How Frequently Can You Smoke A Single Pipe

KevinM · May 23, 2012

I'm in the It All Depends" camp.

Tobacco is one variable - mixing 965 and your new Cherry Vanilla Creme Cavendish Mixture isn't a great idea. But if you're sticking to one type of tobacco -- English, Virginia, whatever -- it's probably okay.

I think HOW you smoke is another. If you're a vehement puffer and there's a lot of moisture in the pipe while you've smoking, I'd give 'em a rest. Sippers can get away with more reuse.

Agree that care is needed to take the stem out of the pipe. Actually, I think stem-out cleaning is overdone. Just use a pipe cleaner with a bit of rum or pipe sweetener. Some of my pipes haven't had the stem removed in years.

Here's a trick for lessening the danger of a disaster when removing a stem. Take your basic #2 graphite pencil and generously "mark" both the tenon and the mortise (while the stem is removed from a cold, dry pipe). Graphite is a lubricant, like tiny ball bearings. Also --as you know, you don't "pull" the stem out. You turn it in one direction only, not back and forth.

I encourage new comers to buy half a dozed nice cobs -- MM diplomat, country gentleman etc -- for an instant rotation. Sure you can use the same pipe repeatedly over a couple days. But why? Cobs are cheap and eminently serviceable, allowing you to add to your briar lineup at your leisure.

Kyle Weiss · May 23, 2012

Good, basic tips, Kevin. It really does depend how a person smokes and breaks down a pipe (if at all) that does matter. Being a particularly "wet smoker," I prefer to break my pipes down (once they have cooled, another very important bit of info) and get them all nice and clean. I have learned not doing so encourages buildup, which soaks up nasty funk, which makes for a weird smoke. Smoking like a train, banging one's pipes around and general abuse aren't going to yield a happy pipe.

I've used the graphite trick before, but only on new pipes that were particularly stem-bound. After a few smokes, they seemed to meld more harmoniously with the shank--no more of that nonsense where when the initial stem twist would make that heart-wrenching "pop" when it was first freed up--the kind that makes you wince and inspect the shank for a crack. :lol:

I have an adopted theory with the "only twist one way" stem-removal school of thought. Considering it's the weakness (or lack thereof) of the briar that may or may not allow it to crack (usually along the grain), twisting one direction, or the other, or both, probably isn't that big of a deal. I talked to a guy who routinely (and only) twisted clockwise to both loosen and remove and replace his stems. He had two pipes spiral-crack this way. As an experiment, he started twisting his newer pipes the opposite direction. Over time, two broke as well. He tried twisting both ways alternately on newer pipes still. He had only one break. He surmised that small channels were being carved both into the wood and the vulcanite stems, and by going both directions, more polished the surface rather than cutting of directional channels. Damn pipe smokers and their thoughts. :lol:

This was the advice of an old guy, and old guys are really good at telling tall tales. It goes to show that with all the advice out there, it's what ends up working for you that matters.

8)

MisterE · May 23, 2012

For me, it depends how many times I smoke the pipe in the course of the day and how I smoke it. I have one pipe that I dedicate to Escudo that I smoke once daily all the way thorough. It can go for weeks by just swabbing it out after use. The 23-1/2 hour rest seems to be enough for that one. Once it starts to get a little sour, it gets a full cleaning.

Whichever pipe I carry with me for the day will crap out much quicker. It often gets DGT'd 3 times before I finish the bowl. Three times through that process and it needs a good rest. DGTing tends to let the nasty stuff accumulate and intensify.

What I smoke in it also affects the longevity of the pipe on any given day as well. Goopy, wet tobaccos tend to sour-up a pipe quicker.

Some pipes are more resiliant than others, too. I just get to know which ones I can smoke more frequently without negative consequence.

KevinM · May 23, 2012

Thanks, Kyle -- Woowee, your buddy had some bad luck with cracked stems! Your post made me think of a neighbor who has a little sideline of refurbishing bamboo fishing rods.

He advises his clients with stuck ferrules as follows: 1) grasp stuck sections as close as possible to the joint, 2) your arms must be parallel to the rod with elbows pointing East and West (not southeast and southwest), 3) pull firmly but not suddenly 4) a slight torque (1/16" worth, say) is permissible if absolutely necessary.

He sez the common cause of rod breakage is seizing the two rod ends, pressing the rod against your chest and excessive pulling and twisting -- while the rod is bent. I'm thinking this might also be so of broken pipe stems. A stem may be able to tolerate a moderate back and forth twist, if it isn't accompanied by a bending force.

I'm a bit skeptical re: the grain hypothesis, unless there was some inherent flaw present.

To tell the truth, I've never cracked a stem with my one-direction turn nor by sitting on it nor any other unfortunate event, though who knows what might happen tomorrow. Usually, I've found that the bit tells you which way it prefers to move.

Don't mean to hijack a thread. As you were. Best of luck to all.

Kyle Weiss · May 24, 2012

MisterE":takj7e4d said:
What I smoke in it also affects the longevity of the pipe on any given day as well. Goopy, wet tobaccos tend to sour-up a pipe quicker.

Some pipes are more resiliant than others, too. I just get to know which ones I can smoke more frequently without negative consequence.

This, in a nutshell. 8)

Kevin, this guy I referred to at my B&M apparently has hundreds upon hundreds of pipes. He fastidiously cares for them and apparently has been doing so for decades (giving MonBla a run for his money)

So he's seen his fair share of pipe issues. Like most of these guys, hell even guys here, grains of salt are in plentiful supply for the taking. :lol: