Some of my pipes need a cleaner to soak up the bubbling moist mid-bowl, while others stay dry for two bowls back to back. Maybe coincedentally, the dry ones tend to be more expensive, so what is it? the curing? Or some specific characteristics of the briar?
What Makes a Pipe Smoke Wet?
- Thread starter myhyeung
- Start date
SmokingPipes.com Updates
Watch for Updates Twice a Week
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
Site Sponsors
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
Basically, tobacco is wet. The reasons could the toppings, additive, and so on. But you can leave enough to smoke on paper plates and dry it before smoking. Which blends cause the problem?
I rotate between Elizabethan and Three nuns in different pipes. I smoke Three nuns considerabally wetter though, maybe that is the problem, will smoke two bowls of it in a "dry" pipe later. Will report back.
It's also possible that "wet" pipe has some issue. Might not be drilled properly, or there's some issue in draught. Some pipes also get better as time goes by. Others are just runts.
lots of things can lead to wet pipes. Including humidity in the atmosphere. Drilling of the pipe is my guess if one is good and the other is wet. Also cone shaped pipe chambers make tobacco get more damp too. It might not be the pipe being wrong though I have two pipe that are great but can get damp, it takes more care with packing but they do smoke great. Both have chambers that get smaller towards the bottom.
One thing to is material the pipes is made from. So why not tell us more about the pipes as well as the handsome dog in your profile pic too.
One thing to is material the pipes is made from. So why not tell us more about the pipes as well as the handsome dog in your profile pic too.
You have to have all three components dry in order to enjoy your pipe. Your tobacco must be dry enough to easily support combustion, your pipe must be dry enough to deal with combustion, and you must avoid send any fluids getting into the pipe (no drooling). Drying your tobacco properly can be kind of game you have to play before smoking a pipe. Be sure to take the tobacco out for the appropriate amount of time before smoking. This time can be anything form 10 minutes to many hours. If the pipe has any kind of moisture then get another pipe. That one will never dry out. When taking a draw on the pipe be sure you are not drooling in the pipe. If those things are okay and you're still experiencing moisture, then slow the hell down. Be sure you are not causing the problem by smoking you pipe too fast. That creates moisture and causes the pipe to smoke hot and can lead to moisture build up.
You can smoke tobacco that is bone dry, and moisture will still occur. The natural biproduct of combustion is H2O. But, mainly what makes a pipe smoke wet is turbulence in the stem. Bent stems, draft holes with spaces to create turbulence, smoking a bent pipe in cold weather can reduce all condensation out of the smoke. But, what makes the gurgles is mostly when the draft hole comes out into the chamber too low or dead bottom, where the droplets of condensation have nowhere to go or to drop to.
It seems that the notion of draft holes being dead bottom is what members here seem to look for in pipes, but these can also make the pipe very frustrating.
It seems that the notion of draft holes being dead bottom is what members here seem to look for in pipes, but these can also make the pipe very frustrating.
Poor pipe construction is often a reason for a wet smoke. If the draft hole is too low (slightly lower than the bottom of the bowl) moisture has the ability to collect in the low spot and create a gugrling. If the draft hole is too high in the bowl, there will always be a cool area (relatively speaking its cooler, because it is out of the direct path of the air/smoke being drawn through the bowl) at the bottom of the bowl that is a haven for moisture build up. Gaps in the internal mortise/tenon connection can collect moisture as well.
That being said, I notice when clenching a pipe while working, I will almost always have a wetter smoke (probably due to my own neanderthalic slobbering while not paying attention to the pipe). I have also found that smoking speed in a big contributer for a wet smoke and changes with the tobaccos and pipes I choose.
Sometimes it's the tobacco, especially some aromatics and other times it's just saliva with the latter being more readily resolved than the former.
This is almost exclusively caused by a poorly drilled pipe, or spit going down your stem.
Any harsh edges or tight bends will cause condensation in your pipe.
A needle file and some work can do wonders.
If I cannot fix a gurgler, I get rid of it.
Any harsh edges or tight bends will cause condensation in your pipe.
A needle file and some work can do wonders.
If I cannot fix a gurgler, I get rid of it.
In many cases it's the smoker smoking wet, saliva, exhaling ever so little, inadvertently back down the bit. If you are one of those generating a lot of saliva and keeping the pipe in the mouth, holding or clenching, you'll smoke wet.
.
.
Like others have already said, things are wet. Moisture is everywhere, it's in the tobacco, it's in the air that's being sucked into the bowl, it's in your breath as you draw or push back into the pipe. For example run a dehumidifier for a while and be awed at how much water it can suck out of just the air. Leave your tobacco out for a week and be dismayed at how it's turned into kindling.
You've got to be one slobbering dog to cause serious gurgle in a decent pipe with spit alone. A shoddy full-bent will mean you're going to fight an uphill battle but it can be won. Smoke somewhere dry, dry out your tobacco, and be careful not to blow back into the pipe if at all possible. No "breath method".
Google says Hong Kong is pretty humid in the summers and dryer in the winters so if you have a pipe that gurgles a lot maybe relegate it to a winter smoker. When looking at new pipes to buy stick to straights as they tend to be less prone to gurgling, or give in entirely and embrace the swamp with a Peterson System pipe.
You've got to be one slobbering dog to cause serious gurgle in a decent pipe with spit alone. A shoddy full-bent will mean you're going to fight an uphill battle but it can be won. Smoke somewhere dry, dry out your tobacco, and be careful not to blow back into the pipe if at all possible. No "breath method".
Google says Hong Kong is pretty humid in the summers and dryer in the winters so if you have a pipe that gurgles a lot maybe relegate it to a winter smoker. When looking at new pipes to buy stick to straights as they tend to be less prone to gurgling, or give in entirely and embrace the swamp with a Peterson System pipe.
Pipes with a very restrictive draw tend to smoke wetter, IMO.
Also, make sure your tobacco is dry, IMO.
I've started putting the IMO on the end so people with soft feelings dont get upset and cry. Haha
Also, make sure your tobacco is dry, IMO.
I've started putting the IMO on the end so people with soft feelings dont get upset and cry. Haha
1). Tobacco is too moist or have PG
2). Smoking too hot/ puffing excessively
3) A bent pipe
4). Pipe not drilled properly
5). Ambient humidity
6). Drooling
A few Nording Keystones, meerschaum bits, activated charcoal granules, bits of broken tile/terracotta flowerpot or rice grains at the bottom of the bowl will help
As will pipe cleaners.
Or filters
2). Smoking too hot/ puffing excessively
3) A bent pipe
4). Pipe not drilled properly
5). Ambient humidity
6). Drooling
A few Nording Keystones, meerschaum bits, activated charcoal granules, bits of broken tile/terracotta flowerpot or rice grains at the bottom of the bowl will help
As will pipe cleaners.
Or filters
This is what I have been searching the forum for. I get gurgle nearly every time I smoke. I've read that bent pipes are more susceptible because of gravity as are aromatics because of higher moisture content. That combination makes up about 95% of my smoking, but I have been convinced that it's me and my overactive saliva gland. I am working on frequency of the puffs and position of the pipe to combat it.
Gurgle happens more in bents than straights. I've semi-retired my Peterson Dracula 221 because it is a chronic gurgler; might drill out the draught hole a bit more in an unskilled, bodge-tastic manner, see if that cures it.
