What the ???

[the rev]

So I noticed something along the way that is really irking me, perhaps it can be explained by you more intelligent, and experienced than I.

I hear tales of pipes staying lit for minutes, sometimes even over 5 minutes, while someone is called off to attend to something else. Now this is always some kind of bragging about what an amazing pipe and pipe carver created this pipe that "smokes itself". Now I have a pipe by a very well respected maker and, lets face it, it doesn't stay lit for five minutes. And the truth is, I don't want it to smoke itself. I want to smoke it. Don't smoke my tobacco pipe, it is for me. Yet I understand that even if maybe these stories are mythologized to some degree, they must be based on some thing yeah? A pipe should stay lit for a little while unattended,especially if its of decent make and packed well, (not my usual set up).

But here is where I get all what the???

Whenever some pipe aficionado decides to make a video... while smoking his pipe something magical happens. He turns into captain kirk with long pauses between most words so he can suck on his pipe presumably so it wont go out ruining his cinematic effect.

??????????

I mean, do you really have to puff on the damn thing that much to keep it lit? and if so, is the previous myth just complete and utter bull pucky? I don't understand it.

But here's to all you captain kirks out there, keep making your pipe videos, I dig them. Just use a better pipe



rev

 

[Ocelot55]

In my experience the "ever-lit pipe" is a rarity, but I have had it happen to me once or twice. I frequently smoke in my car, and one day I was puffing along and had to run an errand at the post office. I got out, went inside, took care of business, and left. Total time must have been 5 min. From what I have observed, usually a pipe is out in two to three minutes. When I got back to the car I was able to resume without any relight. I didn't even have to puff vigorously to rekindle the tobacco.

Lesson? I don't know. To me there were several key variables; no air flow in the car, the moisture level of the tobacco, how well I had lit it, and how tight I had packed it. I probably couldn't recreate the results if I tried, and frankly, it doesn't matter. If I enjoy my pipes even while relighting every 2 seconds then I'll keep doing it. Puffing just to keep from relighting = tongue bite.

 

[PozzSka]

I'm with Ocelot...I've had it happen when in the car and running an errand...but not regularly.

 

[Dave_In_Philly]

Never happened to me, but at one of our pipe club meetings I watched as Hank (ebuyer1932) put down his pipe to eat his cheese burger, and returned to it after having finished his meal and started puffing right away, no relight.

 

[monbla256]

I think it has more to do with the specific type and blend/mixture more than anything. I've experienced this with one blend I smoke, McC's  bulk 2035 which when lit completely I find smolders in my pipe and several times I've set it down on my desk, gone in another room of the house for 4 or5 minutes, come back picked it up and continued my smoke as if I hadn't stopped at all. Much longer than that and i would have to work to get it to fire up and if soI just use a match and re-light. I've not experienced this with any of the other blends I smoke so I wouldnot say if it's always possible or why. JMHE  :evil:

 

[RDPipes]

I can see this happening but, not on any regular basis.
I have never had one stay lit that long myself but, I always smoke outside and there always seems to be a breeze around here. Maybe someday if I'm lucky, I can go to the can and come back without relighting. Until then I reckon I'll just have to suffer the occasional relight that takes ever so much of my energy.  

 

[DrT999]

-puff-
I'm not sure
-puff-
but I think
-puff-
it must be pretty
-puff-
rare.
-puff-
Beam me up, Mr Scott!

Damn. The pipe went out. Phaser on 'relight'!

 

[AJ]

I never had a pipe to stay lit more than couple minutes while left alone. I'm with rev on this. I don't want a pipe that smokes itself. I want to smoke it. Relighting is part of the charm of pipe smoking. It's a key step in DGT and I don't want to be deprived of that pleasure.  

AJ

 

[Centurian 803]

All of my pipes stay lit for extended periods of time without being puffed on. Once my Savinelli Punto del Oro stayed lit for three days while I was lost in the woods. I had wandered away from my camp site and become disoriented. When I finaly found my way back to camp my fire was out but my pipe was still lit.  :no: 

 

[MisterE]

I usually have the opposite problem: my pipe keeps going out! 

I would think a large part of how much free burn there is depends on the tobacco, cut, shape of bowl, environmental conditions, etc. A couple of days ago I was smoking Butera Pelican in a giant Charatan. I was interrupted at about the halfway point, so I left the pipe outside and went indoors. When I came back a half hour later I discovered the tobacco had burned all the way to the bottom and nothing was left. I was bummed because I was counting on finishing it, lol.

I think the fine cut of the blend, which was pretty dry, coupled with the slight current of air outside managed to keep it going all the way through. The curious thing is that, in this case, all that remained was the fabled "fine white ash" Long-winded reviewers seem to experience this phenomenon daily. Once I get involved in the process there always seems to be dottle at the bottom. :lol:

 

[Cadfael]

I am in agreement with most of you - I think the longest a smoke ever stayed lit was about 5 minutes . . . dryer tobacco, lightly breezy day. I was in shock!

 

[Geoff]

With all the complaining about relights, maybe we need to take a course on how to bank a fire. Looks to me that is what accidentally happens -- cut off the draft and insulate the coals.

As to Centurian's claim, I'm sure his nose grew in the typing. LOL

 

[Tate]

I believe most people speak the truth when they speak about all the variables that go into how long a pipe will keep an ember unattended, however, I have found that well engineered pipes seem to do so better.

I have a pretty wide range of pipes, but in quality, size, shape, value, etc. I find that the ones that are of top engineering quality with moderate diameter chambers but taller than usual bowls will burn longest when left alone. Flakes also seem to burn a lot longer unattended once they're really going. The trick with the flakes though is to get the even and full light.

The position of the burn line in the bowl also seems to have something to do with it. I find that near the bottom of the bowl a pipe will go out more readily than the top or middle. The best burning seems to take place right after a very slight layer of ash is formed but the burn line is still near the top.

The most interesting ever burning experience I had though was with an ash tray. I dumped a mostly smoked bowl and left the room and came back. Literally 15 minutes after I had put out the pipe the ashtray erupted in smoke and my wife and I looked... It was that bowl I had dumped out. It had somehow ignited and was burning whatever was left. All by itself.

The longest I've ever had a pipe go unattended without a relight was in hurricane Ivan where no puffing was actually needed. After about 30 minutes left by itself it had burned all the tobacco out of the chamber and then burned through the bowl, but it didn't matter because the pipe literally got swept away by the wind and thrown into the lake.

The longest unattended (indoor) pipe burning I've personally had was around 5 minutes.

:joker: 

 

[BigCasino]

I have been smoking McC Christmas cheer inn a Butz-choquin daccord apple, it seems to have a smallish airway cause When I try to get a cleaner down the stem it is tight, but I have had on more than one occasion set the thing down while watching tv, and picking it up later probably 5 to 7 min later and it was still lit, but for the most part it always goes out, so I think on the rare occasions that it stayed lit I probably accidentally did something right, or for some reason had the right combination of " rubbed out" and packed bowl

Maybe someday I will learn what the right combination is and be able to make it happen rather than it just blindly happening, also I have never had this happen with a different pipe or different blend

 

[Fr_Tom]

The longest I've ever had a pipe go unattended without a relight was in hurricane Ivan where no puffing was actually needed.  After about 30 minutes left by itself it had burned all the tobacco out of the chamber and then burned through the bowl, but it didn't matter because the pipe literally got swept away by the wind and thrown into the lake.

This sounds like a very bad day.

 

[Rob_In_MO]

I only usually have this happen with an old estate Bjarne. I can pick it up after a few minutes and start puffing. Within a few puffs (and covering the bowl with my thumb) it perks back to life without a relight. None of my other pipes will light back up but something about that Bjarne Viking just wants to keep on smokin...

 

[dshpipes]

I find if I leave my pipe on the stove it stays lit a lot longer.

 

[Brewdude]

Have to admit, I've never ever had a pipe stay going after a minute or two at most.

:silent: 



Cheers,

RR

 

[pipenewb]

Have to admit, I've never ever had a pipe stay going after a minute or two at most.

:silent: 



Cheers,

RR

Ok, I feel better know. I thought it may have been me and my lack of knowledge in the area, but I'm about the same.

 

[cigrmaster]

I can leave some of my pipes alone for 3-4 minutes and it will not require a re light. If I know I am going to have leave it I will take a few quick pulls so I know it is going well, then set it down. I have noticed this only happens on certain  artisan pipes of mine  that have  a larger shank opening 4-4.5 mm and a stem that is also wide open. I believe this phenomena is due to pipe construction if it happens indoors. I have a Castello with a shank of about 4.5mm, but the stem is much narrower than most of my artisan stems so it does not happen with that pipe.