When to dump the ash and light up again?

[DrHoo]

If you're smoking burning ash, you'll know it. I just turn the pipe over and let gravity do its work. I might occasionally, gently scrape some white ash off but I don't tap the bottom. Also, I want to enjoy the last third of the smoke but I'll rarely relight if it's gone out then. It's usually too wet and causes (me) tongue bite. Good luck

 

[Honkytonk Man]

Lately I’ve been trying something like this: when I can tell the bowl is going out I’ll use the poker to gently move the ash from the outside edge of bowl and the resulting increased air flow will often get it going again. Combined with a gentle tamp. This seems to cancel or reduce the need to dump ash. YMMV.

This seems to work better on my wider bowls. As long as I enjoy experimenting with different techniques I feel like I’m learning. Enjoy the process.

Yup, this is pretty much what I do too.

 

[Browny]

I've never dumped ash, just tamp down and re-light. I'll experiment with this and see what happens

+1
I just gently tamp and relight where necessary, then dump the bowl when I'm done.

The bowl size and amount of tobacco packed into it will change so much of anyone's technique.
Most of my pipes aren't too dissimilar in size, as a really rough gauge about the size of my thumb and 2/3 the length is the bowl size of probably half my pipes.
A really deep or wide pipe I'm sure would change my entire process.

Ultimately do what you feel is necessary to enjoy, or simply what you enjoy full stop, so you can enjoy yourself, no-one can say there is a solid right or wrong answer... Especially for this topic.