dom93
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First Name: Domenico
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Post by dom93 on Sept 28, 2020 16:12:10 GMT -5
Hi All,
I know it may be a silly question but I'll make it anyway.
When I smoke one of my pipes I have always the feeling that it is burning much more in the center and the surface of the tobacco doesn't burn homogeneously. It is not something exaggerated but it is also not rare that at half of the bowl I take out some of the ash and I flat the surface again.
What do you think?
Dom
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Post by Legend Lover on Sept 28, 2020 16:45:31 GMT -5
I think, when we light the pipe at the start, it's easier to get the flame across the top. But when you're sucking through the pipe, I would think that the air flow would be chanelled from the air on top of the tobacco to the hole at the bottom of the pipe - like a whirlpool. And where the airflow is, the oxygen is, so the tobacco in the middle of the bowl will get most airflow and hence burn more than the sides.
Half way down, during a relight, the flame doesn't get the chance to cover the top of the tobacco in the same way, and so the heat from the flame is directed through that 'whirlpool' even more, and the middle of the bowl gets fired up more.
That's just my analysis of what's going on. I could be way off.
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Post by lizardonarock on Sept 28, 2020 22:59:23 GMT -5
I don't know and I am sticking to it.
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Post by mrlunting on Sept 29, 2020 1:29:57 GMT -5
The tobacco burning in the middle of the pipe heats the tobacco around the side of the bowl. Thus heating the oils in the tobacco. Thus giving off flavor and the aroma.
The way I look at it. Nothing to worry about you are doing just fine!
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dom93
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First Name: Domenico
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Post by dom93 on Sept 29, 2020 2:06:05 GMT -5
Thank you, pals, all of your explanations seems perfectly reasonable to me. I like the concept of the whirlpool and also the idea that the aromas are released by a kind of "slower" combustion. We can say that the ring of tobacco around the centerline of the whirlpool is facing a kind of "carbonization" or "pyrolysis"? I was wondering if this feature would cause some kind of uneven coating jacket inside the bowl, maybe thick at the bottom and very thin on the side. But from your answers, I guess it is normal.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 30, 2020 2:36:31 GMT -5
Thank you, pals, all of your explanations seems perfectly reasonable to me. I like the concept of the whirlpool and also the idea that the aromas are released by a kind of "slower" combustion. We can say that the ring of tobacco around the centerline of the whirlpool is facing a kind of "carbonization" or "pyrolysis"? I was wondering if this feature would cause some kind of uneven coating jacket inside the bowl, maybe thick at the bottom and very thin on the side. But from your answers, I guess it is normal. If you pack your tobacco correctly and gently tamp it occasionally as you work your way down, you should build a nice carbon cake. Pending, that the tobacco you put into the bowl is not moist.  Also, keep in mind that the cake gets thinner towards the bottom which is normal because the tobacco, at the last third mark, starts getting kind of moist due to all the jolly chemical reactions and interactions happening in that bowl. First thing you'll notice is a change in the tobacco taste. It won't taste so good anymore. Then, you will notice you have to constantly relight your pipe. Last, as the tobacco is harder to keep lit you will tend to puff harder which will impact the bowl temperature - which will seem to increase. Here, you have all your cues that it's time to stop. When I get to that point, I use my pipe knife, stir the tobacco and ashes so as to cover the lower walls of the bowl (the part that was not smoked, which becomes very visible) and dump the tobacco. Voilà.  |
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Post by daveinlax on Sept 30, 2020 10:42:21 GMT -5
The tobacco burning in the middle of the pipe heats the tobacco around the side of the bowl. Thus heating the oils in the tobacco. Thus giving off flavor and the aroma. I had been smoking pipes and cigars for decades thinking I was tasting the burning cherry. It took watching Neill Roan's PowerPoint presentation of his The Thermodynamics of Pipe Smoking paper to realize what was happening in a pipe bowl (or a cigarette or cigar).  |
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Post by mrlunting on Sept 30, 2020 13:53:22 GMT -5
I am no wordsmith.
Claude explains it very well.
I have been doing the same as you since I started smoking a pipe. The cake will build evenly no worries.
Personally I like to keep my pipes clean (very little cake). I keep strict on cleaning my pipe bowl simply with paper towel. I run a pipe cleaner through the stem after each smoke, and the pipe has cooled.
My cake layer is barely anything after 2 years of smoking in some.
Keep doing what works for you. Don't worry about re lighting. I have rambled on too long sorry.
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jay
Junior Member
Edward's Pipes....only Edward's pipes....and Buccaneer in the bowl
Posts: 442 
First Name: Jay
Favorite Pipe: Edwards handmade
Favorite Tobacco: Buccaneer, Special Balkan, Scottish Moor
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Post by jay on Sept 30, 2020 20:52:32 GMT -5
I found That an even light, and regular and gentle tamping, generally works to give me an even burn. Of course, I still do things wrong from time to time and end up with some weird burning...lol.
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Post by mrlunting on Oct 1, 2020 12:43:15 GMT -5
Are you smoking aromatics?
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Post by zambini on Oct 1, 2020 13:29:00 GMT -5
Hi All, I know it may be a silly question but I'll make it anyway. When I smoke one of my pipes I have always the feeling that it is burning much more in the center and the surface of the tobacco doesn't burn homogeneously. It is not something exaggerated but it is also not rare that at half of the bowl I take out some of the ash and I flat the surface again. What do you think? Dom Same thing happened to me when I switched from smaller to larger bowls. It's not always easy lighting the last 1/4 bowl when this happens. |
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dom93
New Member
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First Name: Domenico
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Post by dom93 on Oct 3, 2020 4:21:29 GMT -5
Are you smoking aromatics? Indeed, do you think it is connected to this? |
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dom93
New Member
Posts: 15
First Name: Domenico
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Post by dom93 on Oct 6, 2020 2:55:24 GMT -5
The tobacco burning in the middle of the pipe heats the tobacco around the side of the bowl. Thus heating the oils in the tobacco. Thus giving off flavor and the aroma. I had been smoking pipes and cigars for decades thinking I was tasting the burning cherry. It took watching Neill Roan's PowerPoint presentation of his The Thermodynamics of Pipe Smoking paper to realize what was happening in a pipe bowl (or a cigarette or cigar). Hi, do you have that paper? I tried to look for it online but it seems it disappeared from the web  |
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Post by Legend Lover on Oct 6, 2020 4:43:03 GMT -5
I had been smoking pipes and cigars for decades thinking I was tasting the burning cherry. It took watching Neill Roan's PowerPoint presentation of his The Thermodynamics of Pipe Smoking paper to realize what was happening in a pipe bowl (or a cigarette or cigar). Hi, do you have that paper? I tried to look for it online but it seems it disappeared from the web There are 330 entries here... passionforpipes.squarespace.com/neills-blog/author/passionforpipesMaybe one of those might show his powerpoint. |
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Post by daveinlax on Oct 6, 2020 12:26:28 GMT -5
I had been smoking pipes and cigars for decades thinking I was tasting the burning cherry. It took watching Neill Roan's PowerPoint presentation of his The Thermodynamics of Pipe Smoking paper to realize what was happening in a pipe bowl (or a cigarette or cigar). Hi, do you have that paper? I tried to look for it online but it seems it disappeared from the web No, I wish I would have printed it at the time. The paper went over my head but his PowerPoint explained it better for me. I'm surprised to see anything of Neill's Passion for Pipes Blog still online. It some great stuff and I don't blame him for wanting to protect it. |
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Post by Legend Lover on Oct 6, 2020 13:29:20 GMT -5
Hi, do you have that paper? I tried to look for it online but it seems it disappeared from the web No, I wish I would have printed it at the time. The paper went over my head but his PowerPoint explained it better for me. I'm surprised to see anything of Neill's Passion for Pipes Blog still online. It some great stuff and I don't blame him for wanting to protect it. Funny, the site itself www.passionforpipes.com, which is where clicking on the picture takes you, doesn't work, but the pages within (the blogs anyway) do work. Even with the squarespace ending it still doesn't give the full site. |
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Post by mrlunting on Oct 7, 2020 12:19:55 GMT -5
Are you smoking aromatics? Indeed, do you think it is connected to this? In my mind propylene glycol plays a role. But I wonder if Cavendish, being smoked and in chunky kind of pieces. Maybe because it would take longer to light so to direct the ember onto different paths in the rest of the tobacco?. I don't know for sure, could just be the character of the tobacco. |
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Also, keep in mind that the cake gets thinner towards the bottom which is normal because the tobacco, at the last third mark, starts getting kind of moist due to all the jolly chemical reactions and interactions happening in that bowl. First thing you'll notice is a change in the tobacco taste. It won't taste so good anymore. Then, you will notice you have to constantly relight your pipe. Last, as the tobacco is harder to keep lit you will tend to puff harder which will impact the bowl temperature - which will seem to increase. Here, you have all your cues that it's time to stop.
