Use a Cinder in Bowl Bottom ?

[edlogic]

i spotted a video of someone passing on a suggestion he got from his grandfather

he said to put a cinder in the bottom of the bowl to keep the tobacco off the bottom and soak up some of the moisture and tar from the smoke
then i read in the comments - someone stating a procedure of building up ash by wetting it until it gets to the bottom of the draw hole
Hiya Patrick,
I wanted to ask if when you say cinder you mean, a Burt piece of wood like from the fire place? A frind one told me to mix ash and a small amount of water to make a paste. Then apply it in thin coats until,the (pipe mud) was built up to the draft whole. I may make a little video of the process, it works this is certain....tattooer
tattooer601 4 months ago


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=javsSrVrM4k

 

[topd]

I guess, to each his own. But I never put anything in the bowl but tobacco. Except...

I have used a hot ember from a fire if ones near to lite my pipe, (on top of the tobacco)

like from a camp fire or the fireplace. Got that tip from an old friend years ago.
I believe that when you can't smoke the tobacco all the way down, it has to do with

tamping to hard. I smoke every bit all the way down each bowl. It insures an even carbon

cake, and affects the coloring when smoking a meer.
TopD

 

[bigvan]

A solution in need of a problem.
If you can't smoke down to the bottom of the bowl, keep practicing.

 

[ejames]

A solution in need of a problem.
If you can't smoke down to the bottom of the bowl, keep practicing.

True--IF the pipe you are smoking is drilled right at the bottom of the bowl as it should be-- as most artisan pipe are. The factory made pipes,especially bents,regardless where they are from are quite often drilled high and will not smoke to the bottom-even with practice. They are probably the reason "pipe mud" was invented.

 

[edlogic]

i can smoke a lot closer to the bottom by putting a little dry tobacco in the bottom

otherwise it gets too wet
the hole on this pipe is not to the bottom but it is more narrow at the bottom

so if i put dry tobacco in the bottom - sometimes i can smoke it to the bottom
i need to try working up some of that pipe mud i guess -
@ ejames

are you talking about something that can be purchased or something that you can do by using the ash or some other common material ?

 

[edlogic]

@ ejames x 2

are you talking about something that can be purchased or something that you can do by using the ash or some other common material ?
if you don't answer soon - i guess i will have to go all the way over to startpage and look it up myself

startpage is google search results without the surveillance

 

[edlogic]

bigvan wrote :

A solution in need of a problem.
If you can't smoke down to the bottom of the bowl, keep practicing.

I kept trying and trying and not often able to smoke it all the way down - even when I didn't smoke all the way down I kept getting gurgle and strong bad taste and gave up .
Funny thing is - I just got a new pipe - a Peterson: Dalkey (999) Fishtail Rhodesian .
Guess what ?
From the very first bowl and every single bowl after that - i would say about 20 bowls so far ...
EVERY SINGLE BOWL HAS SMOKED ALL THE WAY TO THE BOTTOM WITH NO TROUBLE .

And the draw hole is not exactly all the way to the bottom either .
That leads me to think that some pipes need an expert to smoke them and some pipes are much easier to smoke .

This bowl is smaller - and the other bowl is larger at the top and gets narrower towards the bottom . I think I will try putting less tobacco in the other pipe and see what happens .

 

[ejames]

@ ejames x 2

are you talking about something that can be purchased or something that you can do by using the ash or some other common material ?
if you don't answer soon - i guess i will have to go all the way over to startpage and look it up myself

startpage is google search results without the surveillance

Sorry,missed this some how. I was referring to home made pipe mud,made from tobacco ash or even wood ash and applied to the bottom to raise it or on the sides to cover burn damage to the briar.

I'd say if your Pete smokes to the bottom it can't be drilled much to high.

 

[edlogic]

There is not much difference in the distance the hole is from the bottom .
Using the same tobacco ...
On the Dublin it is about 3 mm from the bottom on the Pete it is about 2 mm from the bottom .

When I smoke the Dublin - it gets too wet and nasty way before it gets to the hole and I have to try using very dry tobacco on the bottom and I have to dig and pick at it to get it to breath and smoke when it gets to the bottom .
The Pete is so easy - I just smoke and tamp - I don't need dry tobacco nor do i need to pick at it . It gets strong towards the bottom but no problem smoking it down .
I tried packing it more loosely - that helps but not that much .
The only main difference I see is the size and shape of the bowl .

 

[edlogic]

@coalsmoke
it looks nice feels nice and smokes nice - the bowl seems a little small compared to the only other two pipes i have had - i recently threw the cheap first pipe in the garbage - it had a plastic tip and was busted from wear .
p s

as soon as i saw your name i thought of coal on the caboose at the railroad - i worked as a switchman for southern rr ( now norfolk southern ) back in the late ' 70 ' s and into the ' 80 ' s
do you remember cabooses ? with coal ?
nice postcard pics

 

[ohin3]

Didn't Erik Nording used to sell some sort of pipe stone that was meant to sit at the bottom of the bowl and absorb moisture? I have never had a problem with smoking to the bottom of a bowl. If a pipe is drilled too high I just spend more time leaving tobacco and ash in the heel of the pipe till the cake builds high enough to correct the problem. I keep the walls trimmed till the heel cake is thick enough and then resume regular reaming details.

 

[jchaplick]

Didn't Erik Nording used to sell some sort of pipe stone that was meant to sit at the bottom of the bowl and absorb moisture?

Ive heard that, but I have never actually seen one for sale anywhere

 

[steyrshrek]

it probably was like the lava rocks from the BBQ's

 

[edlogic]

steyrshrek wrote :

it probably was like the lava rocks from the BBQ's

that sounds like a really good idea to try

but on second thought - i don't think lava is porous - maybe it doesn't have to be
it seems like a piece of a clay pot would work

 

[steyrshrek]

Lava rock is porous, the greases from the BBQ soak into it. Now then there is the level of porosity I doubt you could suck though a big piece of lava rock but hey I've never tried it.

 

[edlogic]

i bet some of these guys could
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxPgdpIupz8&feature=fvwrel