Bowl Coating

[Kyle Weiss]

I'd like to think Greg gets ALL his inspiration from the Genius of BoB. :mrgreen: :cheers:

http://pipesmagazine.com/blog/out-of-the-ashes/bowl-coatings-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-part-i/

Part II will undoubtedly interest me, as I've always been curious at the different takes on types of bowl coatings, their recipes, etc.

8)

 

[Anonymous]

They stink and I hate 'em ! :twisted:

:face:

 

[Kyle Weiss]

I don't like 'em either, but they can be dealt with.

Pipe smokers + panties + bowl coating discussion = lots of wadding.

:lol:

:trollbait:

8)

 

[jefe1037]

Kyle only does vegan bowl coatings

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Sure. :lol: Uh huh.

My preferred bowl coating is applied with about 30 rounds of good pipe smoking.

8)

 

[gravel]

I'm looking forward to part two!

For the record, I prefer uncoated bowls, but I wouldn't let the presence of a coating deter me from buying a pipe I liked.

 

[Dutch]

One thing I love about my Moretti's, is that Marco doesn't coat the bowls. 8)

I must admit, that I would prefer that a pipe have zero coating of any type. However, my common sense tells me that if certain names in the industry are using them, they have found a way to coat those bowls with zero effect on the flavor of the tobacco.

I'm fairly certain, that the bowl coatings that present a problem, are usually the cheaper mass produced pipes, which the bowl coating is there in the best interest of the manufacturer, not the consumer.

As discerning and particular as some of the top artisans and collectors are, I highly doubt that all bowl coatings are created equal. Having said that, bowl coating disadvantages, in my estimation, are more dependent on the individual carving the pipe, than any other factor.

 

[Kapnismologist]

The recent article by Pease regarding the debate over bowl coatings got me thinking. While I am not a big fan of coated bowls, and will generally remove them from a new pipe before breaking it in, there is at least one instance where I have found them to be extremely useful. Namely, in the case of a pipe which displays the dreaded grey charred or soft spots which could, if left unattended long enough, result in the continued degradation of the chamber and eventual burn out. Many such pipes have passed through my hands.

Finding the oft-touted cigar ash “pipe mud” insufficiently smooth, strong, and easy to work with in fine applications such as treating, say, a small area of grey char in a chamber, I have found the following bowl coating method to work very well. I have used it with great success in pipes whose damaged chambers gave cause to worry.

The bowl coating itself is a paste made by mixing a small amount of full-fat yogurt or sour cream with the contents of fine black charcoal capsules (available at any health food store). Start with a very small amount of yogurt or sour cream and continue mixing in charcoal powder until it becomes jet black, then mix in some more charcoal, and even a little bit more for good measure. The goal is to produce a think, smooth paste in which as much charcoal particles are suspended as possible, without it being grainy. I typically let the mixture sit covered in the refrigerator overnight, then drain off any excess water and mix again. The paste should be very thick, yet very smooth.

Application is done with a small, flat glue/flux brush (available at any hardware store, usually in bags of ten or twenty; very inexpensive). Apply a very thin, consistent layer and allow to dry. When sufficiently dry, wipe out the bowl and then apply another very thin layer. I will typically repeat this process a number of times, with the goal being to fill-in the soft or low spots, cracks, or fissures so that the entire bowl surface is even. With careful smoking, the resulting coating left behind after the application/wiping process is then covered with a veneer of true cake, and voila, worry abated.

I have used this recipe numerous times with great success. The coating is innocuous, strong, and takes a natural cake very well.

 

[monbla256]

I'm looking forward to part two!

For the record, I prefer uncoated bowls, but I wouldn't let the presence of a coating deter me from buying a pipe I liked.

Inteligent thought. Not found much these days :twisted:

 

[alfredo_buscatti]

I just finished doing 3 hours of sanding to remove the coating from a Peterson. I wouldn't do it again unless I truly loved the pipe, and I wouldn't feel good about leaving it there, either.

 

[Anonymous]

Cotton balls & Everclear (?)

:face:

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Peterson bowl coatings are more robust than the black paint they use on the outside of some of their pipes. ale:

I gave up on trying to remove Pete coatings. Even getting most of it out with sandpaper, I could still taste it. It haughtily resisted alcohol as a solvent, too. Only smoking the pipe "removed" the coating.

 

[Northern Neil]

Peterson bowl coatings are more robust than the black paint they use on the outside of some of their pipes. ale:

I gave up on trying to remove Pete coatings. Even getting most of it out with sandpaper, I could still taste it. It haughtily resisted alcohol as a solvent, too. Only smoking the pipe "removed" the coating.

I have to agree with you about removing the coating from a Peterson Pipe. I cannot say anything about trying to remove the coating before smoking, as I never tried. However, I have noticed that the two Peterson Pipes I have no longer have a coating in the heal of the bowl. So that tells me smoking and cleaning your pipe regularly will, in time, remove the Peterson coating.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Pete coatings do morph into something other than their impervious inner-armor eventually as they are smoked, but I swear I taste sour cream in my newer Petes. Thank goodness for my pre-Republic and my 1970s "Dinky" 80S.

8)

 

[DrumsAndBeer]

Pete coatings do morph into something other than their impervious inner-armor eventually as they are smoked, but I swear I taste sour cream in my newer Petes. Thank goodness for my pre-Republic and my 1970s "Dinky" 80S.

8)

I agree with this 100%. I have a new Peterson Barrel that I bought for VA flakes and everything tastes really off in it. I am certain it's the coating. My old K&P system smokes great however.

 

[monbla256]

I think it was back in the late 70's when I began to notice "pre-carbonizing" coatings in Petes, I bought several Pete's at that time and I guess I had smoked to many Lat and Oriental heavy 'bacs to discern any "flavor" in them as I broke them in. I have bought Sav's and others since then which had these coatings and can say I have not discrened any "flavors" in them either. Guess all the years of consuming 'bac has killed my palate :twisted: It wouldn't stop me from buying a good pipe from any of these firms today, in fact the two Sav Hercules's I have bought in the past 2 years were coated and I found them fine. Everyone's got their OPINION :twisted:

 

[Wayne_Teipen]

Rad Davis, Grechukin, Ailarov, Teipen, Maurizio Tombari, and I could go on, as could you. The issue seems as split amongst the guys making them as it is in the pipe forums.

I really don't want to re-ignite this discussion but I need to clarify that I started carbon coating all of my chambers since the summer of 2012. I use unflavored gelatin, water, and activated charcoal. I find it completely neutral as it should be. I started coating my chambers first and foremost as an insurance against burnouts from inexperienced pipe smokers. Like it or not, not every pipesmoker knows how to properly and carefully break in a pipe. That includes some very experienced pipesmokers and collectors. Haven't you guys ever seen one lighting their pipe with a torch lighter? Artisan pipes also tend to burn clean to the bottom without moisture unexpectedly. I've seen even experienced and good pipe guys try to light the end of a pipe that is nothing but ash thinking it couldn't possibly have smoked so well that the finish didn't require several lights. If you've smoked a good artisan pipe you know what I'm talking about. That's how burnouts in the heel of a pipe typically happen and it can even happen to guys that know what they are doing.

I also think a bowl coating all but eliminates break in. I also like the aesthetics. This coating is easily removed with hot/warm water and a paper towel and a little elbow grease although I don't recommend it as it nullifies the warranty against burnout.

Interestingly enough, I've only had one pipe returned with the start of a burnout in the heel. The owner sanded out my bowl coating. There are no defects in the briar.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Oh no! :rampage: :lol: It lives again!

Wayne that's a good point. I do have to say, though, if someone's gonna insist on smoking a pipe hard, whether it be via cigar-flame lighters, puffing like the midnight train to Georgia, or a bad habit I even sometimes am guilty of, "Going Beyond The Dottle..."...nothing short of an asbestos coating will really do much but stave off the inevitable. I'm almost thinking now that bowl coatings, provided they're in the hands of a carver who cares, are doing what a loving mother does before she sends her kid off to school, zipping up tight the jacket, confirming the lunch is in hand, and that a hat is worn.

Fair game, if that's the case.

Going Beyond The Dottle is a game that I have to occasionally remind myself NOT to do. We've all been there, having a fantastic smoke, refusing like a belligerent kid to return to whatever it was that we distracted ourselves from, and the excuse is trying to find tobacco from where there is none. If I taste even the faintest hint of briar, I stop. I might have already gone too far. Absentmindedness or rebellion aside, I have instead paid more attention to how the tobacco reacts both under tamp and flame, and if I quit a little early and notice a couple of leaves left over--that's better than threatening a favorite pipe.

Gelatin, eh Wayne? Can you mix up cherry-flavored for Rob if he orders a pipe from you? :mrgreen:

8)

 

[Wayne_Teipen]

Sure. If someone is determined enough to burn out a pipe, they can whether it has a coating or not. I made this analogy in the comments of Greg's article:

Saying a precarbon coating doesn’t protect the briar is like saying wearing a coat in the winter can’t protect against hypothermia. Sure, you can still get hypothermia while wearing a coat but it lessens the risk.

If carbon coating doesn't offer some protection from burnout then neither does cake formation. Heck, we might as well just keep our pipes sanded down to raw briar like we do our meers, right?

Unfortunately for the carver, when a pipe burns out the blame typically get's placed on their craftsmanship or use of substandard briar. It's rare for a pipesmoker to admit their own carelessness. It may be a small percentage that will burn out their new pipe but I can tell you that even one pipe really hurts financially to have to replace. Pipemaker's can't afford to make pipes for free. That's why you don't see many pipemaker's smoking their own pipes unless they are rejects.

 

[Wayne_Teipen]

Oh, and I suppose any flavor of gelatin can be used in the bowl coating. You may just be on to something there, Kyle. Watch for a new line of fruity flavored pipes from me in the near future. :lol: