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Post by Quintsrevenge on Dec 31, 2018 14:58:06 GMT -5
Here's a thought regarding tamping... People do that prank when they light a paper bag full of dog poo put it on your doorstep (prob not in that order). Your instinct is to stamp it out, because stamping on burning paper puts out the fire. In the same way, tamping too hard will put out the fire. The point of tamping is to gently move the hot ember onto the unburnt tobacco below it so that it can catch fire too. Tamp too hard and you'll need to relight. Paddy, I never quite looked at tamping a pipe in that manner. You’ve added a totally new aspect on the theory 👍 Ted I concur |
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mectain
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Post by mectain on Dec 31, 2018 15:03:31 GMT -5
Thank you I felt like I just needed a direction to head in. I normally start looking and end up in a rabbit hole just bouncing from one to another and they all sound delicious. Oh, but isn't that the joy of the hobby? ;-) It ain't kind on your wallet, but it sure is fun. I've accumulated an absolute ton of blends over the last year - mostly by the single tin, and 2oz. samples. My celler is wide and shallow, but I can't help myself. There's just so much to try... It's gotten so bad in the last year that I got a wood lathe (free), bought a smaller metal lathe, and started making my own pipes. After making my pipe I actually want to get some un drilled blanks and totally make my own and I'm incredibly envious of a wood lathe. That would make it so much easier. What do you use for a polish? I was looking at halcyon 2. |
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Post by slowroll on Dec 31, 2018 15:19:03 GMT -5
mectain , if you have a buffer, there's no substitute for carnauba wax. If not, put a buffing wheel in a drill or on a grinder.
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mectain
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Post by mectain on Dec 31, 2018 15:21:35 GMT -5
I'll have to invest in a buffing wheel then. I want the best shine on it that I can.
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Post by Cramptholomew on Dec 31, 2018 15:44:51 GMT -5
I use Tripoli polish, White Diamond polish, and then Carnauba wax. I usually sand up to 600 grit, and no further. I've found that the Tripoli takes care of everything after that. I read somewhere that Tripoli is like 400 grit, but I don't think it's nearly that rough.
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Post by pepesdad1 on Dec 31, 2018 15:55:12 GMT -5
Mectain, where in Texas do you live...not looking to drop by for a visit...just curious. I love Texas and the food, the people are pretty great, too.
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mectain
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Post by mectain on Dec 31, 2018 15:57:02 GMT -5
Mectain, where in Texas do you live...not looking to drop by for a visit...just curious. I love Texas and the food, the people are pretty great, too. Not Texas. Indiana. Specifically northwest indiana exactly between south bend and chicago. |
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Post by daveinlax on Dec 31, 2018 16:06:27 GMT -5
I'll have to invest in a buffing wheel then. I want the best shine on it that I can. The fastest way to mess up a pipe is with a buffing wheel or a reamer. I use Renaissance Wax with a soft rag followed by a Dunhill polishing cloth and sandpaper instead of a reamer.  |
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Post by Cramptholomew on Dec 31, 2018 16:18:44 GMT -5
I'll have to invest in a buffing wheel then. I want the best shine on it that I can. The fastest way to mess up a pipe is with a buffing wheel or a reamer. I use Renaissance Wax with a soft rag followed by a Dunhill polishing cloth and sandpaper instead of a reamer. That's true for when you buy a pipe, but you have to polish it if you made it yourself. ;-) |
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Post by Legend Lover on Dec 31, 2018 19:09:58 GMT -5
mectain, two things... Regarding drying... I put enough to fill a bowl on a plate in the microwave on full power for about 10-15 seconds (I learned that here). It works well. As for tobacco choice...in your position I would check out samplers that retailers do. In the UK we can get 10 5g samples of the top aromatics, or English, or top sellers. There's enough for a couple of bowls. What you like you buy more of, what you don't you forget. But you've not wasted money. Just my $0.02.
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mectain
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Post by mectain on Dec 31, 2018 19:31:04 GMT -5
mectain, two things... Regarding drying... I put enough to fill a bowl on a plate in the microwave on full power for about 10-15 seconds (I learned that here). It works well. As for tobacco choice...in your position I would check out samplers that retailers do. In the UK we can get 10 5g samples of the top aromatics, or English, or top sellers. There's enough for a couple of bowls. What you like you buy more of, what you don't you forget. But you've not wasted money. Just my $0.02. I'll try that microwave trick tomorrow. I left about enough for a bowl sit out for a half hr and it seemed to burn better. And I'm tracking down some sampler packs online. I've got a CAO one coming Friday. |
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Post by slowroll on Jan 2, 2019 18:07:45 GMT -5
I'll have to invest in a buffing wheel then. I want the best shine on it that I can. The fastest way to mess up a pipe is with a buffing wheel or a reamer. I use Renaissance Wax with a soft rag followed by a Dunhill polishing cloth and sandpaper instead of a reamer. I agree a reamer is dangerous, but I light hand with a buffer is no problem at all. I've been using a buffer for years and have caused no problems on mine or customer's pipes. It only takes a light brushing across the wheel to work wonders. Hold tight and buff light. |
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Post by Dramatwist on Jan 2, 2019 18:11:10 GMT -5
The fastest way to mess up a pipe is with a buffing wheel or a reamer. I use Renaissance Wax with a soft rag followed by a Dunhill polishing cloth and sandpaper instead of a reamer. I agree a reamer is dangerous, but I light hand with a buffer is no problem at all. I've been using a buffer for years and have caused no problems on mine or customer's pipes. It only takes a light brushing across the wheel to work wonders. Hold tight and buff light. IMHO, the buffer and the reamer arch-enemies to a pipe. |
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Post by sperrytops on Jan 2, 2019 18:34:43 GMT -5
Some folks feel they need to break in a pipe, some don't. Briar Blues (YouTube and website) says he never breaks in pipes. He smokes a lot of Castellos. Others break in with a thin film of honey on the inside of the bowl to accelerate carbonization. I would be more inclined to break in if I smoked aromatics. Otherwise I don't really break in my pipes and I smoke Virginia blends and English blends, with an emphasis on flakes. If you use a relatively dry tobacco (not too dry) you can smoke to the bottom of the bowl and that's all you really want to do.
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Post by slowroll on Jan 2, 2019 18:52:36 GMT -5
I agree a reamer is dangerous, but I light hand with a buffer is no problem at all. I've been using a buffer for years and have caused no problems on mine or customer's pipes. It only takes a light brushing across the wheel to work wonders. Hold tight and buff light. IMHO, the buffer and the reamer arch-enemies to a pipe. Well, if you put grinding compound on the buffer, yes  |
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Post by johnlawitzke on Jan 4, 2019 22:53:52 GMT -5
Mectain, where in Texas do you live...not looking to drop by for a visit...just curious. I love Texas and the food, the people are pretty great, too. Not Texas. Indiana. Specifically northwest indiana exactly between south bend and chicago. How far are you from Ft. Wayne? Riegel's is a good shop there with three locations. I believe that the downtown location is the best one followed by the SW location. scrooge can probably comment on Riegel's better than I can since I live 100 miles from there and only get there every 2 or 3 years. |
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mectain
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Post by mectain on Jan 4, 2019 23:06:13 GMT -5
I'm about 2 hrs away from ft. Wayne. I'm going to try and visit iwan ries. I'm only a short train ride from them.
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glassjapan
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Post by glassjapan on Jan 5, 2019 17:08:12 GMT -5
The first commission I did with Rad Davis, I asked him was there any break in advice he can suggest. He said smoke it lol. Smoke a couple of bowls a day for a few days and then give it a rest for a little while. That has worked well for me. Since I can puff a little too quick sometimes, the only thing I would add is the first few bowls, smoke s l o w l y.
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Post by Dramatwist on Jan 5, 2019 17:17:04 GMT -5
The first commission I did with Rad Davis, I asked him was there any break in advice he can suggest. He said smoke it lol. Smoke a couple of bowls a day for a few days and then give it a rest for a little while. That has worked well for me. Since I can puff a little too quick sometimes, the only thing I would add is the first few bowls, smoke s l o w l y. ...we generally fret a bit much about breaking in our briars... put the tobacco in, light it up and puff... not much more to it than that... |
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mectain
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Post by mectain on Jan 5, 2019 18:03:10 GMT -5
I think the biggest thing is to remember to smoke slowly and if I relight then so be it. I also tried the microwave trick and that worked out really well.
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Post by Legend Lover on Jan 5, 2019 18:12:55 GMT -5
I think the biggest thing is to remember to smoke slowly and if I relight then so be it. I also tried the microwave trick and that worked out really well. I'm glad the microwave worked for you. |
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mectain
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Post by mectain on Jan 6, 2019 1:22:28 GMT -5
Just wondering and I know that all tobacco will have a different sweet spot for moisture but what kind of texture am I looking for when drying the tobacco out? Any solid comparisons for me to make?
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Post by roadsdiverged on Jan 6, 2019 1:35:06 GMT -5
For me dryness is different for different blends. I like some of them bone dry and some of them dry to the point right before it gets crispy. Other times I'm in a rush to get out the door so I just pack and go. If some are too wet they burn my mouth, if some are too dry they lose some of their flavor.
Try a blend several times with different dryness. You'll find its sweet spot.
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Post by Legend Lover on Jan 6, 2019 11:15:32 GMT -5
Just wondering and I know that all tobacco will have a different sweet spot for moisture but what kind of texture am I looking for when drying the tobacco out? Any solid comparisons for me to make? Here are my thoughts on the matter... If you can roll a pinch into a ball and it kinda stays that way, of it you pinch it and it sticks together then it's proabably too wet. If you pinch some and it crumbles then it's too dry. The sweet-spot is somewhere in between. Where in between is a matter of personal preference, but I've found that most people would prefer it on the drier side of that spectrum. |
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