Pipe Smoking Taboos...A Beginners Guide

Pipe Smoking Taboos

There are a number of things that can ruin the first experiences of pipe smoking for beginners, causing them to be frustrated and perhaps even walk away before experiencing the real joy of the smoke.

Paraphrased from a larger article, some may find these tips helpful:

Heavy Hands (Part 1)

“The Devil’s Sledgehammer”

‘The sin that can ruin a pipe smoking experience faster than any other is heavy handedness. Even the experienced smoker can fall victim to zealous tamping, which can ruin a bowl soon after the first ember is ignited.

Pipe carver and smoker Achim Frank, father of the “Frank Method” of pipe loading, eschews tamping during most of the smoke. In fact, what he recommends is a procedure more akin to “grading” the top of the smoke, ever so gently leveling it off. Frank tamps only immediately after the charring light—then puts the tamper away.

"Don’t push the tamper, twist it. The tamper makes the ash flat. Flat ash is the best thing to light.", {source unknown)

When using Frank’s pipe-loading method, which allows a large pocket of air to remain in the bottom of the chamber, over-tamping can cause the load to collapse, requiring a complete reload. But smokers who use any number of pipe-loading methods favor this twist-tamping technique. The rationale is straightforward: A pipe should be properly loaded from the get-go with optimum airflow through the tobacco—before it is lit. Every time a smoker tamps, he threatens to alter the precise balance of air in the chamber that he worked so hard to achieve.'

Heavy Hands (Part 2)

“Pick and Shovel”

‘Heavy-handedness can also spell trouble for more than just your tobacco. Those small divots that sometimes appear along the chamber wall inside a bowl directly opposite the draft hole are more likely to have been excavated by the pointy metal tip of a pipe cleaner, rather than a slip by the pipe maker. A “heavy hand” jamming a pipe cleaner through the stem, the shank, and into the bowl, attempting to clear obstructions, and overshooting the mark, will burrow into the chamber wall time and time again.

In the “heavy hands” of a novice, a reaming tool can quickly demolish a pipe and annihilate its value. Reamers routinely raze the rims of pipes in record time or chisel a chamber until it is out-of-round. Pipemaker J.T. Cooke says it is far better to send the reaming tool itself to the scrap heap before winding up sending a fine smoking implement to the bone yard. Be careful and take the time to learn the proper techniques.

The most typical taboo involving “heavy hands” and beginning smokers is loading a pipe too tightly, an error to which veterans alike are prone on occasion.’

(to be continued)

Pipe Smoking Taboos (Part II)

"Harried Hands"

A pipe needs plenty of patience from its owner, before, during, and after the smoke.

"Give it a Rest"

‘Fresh tins of tobaccos often need time to air out a bit to reach an optimum humidity. A surefire way to fire up a severe case of tongue bite is by taking a ‘harried” approach to every step of loading and lighting a pipe. One should be cautious of popping open a fresh tin of the finest Virginia flake, allowing it no time to breathe, frantically rubbing it out, loading the bowl with reckless abandon, and taking a full flame to it while puffing furiously. Often, impatience with just one of these vitally important steps is enough to trouble the taste buds.’

“Lightning Strikes”

‘Some believe smokers should draw deeply and repeatedly with each light, igniting embers rather quickly. With this method, the first or second click of the lighter will accomplish the charring light.

Frank however, says the charring light should be achieved with five separate and very short lights. “Light the pipe for one second,” says Frank. “Do it five times. It is a controlled light. You do it five times to get the light deeper, one draw each time except the last light. The fifth time you light the pipe, you draw twice.” ’

“The Rim of Fire"

‘Another troublesome taboo that can take hold of a pipe smoker when lighting his instrument is charring the rim. Lackadaisical lighting can allow some of the flame to contact the rim. Over time, repeated exposure to a flame will discolor the finish with carbon deposits—or, in the worst case, even burn into the briar. To combat this distressing condition, Frank uses an exaggerated vertical lighting process.

With a pipe perched in his mouth, Frank prepares to draw. Holding his lighter away from the pipe and to the side, he ignites the lighter. Very cautiously, he positions the flame directly over the bowl at least six inches above the bowl and rim. As he begins to draw, Frank slowly lowers the lighter to the pipe so that the draft of his breath starts pulling the flame toward the center of the bowl. Well before the fire of the lighter reaches the bowl, it is pulled inward, away from the rim of the pipe and directly to the tobacco. As the fire stretches toward the tobacco and makes its first contact, Frank counts the single second required of his lighting process. He then clicks off the lighter as he pulls it back up, away from the pipe and to the side.

It takes patience and concentration to smoke a pipe properly and safeguard the fine qualities of your beloved pipe.’

“Keep the Bowl Rolling“

'Once a pipe is lit, try to keep it burning all the way to the bottom of the chamber. Impatience with completing a smoke fully will inhibit the process of building cake all the way to the chamber floor.'

“A Perfect Marriage”

'Impatience between smokes can diminish the quality of the next bowl and threaten the integrity of a pipe's craftsmanship. All proficient pipe makers spend considerable time and attention crafting a “perfect marriage” between mortise and tenon. A perilous "taboo" violated often by novice smokers and sometimes by impatient veterans, is failing to wait until a pipe has completely cooled before taking it apart for cleaning.

This may lead to a weakening of the tenon and mortise. Removing the stem and separating the tenon from the mortise while a pipe is still hot can disfigure the tenon’s shape—and even crack the shank.

Further, separating the two while warm may cause the tenon to cool too quickly, thus corrupting the precision of the connection. Worse yet, replacing a stem’s tenon into the mortise while it is hot or warm may cause the tenon to shrink as it burrows into the mortise, permanently disfiguring it.'


That all folks :pipe:

Good read, thanks!

Great info here for novices, and excellent reminders for the vets!

Frankly (heh heh) it sounds like this guy has too much time on his hands. One of those "my way is the only way" types who lists five steps when one will do. I remember how reassuring it is to have some sort of guidance when first starting out, but stuff like "five charring lights" is just silly.

His process is much more intricate than mine, but I think that is what makes it so great for a newbie. How many times to we get threads asking for this exact thing? The correct answer is to find what works for you, but for somebody completely fresh, they want specifics so they have a starting point.

One other taboo....don't smoke in the shower.....It get's your matches wet. :)