

I believe it would be interesting if we discussed these suggestions and offer our own experiences on these both pro and con .

As been alluded too a pipe smoker is regarded as a thinking fellow ( we would like to think that's true) and the ones I am acquainted with are a hard headed, opinionated, sort.(me included) Which I believe is a good thing They definitely are NOT IMO to be classed as "lemmings" or "sheeple". to be dumbed down! So I believe pipe smoker are very qualified to verify these beliefs as true or not!

So I will get off my soap box and see if this will play out!

hoo

 

[aldecaker]

Problem is, all of those things are too subjective to "confirm or deny" out of hand. What works for one is a dud for another. You simply have to kick into freethinker mode: Take all available suggestions, try the ones that sound like they might work for you, and pass judgement based only on your actual results and what you see with your own eyes. Just $0.02.

 

[papipeguy]

The few things I've learned in 45 years of pipe smoking are to load up a new pipe and have at it, smoke whatever I want to in any pipe and latakia is a great ghost buster. I think a lot of those old "rules" are hogwash. There's no need to make a simple pleasure more complicated than it needs to be.

 

[hakchuma]

I am almost certain the 3-step packing method of a pipe is nothing more than a social experiment lol. And if I had not followed that advice I would have begun enjoying my tobacco much sooner.

 

[hooboy]

I totally agree with these statement But there are those that will totally disagree,

and those that agree or not and their reasons, experience is what I am hoping to hear!

I am Not asking that we reach a carved in stone conclusion or it is or not subjective BUT

just ones personal beliefs and and conclusions, and certainly not hoping for a firestorm!.

hoo!

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I used to bawk at the "taking a hot pipe apart" thing. In my understanding of physics, it just seems so voodoo-ish. But, then in the B&M one day, I watched a guy take his pipe apart. His hands were like ape hands ripping leaves off of trees. Some guys just can't handle the graceful nuances of tools. Whether it's hand eye coordination, subtle motor skills, I think that it's just become a nicer (more politically correct) way to tell these apemen that they need to wait till their pipe is cool, or just don't take them apart at all.

 

[reniaeats]

Every time this type of discussion comes up it reminds me of the wine world and the book worlds. I've spent ten years longer in the wine world than in the pipe world and pretty much all of my life in the book world, so I have an easier time arguing for a few strong points in those worlds. But I only have two or three that I think are worth arguing over. For me, pipes works the same way.
I think there are about 3 hard rules: 1) Find a pipe you like, 2) Find at least one tobacco you like, 3) Get fire. Absolutely everything else is negotiable.

I've spent hours listening to collectors and pipe makers argue about the importance of the drill hole (experienced makers will tell you it's non-negotiable, but veteran pipe smokers will often tell you their favorite pipes are cheapies that are not drilled perfectly).

I've spent days listening to people argue over the inferiority of Aromatics and been told by respected tobacconists just to smoke what you like, and that liking flavors doesn't make you inferior to everyone else.

This is not rocket science or brain surgery. Smoking a pipe is for pleasure, and part of the pleasure of it is the ability to do whatever you please, however you please.
When a pipe guy gets on his soapbox about "the rules" of enjoying a smoke, I feel the same way I feel about the literature snobs who look down their nose at me because I read Harry Potter with the same fervor that I read Madame Bovary. I feel like they are entirely missing the point, which is pleasure and pleasure is completely subjective and often random.
Just my .02 worth, and it may not even be worth that.

 

[deathmetal]

This is the process of forming culture: from lore to facts to methods that work in that particular group. That reflects the group as much as the acts themselves.

• Never take a warm pipe apart[/*]
  
• Use a honey coating in breaking in a new pipe / Don't use honey in breaking in a new pipe[/*]
  
• Dedicate a separate pipe to use in aromatic blends[/*]
  
• Dedicate a separate pipe for English blends[/*]
  
• Use rum or any good spirits to rehydrate dried out tobacco / Don't use rum or any good spirits to rehydrate dried out tobacco[/*]
  
• Use a slice of apple instead, don't use a slice of apple[/*]
  

I can speak about the slice of apple/orange peel: this is old stoner lore. It sort of works, if you're going to put the slice in with your tobacco, then walk to a friend's house, and then throw the slice away. But it makes a mess and imparts acidity and flavor. A better method is to leave the tobacco out on the bathroom counter while you shower. The steam will rehydrate it nicely (but don't fart in the shower or your tobacco will pick up that "ghost").

 

[freakiefrog]

It's simple do what works for you. "Rules? there are no rules here, hell we're trying to accomplish something". Find something leafy that smells good cram it in a briar, morta or meerschaum hole and smoke it.. LOL

 

[cosmicfolklore]

But Reniaeats, would this not be such a boring forum without the banter? Sure, sure, I agree. People who get dogmatic about rim char or dryness of tobacco etc. need a good bitch slapping. But, regardless, it is fun and the banter increases the enjoyment of the hobby, for some. Sure, sure, I make fun of aromatics, especially when I have a big bowl of Vanilla Cream flake burning. It's just fun to banter, pick back and forth.

Sure, sure, there is a line that can be crossed into being too dogmatic, taking yourself too seriously, loosing your cool. Phhht.... Unless we're talking about Lakelands. lakelands are worth fighting over.
Harry Potter?! Jeesh, do you smoke a big bowl of aromatics while reading that drivel, ha ha. ::

 

[deathmetal]

That's true, but it's also useful to get people firm answers. Especially regarding questions that could damage pipe or tobacco.

 

[freakiefrog]

That's true, but it's also useful to get people firm answers. Especially regarding questions that could damage pipe or tobacco.

I never understood people that had to be toldto be careful with a $100+ piece of wood and plastic that you regularly light and stoke a fire in.
There are some firm answers for some things yes, but for the most part its user subjective. Like I don't like to build cake in my pipes and I have some I've smoked for 10+ years.
I need to chill I've got a long smoke contest tonight.. Gotta win a Davorin Morta and briar :D

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Honestly, how can we help someone not damage a pipe? For every question, there are just as many different responses as responders. We've had people store their tobacco in ziplock in the freezer for years on end report that that is the best way, in their opinion. Some had reported using cigar torches with no harm to their pipes. For every weird answer, these folks will swear they are right.

Ultimately, the poster has to figure it out. Nothing about this hobby is very difficult, IMO> However, there are people in this world that get lost just walking around the block in their own neighborhood, so...

 

[okiescout]

. Unless we're talking about Lakelands. lakelands are worth fighting over. :rofl:

 

[warren]

I believe it would be interesting if we discussed these suggestions and offer our own experiences on these both pro and con.

This is pretty much the "raison d'etre" for the forum.
Some members have opinions which are inviolate and not to be questioned under any circumstances. Others simply offer their anecdotal observations and move on. Most all of the really entertaining and informative posts are just what you are seeking and many reoccur with surprising regularity. I love a thread which begins, "What is the best . . . "

 

[cosmicfolklore]

:::sigh::: See when we all start agreeing, we run out of things to say.
We should all unite against the Lakeland folks and go teach them a lesson, come on guys, grab a pitchfork and come on. Let's get 'em!

 

[deathmetal]

I never understood people that had to be toldto be careful with a $100+ piece of wood and plastic that you regularly light and stoke a fire in.

I don't think it's a question of "be careful," but how to be careful. I can tell someone to be careful with a computer, but they don't know if that means don't yell at it, don't type too hard, or don't install dodgy software.
Agreed on the Lakelands. That floral scent... still, I wonder if it reduces the acidity of those Virginias and makes their true power emerge.

 

[oldreddog]

I love lakelands so yeah come on with the pitchforks and you can bring the torches and all!!

Im loading up on granny's gusset molotovs and am prepared to repel all boarders.

 

[stanlaurel]

The older I get the more I realize that the world has more and more grays mixed in with the obligatory blacks and whites. When my sons were less than 12, I let them believe that all rules were unbreakable. Now that they are getting close to being released into the real world, I have been teaching them that rules sometimes need to be bent to be correctly applied.
Taking pipe smoking as an analogy of life, I feel that new pipe smokers need some rules to get them started. They are then responsible to put the hobby into practice and find out which of these rules work and which don't. Which rules need to be tossed out and which ones need to be bent. Which ones are true sometimes and false at other times.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Ha ha, YES!!! pack the trebuchets with peach aromatics, send in the latbombers, and charge the walls!!