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Post by Legend Lover on Feb 16, 2018 16:50:34 GMT -5
I've heard about briar pipes smoking better than others etc. etc., but when a cake is built up, esp a thick cake, does that not mean that the tobacco chamber is not wood anymore, but carbonised cake? And would that not serve to make any pipe with a cake smoke the same as any other pipe with a cake, regardless of the material used to make the pipe?
I'm assuming that's not the case so where I'm I going wrong in my analysis?
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Post by Deleted on Feb 16, 2018 17:47:37 GMT -5
No cake in my pipes. Only takes a Q-tip the next morning.
Meerschaums taught me the whole cake thing is bogus. My smokes and briar pipes are awesome without cake and appear no worse for the wear. The whole cake conspiracy seems to be a bogus excuse not to clean pipes IMHO.
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Post by papipeguy on Feb 16, 2018 17:55:10 GMT -5
I'm more or less with 10furlongs on this one. Many pipes come with a coating, another topic that gets pipe smokers going, so I never felt to need to add cake. The same for my uncoated bowls. About 3 bowls gets me where I want to be. I usually double up a pipe cleaner and swipe the bowl when it's cooled down.
I treat my morta pipes like meerschaums. No cake build up at all. To each his own, of course.
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Post by Dramatwist on Feb 16, 2018 18:27:02 GMT -5
No cake in my pipes. Only takes a Q-tip the next morning. Meerschaums taught me the whole cake thing is bogus. My smokes and briar pipes are awesome without cake and appear no worse for the wear. The whole cake conspiracy seems to be a bogus excuse not to clean pipes IMHO. No argument there. |
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Post by cigrmaster on Feb 16, 2018 18:27:13 GMT -5
I keep the cake in my pipes to about a dime's thickness. I smoke VA, Vaper and Vabur flakes 98 percent of the time. That type of tobacco builds a nice hard cake rather quickly. I have found that keeping my cake to a dimes worth gives me a cooler and more flavorful smoke. I also dedicate all of my pipes to certain categories of blends or in some instances one pipe only smokes one blend.
There is no right or wrong when it comes to cake. Some people don't want it, some do. It is not a big deal. The beauty of this pipe thing is we all have different ways of doing things that get us to the same place...enjoyment.
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Post by Dramatwist on Feb 16, 2018 18:29:31 GMT -5
Several of the hoary proclamations regarding *the proper* smoking of a pipe are, in my 45 years experience, sheepdip. YMMV...
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Post by Deleted on Feb 16, 2018 18:33:55 GMT -5
Before I even start on this, the two Meers I had for thirty years (bought new) have a cake in them. I didn't know anything other than "cake good". Those pipes smoke wonderfully. I do have some other pipes with little bits of cake here and there. I just wipe them out and if some stuff seems to build I let it build. However, some of my pipes clean out in total. I see no reason to change that.
I do what John does with a doubled up pipe cleaner.
Added repeat disclaimer before I duck: I am not advocating cake in a Meer. My recent Meers get the total clean
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Post by slowroll on Feb 16, 2018 18:42:29 GMT -5
Well, I observe that of my 60 - odd briars, all have cake in varying amounts, I only ream when it gets too thick, and all have discernable flavors and some are 40 years old and been reamed dozens of times. Somehow, a briar flavor effect seems to come thru, some better than others. And I greatly prefer briar to meer. Meers seem bland to me. So, I perceive a distinctiveness to briars, FWIW.
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steveinny
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Post by steveinny on Feb 16, 2018 18:48:35 GMT -5
I do not build carbon cake in my pipes. I prefer well seasoned pipes which are well smoked and the bowl swabbed with a doubled pipe cleaner. Kinda like a well seasoned cast iron frying pan.
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Post by Dramatwist on Feb 16, 2018 18:51:05 GMT -5
I do not build carbon cake in my pipes. I prefer well seasoned pipes which are well smoked and the bowl swabbed with a doubled pipe cleaner. Kinda like a well seasoned cast iron frying pan. Perfect analogy. |
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Post by That Falls Guy on Feb 16, 2018 19:46:18 GMT -5
That is a great question!
From my (somewhat limited) experience, I ask that of some pipes, especially those with thinner bowls. They usually smoke hot at first, but often a build up a cake ( given proper smoking technique) does make a difference. Sometimes not, but nonetheless worth a try! Can anyone else relate to this?
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Post by slowroll on Feb 16, 2018 19:51:13 GMT -5
That is a great question! From my (somewhat limited) experience, I ask that of some pipes, especially those with thinner bowls. They usually smoke hot at first, but often a build up a cake ( given proper smoking technique) does make a difference. Sometimes not, but nonetheless worth a try! Can anyone else relate to this? Yep, as I posted above. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 16, 2018 20:32:55 GMT -5
I know where I stand on this. A year ago, I reamed my entire rotation and every pipe smoked lousy. I'll trim speed bumps at the top of the bowl periodically, but now proceed cautiously, when cutting back cake.
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Post by trailboss on Feb 16, 2018 20:58:15 GMT -5
I know where I stand on this. A year ago, I reamed my entire rotation and every pipe smoked lousy. I'll trim speed bumps at the top of the bowl periodically, but now proceed cautiously, when cutting back cake. I came to the same conclusion.... Words of wisdom.... There is so many aspects of the hobby where this is true, I think that is the appealing aspect of it all.....about the only thing you can get a broad consensus on it seems is keep the torch lighters away from the pipes! |
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Post by Matthew on Feb 16, 2018 21:13:42 GMT -5
I don't worry about cake build up.After the pipe cools
down, I take a pipe knife and give it a quick scrape
to get the ash and dottel. Run a PC in the bit and shank
and call it good.About once a year I'll clean all my
briars back to bare wood.Also if a pipe starts to taste
off I'll clean it back to wood and an overnight salt/vinager
treatment.But,everyday smoking in meers or briars I don't
really taste a difference with or without a cake.
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Post by Legend Lover on Feb 17, 2018 3:09:43 GMT -5
Really interesting responses. Thank you.
I'm not terribly concerned about cake build-up. I usually double up a pile cleaner myself after a smoke.
It's interesting that some notice the briar affecting the smoke even with a cake and others don't notice much difference.
Maybe with the low end pipes that don't smoke great, a small bit of cake might make the smoke better, but with high end pipes it's not an issue.
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Post by haebar on Feb 17, 2018 10:10:34 GMT -5
I try to keep a modest cake in my briars to protect the wood from burning. I wipe out the bowls after each smoke with a wadded up paper towel to get the ash out.
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Post by Matthew on Feb 17, 2018 20:49:10 GMT -5
Like pipers,all pipes are different.There may still be some sap or moisture in the
wood.It my be the coating used,or the thickness of that coating.Treat your pipes like
a new associate.Get to know them,their quirks and strengths.Find out which blend sings
in which pipe.Or in my case,smoke em and RELAX.The most thought I put into my pipe smoking
is deciding which blend.The rest is instinct.Pack,light,smoke,relight,smoke some more,dump
the ash and dottle,find next pipe and blend for sacrifice.
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Post by Dramatwist on Feb 17, 2018 21:35:06 GMT -5
Like pipers,all pipes are different.There may still be some sap or moisture in the wood.It my be the coating used,or the thickness of that coating.Treat your pipes like a new associate.Get to know them,their quirks and strengths.Find out which blend sings in which pipe.Or in my case,smoke em and RELAX.The most thought I put into my pipe smoking is deciding which blend.The rest is instinct.Pack,light,smoke,relight,smoke some more,dump the ash and dottle,find next pipe and blend for sacrifice. ...yes, that... |
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Post by danno44 on Feb 18, 2018 4:55:25 GMT -5
I do not build carbon cake in my pipes. I prefer well seasoned pipes which are well smoked and the bowl swabbed with a doubled pipe cleaner. Kinda like a well seasoned cast iron frying pan. Perfect analogy. I respectfully disagree. That example actually is a case for pipe cake. Cast iron that is properly “seasoned”, is a polymerized coating of fats/oils, that over time are layered over the raw cast iron and/or carbon steel. The seasoning has 2 primary reasons 1. Help protect the pan from rusting 2. Provides a non stick surface (if seasoning is built properly) Besides personal experience here is a source.* en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seasoning_(cookware)As for pipe cake, don’t care one way or the other. It occurs and I maintain it when it is present. *i know bad to source Wikipedia, however this does address the issue pretty well for a change. |
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Post by Wolfman on Feb 19, 2018 15:45:51 GMT -5
I don't worry about cake build up.After the pipe cools down, I take a pipe knife and give it a quick scrape to get the ash and dottel. Run a PC in the bit and shank and call it good.About once a year I'll clean all my briars back to bare wood.Also if a pipe starts to taste off I'll clean it back to wood and an overnight salt/vinager treatment.But,everyday smoking in meers or briars I don't really taste a difference with or without a cake. Could you kindly explain how to apply the salt/vinegar treatment? |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2018 17:01:01 GMT -5
Wolfman - you can also use white vinegar & cotton balls. Fill bowl with cotton, saturate with vinegar, let soak 6-8 hours. Pull cotton and let bowl air dry. This method will chase a lot of ghosting. Another method is damp coffee grounds. Fill bowl and let dry.Dump and wipe bowl of any residue. First method rids heavy ghosting, the coffee works for less severe cases (and is also convenient).
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2018 17:20:17 GMT -5
Maybe.
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Post by Matthew on Feb 19, 2018 17:46:53 GMT -5
I don't worry about cake build up.After the pipe cools down, I take a pipe knife and give it a quick scrape to get the ash and dottel. Run a PC in the bit and shank and call it good.About once a year I'll clean all my briars back to bare wood.Also if a pipe starts to taste off I'll clean it back to wood and an overnight salt/vinager treatment.But,everyday smoking in meers or briars I don't really taste a difference with or without a cake. Could you kindly explain how to apply the salt/vinegar treatment? Wolfman - you can also use white vinegar & cotton balls. Fill bowl with cotton, saturate with vinegar, let soak 6-8 hours. Pull cotton and let bowl air dry. This method will chase a lot of ghosting. Another method is damp coffee grounds. Fill bowl and let dry.Dump and wipe bowl of any residue. First method rids heavy ghosting, the coffee works for less severe cases (and is also convenient). Only reason I stick with salt is I always have salt on hand.Cotton balls are a specific purchase if I can remember them.I usually let it sit 18 to 24 hours, but not sure just how much of a difference it makes. Thanks for the tip on coffee grounds,I put about a cup down drains to keep them smelling fresh,great for cleaning out a sink disposal.And since I go thru about 4 pots of coffee a day,I have plenty of coffee grounds to work with. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2018 17:56:19 GMT -5
@matthew- that is my timeframe too with salt. Though it has never happened, I am always paranoid that the salt will expand and crack a bowl.
* I recycle cotton from pill & vitamin bottles.
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Post by Matthew on Feb 19, 2018 18:02:24 GMT -5
@matthew- that is my timeframe too with salt. Though it has never happened, I am always paranoid that the salt will expand and crack a bowl. * I recycle cotton from pill & vitamin bottles. I've never had the salt expand,have to watch out for that.I haven't gotten a pill bottle with cotton in it in years.Around here they just quit doing that.Heck,even the Tylenol I get doesn't have it. |
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Post by Wolfman on Feb 19, 2018 21:08:31 GMT -5
Wolfman - you can also use white vinegar & cotton balls. Fill bowl with cotton, saturate with vinegar, let soak 6-8 hours. Pull cotton and let bowl air dry. This method will chase a lot of ghosting. Another method is damp coffee grounds. Fill bowl and let dry.Dump and wipe bowl of any residue. First method rids heavy ghosting, the coffee works for less severe cases (and is also convenient). Thank you for the info. Going to try the coffee method first. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 20, 2018 0:02:21 GMT -5
addendum: the vinegar method was suggested by darkflake over at the other place.
the coffee ground fix is from the owner/founder of Peretti's.
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Post by slowroll on Feb 20, 2018 0:21:34 GMT -5
I've done the coffee grounds soak with success, and for really vile ghosts or sour when doing a restoration, I soak with 95 % everclear alcohol and salt. Also had success with coarse ground activated charcoal in the bowl and baked for about 4 hours at 180-ish F. I've heard of the vinegar routine, but I'm skeptical. I'd be afraid of a vinegar ghost. If ya think McClellands tobac smells like ketchup, what's a pipe that been soaked in vinegar gonna smell/taste like?
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Post by Deleted on Feb 20, 2018 15:18:36 GMT -5
I've done the coffee grounds soak with success, and for really vile ghosts or sour when doing a restoration, I soak with 95 % everclear alcohol and salt. Also had success with coarse ground activated charcoal in the bowl and baked for about 4 hours at 180-ish F. I've heard of the vinegar routine, but I'm skeptical. I'd be afraid of a vinegar ghost. If ya think McClellands tobac smells like ketchup, what's a pipe that been soaked in vinegar gonna smell/taste like? the cotton will reak of vinegar, but airing the bare pipe an hour or so yields a smoke free of vinegar aroma. Wouldn't make much sense to replace one ghost with another. |
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