Why the thick cake?

[Chasing Embers]

All silliness aside, I like a cake in mine. Just seems part of the game.

 

[pipeman7]

Anytime I try to ream my pipes, using a variety of different reamers, the cake just breaks off in chunks and the inside of the bowl looks like skateboard griptape or black sandpaper. But the real problem is the cake seems to break off with parts off the briar, past the point where the cake starts and the briar ends. It's usually giant chunks around the rim. Ive basically just given up reaming because it seems to ruin the pipe

 

[Chasing Embers]

I just use a pen knife for reaming.

 

[cigrmaster]

I use a pipe knife to ream. I have found I can control that better than the Senior Reamer I used to use.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I like pen and clip blades like this.

 

[cigrmaster]

chasing, my knife is much duller than yours. I would never use something that sharp as I know I would cut a finger off.

 

[pipeman7]

But using a knife the cake still brakes off in big chunks usually around the rim that takes pieces of briar with it

 

[hawky454]

chasing, my knife is much duller than yours. I would never use something that sharp as I know I would cut a finger off.

Yeah, I use a pen knife too and I just took the tip to my sanding wheel to round it off so as to be on the safe side. I use a Senior Reamer from time to time too.

 

[jpmcwjr]

But using a knife the cake still brakes off in big chunks usually around the rim that takes pieces of briar with it

Use sandpaper rolled around a dowel. Sounds like the cake is soft and crumbly. You don't want crumby cake!

 

[Chasing Embers]

I lay the blade flat against the bowl, and turn the pipe around the blade. No chunks here, just fine black powder.

 

[kangaroo]

But using a knife the cake still brakes off in big chunks usually around the rim that takes pieces of briar with it

This tool is a must-have in my kit. The curved side of the spoon works perfect with any part of the chamber, its edge is not too sharp as a reamer, not too round as a Czech pipe tool. Gently twist/rub off all the crumby parts then i have the perfect cake, which is lesser than a dimp worth.
To the thicker cakes, Jpmcwjr once given me the advice about sandpapers and now to you. He's right, sandpapers (400 to 1500 grit) worked just fine.

 

[kangaroo]

I don’t keep any cake whatsoever in my pipes. After each bowl, I wipe out the chamber with a half sheet of paper towel, the insides of the bowl are carbonized and that’s it! I’ve never had a crack, burn through etc. no trouble at all.

philobeddoe Sorry but i'm not clearly understand the "carbonized" part you mentioned. If you mean keep letting the wall surface burned into a carbon coat allover the wall then i'm not sure i can agree with that, because in my understanding the burning is uneven - according to the different softness of the wood and even grains. I can't control which area is being burned deeper and i belive that once the carbonized coat goes deeper, it may come the bitter taste. Couples of my early pipes had turned bitter when i hadn't know how to smoke and when i reamed all the carbon off, one looked like bomb craters, one liked a pot.
I didn't want to see that anymore so i practiced to smoke cooler. But however, to protect the briar from burning tobacco, i think a small amount of cake would do better than my control.

 

[Chasing Embers]

philobeddoe Sorry but i'm not clearly understand the "carbonized" part you mentioned.

It's just thin, dense cake. He doesn't let it get any thicker.

 

[kangaroo]

It's just thin, dense cake. He doesn't let it get any thicker.

Got it. Me still new to the word terms in the forum, and in English :lol:

 

[Chasing Embers]

That's okay, we have many different countries here, but we all speak pipe. :mrgreen: