Have I Killed My Pipe?

[smoker13]

Smoking one of my favorite pipes this morning, a Radice (Clear) bent Dublin with massively thick walls, I let things get out of hand and smoked it too hot, too far.

One of the prime mortal sins of pipe smoking I've managed to avoid, and finally, even after flirting with it at times, finally I committed it.

The outcome? When I shook out the ash I was horrified to see a dark spot on the heel of the pipe.

After my blood pressure and the pipe cooled down I examined the pipe thoroughly. The dark spot was just that; the pipe is smooth and the heel has a small area that is darker than the blonder finish the rest of the pipe has. Internally I see no damage to the wall of the pipe's chamber, no corresponding indentation.

Now then. Has my pipe smoked its last bowl before it totally burns out? If I smoke it again, will I always have to be wary of the briar burning through?

Or should I just take this as a warning and just continue to smoke it as I should, with a little more caution when approaching the bottom of the bowl so as to not let things overheat, which is what I try to usually do anyway?

Forgive me if I seem overly unnerved by this, it's only because after 5 years of pipe smoking it's NEVER happened before and besides, did I mention it's one of my favorite pipes?

As always, your helpful contributions are appreciated.

 

[AJ]

After cleaning the area inside the chamber I'd apply a coating of pipe mud and allow it to dry for at least 24 hours then continue to smoke it with caution.

AJ

 

[Lonecoyote]

How often was the pipe smoked prior? Possible it's building cake and not burnt? When you were smoking the pipe did you smell the briar burning...like the smell of wood burning?
I'm breaking in a briar Tulip bowl slowly because I started too smell that wood burning odor. It's dark but smooth with no damage. I tend to smoke a hot pipe.


KEEP ON PUFFING!!!

 

[Lonecoyote]

I'm in Knightdale now and have no power. Using a hotspot with an iPhone which is slower then dial-up!

I agree with AJ, if you believe it's a burn use pipe mud. I've made my own mixture for years using high quality cigar ash. Works great on my Cobs.

How often had the pipe been smoked prior? Did you have the smell of wood burning???

I'm breaking in a briar Tulip bowl on my Kirsten which started to give off that wood burning odor because I was smoking way to hot. But no damage. I have a tendency of smoking a hot pipe.

Keep us all updated and GOOD LUCK. I THINK YOU AND YOUR PIPE WILL BE FINE :cheers:



KEEP ON PUFFING!!!

 

[Richard Burley]

In my experience the pipe will be OK. Alligator scales and splits on the inside are another matter, but they're rather obvious. You've just got it a little too hot and it's discolored as a result. I've done this several times. Another reason to prefer dark sandblasts.

 

[smoker13]

Thanks for all the replies, brothers. Lonecoyote, I dedicate most of my pipes to a single tobacco ( I know, OCD) and this pipe has had almost 3 50 gram tins smoked through it. I was just looking at the inside of the bowl with a strong penlight and there's plenty of cake all the way down with nary an indentation in the heel to signal a burn spot.

I think (hope) this was a close call and a warning to keep things from getting out of hand.

Not to make excuses, but I'm going to make one(!) About half-way through the bowl a friend called and one thing I hate is smoking my pipe and talking on the telephone. They just don't mix. Here I am one minute, deep in my morning solitude and then it gets interrupted and I'm gabbing with an old friend, all the while puffing and tamping without really smoking mindfully, to use a current hip word. So 20 minutes or so go by, I put the phone down, go back to my pipe, stir up the bottom to get the last of what's left without even a second thought. And then YEOW! This baby's too hot to handle!

So there's a lesson right there; someone calls while I'm in a pipe ritual, put the pipe down and continue after talking.

But I WILL keep you posted if I'm wrong and the pipe burns out and cracks apart in my hands!

Thanks again,

S13

 

[Lonecoyote]

Most of my pipes are dedicated too certain blends also. It's not OCD, too me it's how I enjoy a pipe and tobacco without worrying about any ghosting from other blends in the same pipe.

Personally, I think your Radice Clear will be fine. Never had a Radice fail, nor do I know a pipe smoker that has. One of my Ardor pipes burnt thru and I was promptly sent a replacement with a letter of apology. It was caused by a defect inside the chamber. Ardor=== excellent customer service. Can you imagine a manufacturer admitting to a fault on their part.



KEEP ON PUFFING!!!

 

[KevinM]

I suspect your fears will be abated. In fifty years, I've never had a burnout, and I do mostly outdoor puffing in breezy New England. I hope your luck holds.

 

[BriarPipeNYC]

Probably just discoloration from the extra heat.  Could the discoloration be just scorched varnish/shellac?

Try breaking up, (smash it with a hammer), a terracotta/red-clay flower pot into small, roughly, 1/4",  chips -certainly no bigger than your smallest fingernail.  Drop one or two of these chips into the bottom of your bowl before loading it with tobacco.  Smoke away and try not to freight-train the pipe tobacco.  The clay chips will help insulate the bottom of the heel from heat... and soak up extra moisture and juices.  Better yet  don't smoke all the way to the very bottom of the heel.  Maybe it's the raw flames from extra re-lites that are scorching  the heel area and caused the heel to become overheated and discolored?  Just speculating here.

I always wondered how tobacco could be smoked to the very bottom of the bowl, after it becomes overly moist from steam and other juices without re-lites?  Personally, once the tobacco reaches near the bottom of the bowl and then goes out, I just let it....then dump it.  Hate the rank smells and ashy flavors from used up tobacco.  Yech!

But, good luck with your heels.

Frank
NYC

 

[Carlos]

Sometimes the burnout has nothing to do with your actual smoking. But more likely caused by how you re-light. Use a soft flame and do not create a bellows effect. Gently re-light using either match or a Zippo fluid lighter. Using torch or butane lighters could be too hot.

I build up a hard cake like crazy in the bottoms of my pipes.