Bartlett Upside Down Pipe
I have a thing for odd ball pipes and have been eying Bartletts for a while. I recently picked this one up
.http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d...psigekigrc.jpg
The Bartlett has a screen in the bottom and a screw on cap on top. The pipe is filled from the top, lit from the bottom, and smoked so the tobacco burns from the bottom up.
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d...pscum6yuya.jpg
From what I have read the idea behind the design was to eliminate gurgle. I have also heard it was designed to be a “rainy day” pipe and would stay lit in inclement weather.
The above pics were taken prior to cleaning up so lets see how she turned out.
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d...psvkzo3xck.jpg
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d...psv888qjkc.jpg
So the big question, how does it smoke?
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d...psnvu7bqre.jpg
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d...pssb6bmmga.jpg
I have smoked two bowls so far, one PS Cube Cut and another PA. From my experience so far, this design is a bust. The first ¼ of the bowl smokes OK, but losing the ability to tamp makes keeping it lit after that point a real pain. I will have to play around with packing technique and also try it out as an outdoor pipe on windy days. It's a neat idea and I haven't completely given up on it yet but this one may end up being a shelf queen.
