Balsa Filter Experiment - What the H_ll?

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LL":8kp8addy said:
No mystery. Absorbent filters simply wick away the liquid-form smoke components, which allows the solid ones to coagulate, "plate out" (in engine-speak), and semi-harden.

Ugly stuff, that. If your eyes could see what mine have... etc. :lol!:

There's no such thing as a free lunch.
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I hadn't considered that.
I was "take it or leave it" on the balsa filters.
More often leave it, since they are an extra step.
I guess I'll just "leave it" from now on.
 
Very interesting and informative thread. I tend to like the balsa wood filters used in my Savinelli. While I don't use them for junk cleaning purposes, I like them for cutting down on moisture and cooling off the smoke.

I don't have the benefit of heavily aged tobacco (hey, my tins are all of 2 days old :lol: ) so the moisture content is already up. I found a big difference using the filter. Perhaps this is why the Sav is my best smoking pipe.

I also don't have that many pipes to allow them to soak with a pipe cleaner over night. Once they are cool I clean them out quickly so they can dry out for tomorrow :D

I'm actually looking around for antoher Savinelli dry system or at least one that will take the balsa filters. As long as the price is right and the style\shape calls to me.

I'm actually thinking, and I may be out in left field here, but could it be that bent pipes tend to accumulate more moisture than straight ones?

Maybe its the way I hold the pipe but the bigger the bend, the more moisture I seem to accumulate.
 
If you want a great wood filter, check out the older Brigham's; I have two and I'm constantly on the prowl for more, their filter system is genius.
 
Thanks for the tip on Brighams Joe,

I'll be on the look out for them. Where do you buy replacement filters?
 
Got to love the internet. I found an attractive pipe (at least to me) at a great price. Voyager #136 a rusticated bent apple and picked up a package of filters to boot. :cheers:
 
After reading this thread, I sat down with a pack of BJ Longs, a box of Q-Tips, a Pint of good old KY White Lightning, and cleaned every pipe I own! :cheers: for all the good advice guys!
 
New Smoker":wdxb692c said:
After reading this thread, I sat down with a pack of BJ Longs, a box of Q-Tips, a Pint of good old KY White Lightning, and cleaned every pipe I own! :cheers: for all the good advice guys!
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We aim to please bro!!
 
Joseph76":76uikamz said:
If you want a great wood filter, check out the older Brigham's; I have two and I'm constantly on the prowl for more, their filter system is genius.
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Joe, you beat me to it. I was going to bring up the Brighams as they are Canadian and I was sure Puffs would be familiar with them. Besides being made of hard maple rather than balsa, the aluminum fitting and the extended aluminum tenon cause them to form a tight seal between the bowl and the mouthpiece. Little chance for contaminants to leak into the shank proper. Being maple, you can wash them in hot water or alcohol and use them almost indefinitely if you maintain them, I have some that are 20 years old.

I don't use them as much anymore (lazy) but I do for some blends that seem to bite my tongue more than others and they are really great. I am lucky that I brought a good collection with me from Canada that were my original pipes, and have picked up quite a few more from Ebay since. Have maybe 20 in the collection now.

FYI, in the USA, Iwan Ries carries the filters. There are also usually a few on Ebay pretty regularly. Note that they only work in the Brigham pipes because of the specific fitting I described above.
 
Hunter,

I couldn't agree more. I am really enjoying this pipe so far. Look, feel and smoking are A+. This was an excellent recommendation that I am glad I followed up on (thanks Joseph76).
 
I've been reading up on the balsa filter from Savinelli. I have a Savinelli pipe that can use the 6mm filter. I had been using the medico paper filter in it but wanted to try the balsa. Well.... I couldn't bring myself to buy the balsa filter from Savinelli, they cost too much I think. So, what i did, was I bought some balsa sticks, that are about 3 feet long, and about the size of a wooden matchstick, squared at the end. I found that if I bunch 3 of these up they fit right in the 6mm filter hole, and I just cut them to appropriate length. This works well, really dried out the smoke, and didn't affect the draw too badly, still smooth. Now, I have a lifetime supply of Balsa filter material. Cheers!
 
The balsa system really isnt a filter system. Its just to soak up the moisture, and be changed frequently. Thats why Savinelli calls them dry system.
 
Hello Plumbernator! Well, these little sticks sure did dry the smoke out, I took them out after the pipe cooled, and they were 1) much darker color, 2) thoroughly wet. They worked better than the paper Medico filters. What's better, is I'll be able to add or subtract sticks to fit other pipes. I currently do not have any pipes that take a 9mm filter, however.
 
I have a couple of savinellis that take them. I tryed them and I just didnt like it. It took some thing away maybe to dry. Any way it didnt work for me.
 
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