When Building Cake

[Piperjd]

Do you all recommend the 1/4 bowl, 1/2 bowl, 3/4 bowl method? Or do you subscribe to fill it up and smoke it?

My current thing is half-3/4 full bowl. -> thumb over the top -> shake the ash around the bowl. -> gentle wipe out with a pipe cleaner to dry and get loose pieces, not to wipe off the ash on the bowl. Then clean the stem and put it up.

What do you old timers recommend?

 

[Waning Embers]

Or do you subscribe to fill it up and smoke it?

I just smoke them and build little to no cake.

shake the ash around the bowl. -> gentle wipe out with a pipe cleaner to dry and get loose pieces, not to wipe off the ash on the bowl. Then clean the stem and put it up.

Ash will build a fragile cake that will chip and fall away. Just wipe the chamber out with a paper towel.

 

[Piperjd]

I just smoke them and build little to no cake.



Ash will build a fragile cake that will chip and fall away. Just wipe the chamber out with a paper towel.

I just sent a DM. Frustrated

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

Full it up and smoke it. Have patience, given time, the cake will form. Over a longer time, you'll tire off removing the cake.

 

[georged]

Ream by scraping hard with a popsicle stick after every smoke.

Cake stays thin forever, and as smooth as an old time blackboard.

 

[sablebrush52]

Do you all recommend the 1/4 bowl, 1/2 bowl, 3/4 bowl method? Or do you subscribe to fill it up and smoke it?

My current thing is half-3/4 full bowl. -> thumb over the top -> shake the ash around the bowl. -> gentle wipe out with a pipe cleaner to dry and get loose pieces, not to wipe off the ash on the bowl. Then clean the stem and put it up.

What do you old timers recommend?

You're looking to build a thin hard insulator. Smoke full bowls. Wiping the chamber with a wad of paper toweling or scraping it with a Popsicle stick, will result over time in a nice thin layer of hardened carbon, rather than the thick, weak, ashy, flaky cake that used to be the norm.

 

[HeadMisfit]

Cake is for eating not your pipe.

Like today, smoked outside enjoyed the odd taste but very cool pipe. 33 out. When done the good in bowl was nice and warm, shook out the bottle. Wrapped paper towel on my finger and wiped it out. Last half after getting the paper towel spitty

 

[Lumbridge]

I subscribe to the simple approach of just smoking it and not bothering with building cake. I can't be bothered to baby my pipes and mess with reaming and cake building.

 

[Piperjd]

I subscribe to the simple approach of just smoking it and not bothering with building cake. I can't be bothered to baby my pipes and mess with reaming and cake building.

So do you just wipe it clean?

 

[Lumbridge]

So do you just wipe it clean?

Yeah, just like what others have said - dump the ash, swab it out with a paper towel. Builds a thin, hard carbon layer over time.

 

[Piperjd]

Yeah, just like what others have said - dump the ash, swab it out with a paper towel. Builds a thin, hard carbon layer over time.

Someone told me it would take like 100 bowls to get a good cake doing it that way, is that exaggeration?

 

[Lumbridge]

Someone told me it would take like 100 bowls to get a good cake doing it that way, is that exaggeration?

I'd say it isn't a "cake" so much as just a thin coating of carbonized and/or polymerized tobacco oils and other residues, not unlike the seasoning on a cast iron skillet. The point is to avoid heavy buildup. If you want cake, then don't wipe out the bowl.

 

[Piperjd]

I'd say it isn't a "cake" so much as just a thin coating of carbonized and/or polymerized tobacco oils and other residues, not unlike the seasoning on a cast iron skillet. The point is to avoid heavy buildup. If you want cake, then don't wipe out the bowl.

Well I guess my question is, is that the lighter color I’m seeing develop in my bowls? (Photo attached) and if so, how long does it normally take for that to extend enough to keep the bowl safe?

 

[Sig]

As others have said, build a thin, hard carbon layer over time. Briar is tough, you won't hurt it easily.
The build a cake "the thickness of a dime" thing will make your pipe sour, and stink. The "cake" in my pipes is so hard it needs to be chipped out if I want it out. It looks almost like shards of glass when removed.
I've been doing this for 3 decades with no ill effects. Keep the cake thin, and keep your pipe clean and dry, and it will never sour.
I almost never need to ream my pipes. I honestly cannot remember the last time.
Like most things with pipe smoking, dont over think it. I run a pipe cleaner and swab the bowl with a twisted paper towel after every bowl.

 

[Lumbridge]

Well I guess my question is, is that the lighter color I’m seeing develop in my bowls? (Photo attached) and if so, how long does it normally take for that to extend enough to keep the bowl safe?

The chamber - the inside of the bowl - will turn black from use. It's hard to tell from the photo, but it looks like the chamber did not have a factory coating on it and it's bare briar at the bottom. There's nothing wrong with uncoated bowls. As long as you don't smoke the pipe very fast and hot or in the wind, you don't need to worry about heat damage. Briar is pretty resilient.

But you're saying that the lighter color has developed as you use the pipe?

 

[Piperjd]

As others have said, build a thin, hard carbon layer over time. Briar is tough, you won't hurt it easily.
The build a cake "the thickness of a dime" thing will make your pipe sour, and stink. The "cake" in my pipes is so hard it needs to be chipped out if I want it out. It looks almost like shards of glass when removed.
I've been doing this for 3 decades with no ill effects. Keep the cake thin, and keep your pipe clean and dry, and it will never sour.
I almost never need to ream my pipes. I honestly cannot remember the last time.
Like most things with pipe smoking, dont over think it. I run a pipe cleaner and swab the bowl with a twisted paper towel after every bowl.

Can you look above. Is that the lighter color layer I’m seeing at the bottom of the bowl? My cleaning routine has always been smoke, dump, wipe out with a paper towel until it comes out essentially clean, cleaner down the stem and move on.

 

[Sig]

Can you look above. Is that the lighter color layer I’m seeing at the bottom of the bowl? My cleaning routine has always been smoke, dump, wipe out with a paper towel until it comes out essentially clean, cleaner down the stem and move on.

That looks about like my pipes. Eventually the bowl will have a shiny look to it. Thats the "carbon" layer. That is plenty to protect the pipe.
I've known guys who scrape their pipes to nearly bare wood with a knife every month.

 

[Piperjd]

The chamber - the inside of the bowl - will turn black from use. It's hard to tell from the photo, but it looks like the chamber did not have a factory coating on it and it's bare briar at the bottom. There's nothing wrong with uncoated bowls. As long as you don't smoke the pipe very fast and hot or in the wind, you don't need to worry about heat damage. Briar is pretty resilient.

But you're saying that the lighter color has developed as you use the pipe?

Yes, in almost every pipe I have. That was a Peterson, so I’m sure it had a coat, I’ll dig out some old kaywoodies and show you as well (photos attached) bear in mind I was always so scared of burning these things out that I swapped around a lot and I think I’d say I don’t have a pipe with more than 15 smokes max. But this is the color that has started to develop on all my pipes after a few smokes. — the first photo of the black one is a moonshine Devil dog that has exactly 10 smokes through it, the last black one is a 2021 pipe of the year from Peterson with 2 smokes

 

[Piperjd]

That looks about like my pipes. Eventually the bowl will have a shiny look to it. Thats the "carbon" layer. That is plenty to protect the pipe.
I've known guys who scrape their pipes to nearly bare wood with a knife every month.

Awesome this helps a lot, attached more photos of various pipes under your last post also.

 

[Sig]

Awesome this helps a lot, attached more photos of various pipes under your last post also.

Just keep going. Eventually the lighter parts will catch up.