White Ash Mid Smoke?

[cstrat1985]

EDIT: Fixed Capitalization in Title (See Rule 9)

Hi fellow pipers,

Quick question around mid smoke ash. As still quite a new pipe smoker I have always wondered what is the best way to deal with mid smoke ash. The main reason I bring the question up is that when I smoke and get to sort of just past half bowl, I always wonder what is best to do with the dry white fine ash.

It tends to sort of cover the hot embers and can sometimes stifle the combustion. I generally just flick my wrist let is escape the bowl that seems to work ok tobacco stays put and the embers are exposed to the air a bit. I was wondering is there a better or proper way of dealing with it?

Any info or methods people use would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

UK Piper France

 

[Capt Morgan]

I have often wondered the same thing.

 

[cstrat1985]

I have often wondered the same thing.

Thanks good to hear its not just me

 

[Capt Morgan]

I tend to dump mine about halfway for the same reasons. My bowls usually go out at the half way mark, I had just assumed it was the build of ash.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

For me, it depends on the blend. A heavy burley or cigar blend might need a mid-bowl dump sometimes, but a Virginia seems to do just fine for me all the way to the bottom. I think the density of the leaf has something to with it for me. YMMV

But, when I have to, I just knock the pipe on the knocker, the heel of my boot, or just stir a little and turn the bowl over. I don't really have all of the tobacco spill out, because it becomes a tad compressed.

But, most of the time, I can just keep tapping the ash down with my tamper. I am a clencher and would much rather not remove my pipe from my mouth to piddle with it at all.

 

[scloyd]

I often dump the ash with a light tap on the palm of my hand.

 

[Magpiety]

I tend to dump it and relight when it tastes ashy, but that's not because I learned it from anyone skillful. Just a habit at this point, maybe I should unlearn it.

 

[NomadOrb]

I tap and dump or stir and dump.

 

[fightnhampster]

I tamp it down a little after breaking it up a bit with a match stick. For the last 3rd I break it up a little and then turn the pipe upside down over the ash tray. I dont flick or bump it, just let gravity take what it will.

Otherwise I don't worry about it unless I get to where I am having trouble keeping it lit.

 

[SoliDeoGloria]

I'm still quite new myself, and during my first forays I was rather obsessively dumping the ash, especially mid-bowl. As I'm learning how to "father the flame," I'm finding that leaving the ash altogether or a *slight* reduction in ash with a light "gravity dump" is working best for me. As long as it's not tasting "ashy"...which most of the time it isn't...a light tamp with just the weight of the tamper tends to keep the ember going better than removing all ash presence.

Again, I'm still learning too, but I find that the presence of ash and light tamping keeps things going with minimal relights. Your mileage may vary according to the blend, as cosmic mentioned.

 

[madox07]

Hmmm like Cosmic said, it truly depends on the blend. For me Lakelands almost all the time need a mid to 3/4 of a bowl ash dumping, otherwise I find that I need to keep relighting it, even more so available for lakeland flakes. Other than that, I may dump some ash during a smoke if the bowl is excessively large (which I rarely smoke out of). For dumping ash I use the pointy part of the pipe tool, I lightly poke the ash - by no means al the way down, and whatever turns loose I gently pour in the ash tray. I tamp lightly after that, and relight.

 

[lightxmyfire]

I will dump ash half way through and maybe once more right at the end of a smoke, but only if I feel like the ash is restricting the ember. So it’s not something I’m doing every smoke. I try to tamp carefully so it’s not getting to compacted, but I have found that larger bowls almost always need it no matter how soft I tamp. I imagine like a cigar that ash has to go somewhere but unlike a cigar it can’t with out some help.

I’ll use the poker tool on the Czech tool, I’ll stir the ash carefully and then just dump it. If there’s tobacco stuck to the sides of the bowl I’ll usually poke that down on top of the rest and re-light. That can also be a good opportunity to loosen the tobacco if it’s gotten too compacted as well.

I have on occasion had trouble keeping a smoke lit, done this and found that from 1/2 the bowl all the way down to less than 1/4 is ash. Which is oddly satisfying.

 

[sumusfumus]

My habit is to tamp down the fluffy ash, gently invert my pipe and let any of the really loose, just tamped ash.... just fall away. It's easy, and quickly becomes a habit. My pipe stays lit from char-light to bottom.

And, btw, I NEVER smoke all the way to the bottom...."to a fine white ash". Why? The last bits of burnt tobacco, taste rank, ashy, and disgusting. Relighting the bottom few shreds of tobacco ain't worth the distinct possibility of charring the heel, and opening up heat cracks, and a tongue full of burnt gritty ash.. Tobacco is cheap. I dump the last of the tobacco charge when it goes out. But hey, that's just me.

The way to go: ..... let that mid-ash fall like gentle snow.

 

[bullet08]

Using spoon side of the pipe nail, nudge between chamber wall and the ash. It will loosen up the ash just enough to dump it without disturbing the ember.

 

[Sonorisis]

I dump about midway too. Doesn't work too well in a meer, which is slippery on the inside and usually releases the whole load when tipped over. Works best in a cob, which really 'hangs onto' the tobacco and allows for an easy dump of the ashes. The smoke always seems to improve by dumping the ash, often coming back to the original taste. It's hard to know how much to tamp after dumping the ash. I don't have that part down yet.

 

[sablebrush52]

Since I don’t smoke huge bowls and rarely ever have to relight, I don’t often have to deal with the ash.
When I become aware of it in some way interfering in my smoke, I dump it. Otherwise I leave it alone.

 

[mso489]

If I dump mid-bowl, I just turn the bowl over, over an ashtray, and let the loose ash drop out. I'd never rap it on the ashtray or a cork knocker. I only dump the ash if I can tell it is loose, soft, and spongy so it is smothering the ember, and that happens infrequently. Usually, the ash is light enough to tamp down and the ember can breathe. I can't remember getting an ashy taste.

 

[saltedplug]

In the Manner of Ash

1. too stupid to notice the accumulation of ash.
2. realizing that mid-bowl was probably a good time to do so.
3. dumping at that point but wearying of doing so.
4. noticing that improved tamping could replace dumping.
5. doing so with a finger, which was easier than bringing a tamper to the smoke and having to wield that implement.

 

[anotherbob]

Hi fellow pipers,

Quick question around mid smoke ash. As still quite a new pipe smoker I have always wondered what is the best way to deal with mid smoke ash. The main reason I bring the question up is that when I smoke and get to sort of just past half bowl, I always wonder what is best to do with the dry white fine ash.

It tends to sort of cover the hot embers and can sometimes stifle the combustion. I generally just flick my wrist let is escape the bowl that seems to work ok tobacco stays put and the embers are exposed to the air a bit. I was wondering is there a better or proper way of dealing with it?

Any info or methods people use would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

UK Piper France

I use a pipe tool. The pick part of it. The thing that's just a long piece of straight metal. I stir the ash very gently or more limp wristedly. Then turn the pipe upside down and shake it once very lightly. It doesn't get 100 percent of the ash but more then enough to eliminate any problems. Helps a lot.

 

[anotherbob]

I will dump ash half way through and maybe once more right at the end of a smoke, but only if I feel like the ash is restricting the ember. So it’s not something I’m doing every smoke. I try to tamp carefully so it’s not getting to compacted, but I have found that larger bowls almost always need it no matter how soft I tamp. I imagine like a cigar that ash has to go somewhere but unlike a cigar it can’t with out some help.

I’ll use the poker tool on the Czech tool, I’ll stir the ash carefully and then just dump it. If there’s tobacco stuck to the sides of the bowl I’ll usually poke that down on top of the rest and re-light. That can also be a good opportunity to loosen the tobacco if it’s gotten too compacted as well.

I have on occasion had trouble keeping a smoke lit, done this and found that from 1/2 the bowl all the way down to less than 1/4 is ash. Which is oddly satisfying.

a more detailed description of how I do it.