Hanging

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M

Milan

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I'm a hanger. I like to smoke a pipe while walking, doing yard work, driving, etc... This requires me to hang the pipe. I tend to clinch my pipes in a nice comfortable position usually somewhere on or around my bottom pre molars so the pipe stem doesn't quite touch the corners of my mouth. I like to switch sides periodically throughout each smoke as to spread the wealth and avoid callous or other mouth, tongue, or lip related issues. I at one time would not hang pipes that I consider to be my best, but have found that I now even hang them. I hang them bent, straight, heavy, or light. Teeth marks are practically unavoidable, atleast for me. So I have a couple questions to ask my fellow brothers...

Do you hang?
How do you hang?
What do you hang?
Do teeth marks ruin pipes?
How do you remedy teeth marks?

Cheers,

Milan
 
Milan":r4zyflcp said:
I'm a hanger. I like to smoke a pipe while walking, doing yard work, driving, etc...
Click to expand...

Nope. If I'm doin' that stuff, I smoke a cigar.
(Except driving, I smoke pipes and cigars while driving.)

So...how's it hanging? :lol!:
 
Shallow tooth indentations or scratches can be buffed out, or nearly out, of vulcanite stems, and even with harder stems they can be made less visible by buffing.

I smoke hands free a lot. For me the most important factor has been to keep only light weight pipes and don't go too long on stem length. A pipe heavier than 40 oz would probably not compete very well with my favorites.

Steve
 
I tend to clinch while driving. I've added rubbers (apparently aka pipe condoms) to all my pipes. Some people hate them I love them. Gives something soft to bit onto and it's comfortable in just about any position. Before I could only be comfortable in one, and it varied by pipe. And at only 50 cents they're cheap to replace compared to a stem repair.
 
I only clench a few of my lighter pipes..but all of my pipes have a softy pipe bit on them. They take some getting used to but now I dont like to smoke without them, they make clenching the pipe more comfortable and you dont have to worry about tooth dents. Ive taken some deeper dents out of some estate pipes by sanding them out with emery paper then rebuffing the stems , this seems to work on all but the deepest dents.
 
The balance of the pipe and the value of the pipe are top factors. I have a couple cripples that someone gave me (old Dunhill Shell from the 50s and Caminetto Business from the 70s), and they're both supremely balanced, lightweight, and are of no other value than being smokable. When I take walks, I go handless. I still attempt to bite as lightly as possible, and so far, my signature indentations aren't getting any deeper.

I recently picked up a short, straight, sizable apple shape, and I knew when purchasing it that I wouldn't be teeth-knocking it at all. It feels great in the hand, so I have no desire to tooth it. I also recently picked up a pipe that was misleadingly large and of relatively poor balance; pretty heavy, too. It's of no great value, but there's no way I could hold that with my teeth without my teeth and jaw hurting afterwards. It isn't like a brick or anything, but everything about it makes for a heavy-feeling pipe. Good smoker, but definitely not a hands-free smoker. The funny thing is that when I purchased both of these pipes, one of the higher priorities was to get more pipes I could tooth while walking. In that regard, I fanned on both of these pipes.

I might look for an oom paul next. I desperately need another walking pipe.
 
You call it hanging, and I call it clenching. I'm a clencher 100% of the time. I have rubber bit cushions on all my stems even on my Pete P-Lip and I smoke every bowl right down to the base. I love a long smoke so my favorite pipes are large. I equate my jaw to a pit bull's and I never have a problem supporting a pipe while my hands are free for other activities like the keyboarding I'm doing now while smoking Penzance in a large Poker.
 
My collection is changing over time because I'm starting to clench more. I used to like sitters-especially pokers. But now I find myself smoking more often on the way to and from work. So I'm looking more and more for smaller, well-made bent pipes. And while you can find makers of every nationality that fit that description, the Danes seem to have a lot of them.
 
In all the years I have smoked a pipe I have never held a pipe in my teeth, I only smoke a bowl full or two a day, always holding a pipe in hand while relaxing.
 
The only pipe I clench is a well balanced half bent Big Ben. I have a rubber bit on it and it is just a joy to clench. Enough so that it makes me want to hunt for more with a similar make.
 
I was thinking today, which is rare. I do clench when I walk and do yard work while smoking a pipe. I only do these activities with certain pipes, some bent some straight. I hang when I play guitar, drive, read, watch television, etc... I do these activities with all my pipes. I don't really have a point here... just was thinking about the difference between clenching and hanging.
Milan
 
Just the word "clench" sounds...un-relaxing to me. Speaks of tension and pressure applied, so none of that for this smoker. Just a relaxed hold on a favorite pipe while contemplating...what next to smoke, of course!

But hey, vive la difference! :cheers:
 
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