Pipe Rest Time

[alfredo_buscatti]

I've read some folks who say that 7 days is the correct time to rest a pipe; others, I believe, say more. But I've read that some smoke a certain pipe repeatedly in the course of one day, everyday. Carlos said that he smokes a certain pipe everyday and feels it performs well with no rest. GLP rests his pipes. I rest my pipes because I feel they need it, but for 3 days, only because 7 seemed too long.

I guess that this is all a matter of taste; if you can't find any difference in the smoke, with little or no rest, you don't rest; if you do you do. The test would be to smoke one pipe without rest with a blend of whose taste you are familiar?

What has your experience been?

 

[Rob_In_MO]

With Cobs, I don't worry about it. They don't seem to mind either way.

With my Meer - I only smoke it on special occasions, so this isn't a problem anyway.

With Briars - I now have enough that I can give a 2-day rest between smokes and have never had a problem. If I want another bowl during the day, I just grab a Cob.

The only thing I've noticed is that with a heavily cased aromatic, more time is needed, but this seems to be more for drying than resting. If smoked too often (I tried this with a basket briar) they do start to smell and sour after a while. Keep in mind that this turning took about two full weeks - smoking several bowls of CBW per day for this to happen.

With a Natural or and English blend, I think this would be less of a problem.

 

[idbowman]

I've regularly smoked pipes on 24-48 hours rest for years with no adverse effects (noting that a pipe will occasionally get a longer break if I don't get the chance to smoke as often as I'd preferred). I try not to smoke the same pipe twice in one day, but its not like it hasn't ever happened. If you can't let a pipe rest for at least a day or two on a fairly regular basis, it'd be best to get a hold of a few inexpensive cobs to supplement your rotation.


And, just to echo what Rob said, different pipes and different blends take longer to dry than others. Even if you can't get a nice long rest, you should aim for a thorough drying (and, as he said, goopier aromatics will take longer than other blends).

 

[plumbernater]

Im fortunate to have enough pipes to rotate and give my pipes a rest of several days. I smoke some more than others because I like them more, I do use a rule of thomb to go by, and its like this. I smoke a pipe today, I dry with paper towel between smokes today. When finished for today, I clean and dry and put it up. A day or so later if it looks like the bottom of the bowl is dry, I might pick it up again because its my favorate. I do try to control myself to rotate in a good manner.

 

[Dave_In_Philly]

With both tobacco and pipes I tend to develop an affinity for one and smoke it over and over, then I inevitably get distracted and move on to something else that I fixate on for another brief period of time. Since I typically smoke once a day and usually in the evenings, my pipes will rest about 24 hours.

 

[Anonymous]

A day or so later if it looks like the bottom of the bowl is dry, I might pick it up again because its my favorate.

FWIW (if anything), I've found the nose test more accurate than the eye test.

A pipe bowl that's thoroughly dry has a kind of resinous aroma that a dry-enough-to-go-again-but-suboptimum one doesn't. Given a choice, that one may be the one you want to swing with.

Or not.

:face:

 

[Boulder]

From what I’ve read and think I understand, it's a moisture issue with fine high end briar that has been dried by age to perfection over a decade or two.

Moisture as we know is the enemy of any dry wood (swelling, warping, etc.) and if allowed to build up in your expensive briar pipe can lead to cracks or grain separation, never mind the tongue bite from the hot gases.

The better the briar, the longer the rest to preserve that fine dry smoke-ability you paid to much for, It's the difference between smoking or having a smoke.

So that’s what I think I know so far. :study:

 

[Ol'Dawg]

Not rocket surgery but I think you have to consider whether you smoke to the bottom of the bowl when it comes to the amount of rest needed to return the bowl to a "dry" condition.

Jim

 

[Natch]

I don't give this issue much thought when I'm grabbing for a pipe. Usually the tobacco I feel like dictates the pipe, and I have occasionally smoked a pipe two or even three days in a row, but seldom do. Some of my favorite pipes may go weeks or more between use, probably because that particular group of flakes that pipe is for hasn't attracted me for that time.

I do always clean and run a pipe cleaner through my pipes after they cool down, and hang them near (not too near!) a wood stove, so they do seem to dry pretty fast. Overall, I have roughly three dozen pipes in my "rotation" (i.e. they get smoked at least once every couple of months), but only half of them represent 75%+ of all smokes.

Natch

 

[ZeroContent]

The shortest turn around time for my pipes are 48 hours since I have multiple pipes for my most smoked blends so they get a few days most the time or even weeks if I'm not smoking a lot. Also since I don't smoke aros i don't really have much of a goopy mess problem so my pipes are usually pretty dry pretty quickly.

 

[Wet Dottle]

I've read some folks who say that 7 days is the correct time to rest a pipe

This concept came from ASP soon after it was started, perhaps in the mid 90's, and forgive me if I forget names and some of the details. Someone there made an experiment by letting pipes rest for different periods of time between smokes. The only cleaning done was to run a couple of pipe cleaners through the stem. This chap found that a week was the minimum amount of rest time required to smoke the pipes indefinitely, without them going rancid and needing a more in-depth cleaning (e.g., disassembly, alcohol treatments, etc.). In other words, you don't need to rest your pipes for that long, but then you may need to be more diligent with the cleaning routine.

When I was a poor student and had only one pipe, I used to smoke it every day and never had problems. The important thing is to adopt the right clean-and-ream regimen for your type of use.

I'm with Yak about the nose test, I also find it to be the method that works the best. But I have many pipes and never smoke the same one in less than a two-week span.

I've weighed pipes before and after smoking, and found out that the pipes weigh less after smoking than before smoking. The only explanation I can find is that the pipe loses water during smoking and regains it after resting for a while. Therefore, I think the phenomenon in play is not the one of drying a pipe, but the one of letting the foul tobacco residues leave it (perhaps by evaporation, decomposition, and/or removal by cleaning). This is just a conjecture, but it can explain why we can smoke the same pipe frequently if we clean it often enough.

 

[ZeroContent]

I've weighed pipes before and after smoking, and found out that the pipes weigh less after smoking than before smoking.

Well that's a head scratcher.

 

[Boulder]

I've weighed pipes before and after smoking, and found out that the pipes weigh less after smoking than before smoking.

Well that's a head scratcher.

Guess it's after ya smoke the baccy in the bowl. :lol!:

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Im fortunate to have enough pipes to rotate and give my pipes a rest of several days. I smoke some more than others because I like them more, I do use a rule of thomb to go by, and its like this. I smoke a pipe today, I dry with paper towel between smokes today. When finished for today, I clean and dry and put it up. A day or so later if it looks like the bottom of the bowl is dry, I might pick it up again because its my favorate. I do try to control myself to rotate in a good manner.

For me, this. The wet bowl-bottom is an indicator. Dry Nevada usually rewards me yet again, after the routine cleaning, and within 24 - 48 hours, I'm good to go with the pipe again if needed. Usually I don't, though, I have a few pipes and try and give them at least 3 - 4 days sit-time with the stem up.

FWIW (if anything), I've found the nose test more accurate than the eye test.

A pipe bowl that's thoroughly dry has a kind of resinous aroma that a dry-enough-to-go-again-but-suboptimum one doesn't. Given a choice, that one may be the one you want to swing with.

Or not.

:face:

Also this--the nose knows! Since I usually give my pipes a quick run-through with a paper towel or newspaper once they've cooled, and before they rest for a day, the "clean pipe smell" is one I both enjoy and use to gauge the health of the pipe. They will smell wet, too, if they aren't dry. Gofiggur. 8)

Sometimes I'll choose the same pipe in the same day without cleaning, but with some hours in-between for cooling. Though after the last smoke, it gets treated the same.

I actually give my cobs more time to dry out, and never smoke them day-to-day--they soak up more juice, I've noticed, especially if smoked outdoors when colder.

 

[DustyRoundup]

I tend to do things like plumbernator and yak

I have noticed that the smell is different after a few days. more of a clean , NON smell.

But I like to smoke Virginias about twice a day, and I have 3 STRICTLY Va pipes so they get a 2 day rest at the least.
and then , I have 2 Va-Per pipes, that I will smoke Straight Va's in , and I dont smoke Va-pers daily.
So that makes 5 pipes for my daily Virginia smokes.

I only have 4 Petes, and I just "have" to smoke a Pete a day.
I have cobs and a yelo bole for the Latakias and aro's that I sample , and they get a good break.

And like Natch, I will put a pipe upside down over either a heater vent , or our air cleaner , just to get more air flow , quicker.. it helps I believe.

The whole process does drive me nuts sometimes , but , thats where I am right now.
I just need more Petes :roll:

 

[williamcharles]

I smoke multiple bows in the same pipe and only change it when I get tired of it. I like the taste of the tobacco after several bowls. Before I put the pipe away I clean it and it may rest for a few days to weeks.

 

[Wet Dottle]

I've weighed pipes before and after smoking, and found out that the pipes weigh less after smoking than before smoking.

Well that's a head scratcher.

Guess it's after ya smoke the baccy in the bowl. :lol!:

:lol: I probably should have explained better. Weigh the pipe before smoking. Fill up, smoke, empty the ashes, and run a few pipe cleaners through, until they come out clean. Weigh pipe again and it now weighs less. Put the pipe to rest for 2 or 3 weeks and weigh pipe again. The weight went back up to the original value. This cycle is consistent pipefull after pipefull and it's observed in every pipe I have.

 

[Richard Burley]

A contrary view to the idea of RR (religious rotation)--

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRRpkqmsxE4&list=UUn7gvVqdaPyGIAMddiaa82g&index=49&feature=plpp_video