What should I do (bad pipe)?

[juni]

This

is the one pipe I just can't smoke. It smokes really hot and gurgly no matter what I do. It is the only estate pipe I ever bought so I didn't invest a lot of money in it.
I was thinking it could perhaps be improved if I sawed the bowl in half (it has a huge bowl) and maybe tried stripping the stain and redoing the finish (for aesthetic purposes).
How do you strip old stain from a pipe and how do you re-apply new stain (what do you use for staining?)? I'm sure UA has some hints and tips. I don't have a lot of tools at hand.

 

[unclearthur]

You can probably strip the pipe with high proof alcohol. I use leather dye exclusively for staining. Try A different packing style. That may help.

 

[juni]

You just paint it on?

 

[cortezattic]

Rather than shorten the bowl I would suggest that you leave the pipe intact and fill it only half way.

The length of the shank promotes significant cooling of the smoke stream, and moisture precipitates out readily.

This may be the problem, and it will help if you dry-out your tobacco first. If you smoke in a humid environment

smoking ½-bowls will reduce the amount of moisture laden air that is involved in combustion.

You might also check the bit to see if its inside diameter is too narrow and constricts the smoke stream, causing

the condensation. If so you could open it up a little with a reamer. That's a beautiful pipe. I wouldn't alter it too much.

 

[juni]

It looks much better in the picture than in real life. You can't see the fills and other little things wrong with it. I've tried every packing method I can think of (and drying the tobacco).

 

[cortezattic]

Well, it's not like you just fell off the truck. Maybe it's just a clunker (and the reason it became an estate pipe). I think I'd put it on eBay before I did anything to it.

 

[juni]

Pass the damage to the next guy. :lol:
I have enough pipes in my rotation, it just irks me that this one is so unusable.

 

[juozapas]

Don't use it, it's not going to be healhty. As they say, "you get what you pay for". You never know what chemicals are used to finish the pipe.

 

[marke]

No, no, no. Just get some of those little round pipe screens for a couple of bucks and install one about 2/3 of the way down the bowl. That will make a cooling chamber for the smoke. Don't draw as hard either.

 

[dd951]

LOL I have A pipe that is just A couple or three pieces of briar held together with A lot of filler, one of my best smoking pipes, not the prettest, but damn it is A smoker, probably one of my top 3

 

[cyndi]

Thread a thin chain through it and hang it from your Christmas tree. No reason in smoking a bad pipe!

 

[unclearthur]

My first thought on this one was pass the pain on. No point in fretting over a clunker.

 

[group4]

We are only guaranteed so many smokes in this life; don't waste any on a bad pipe.

 

[bubbadreier]

Yeah pass it here! I will smoke that thing into submission! :twisted:

 

[puffy]

W.O.W ..It would be a shame to ruin such a beautiful pipe.Get a very mild blend and try somking once in a while Believe it or not I stuck with one pipe seven years because it was a good name brand,and really pretty.I couldn't bring myself to get rid of it.Now it smokes great.I also tried that with another good quality pipe and eventualy got rid of it.It doesn't always work but that's a great looking pipe.It's worth a try.

 

[wannafly34]

I like the Christmas ornament idea...

 

[juni]

I've mudded the bottom already, and also the sides since they were badly charcoaled. I think I'll stick it in the back of my pipe shelf and forget about it for a few years, although the xmas ornament thing sounds fun. :lol:

 

[unclearthur]

Good plan!

 

[hauntedmyst]

It is a beautiful pipe and would be a shame to let it go. If its gurgling, try a simple (but requires a delicate hand) fix. Most of the time, I find pipes that smoke hot and gurgle aren't drilled open enough. Remove the bit and run some drill bits through the shank until you find one that can't go through. Slowly drive that bit through the shank until you reach the bowl. You have to watch that you don't go too far. Now open the bit up a bit with the same drill bit and using thumb files, open the airway slightly. Its always worked for me.

 

[portascat]

hell, let me try it for a while and give you a second opinion....