not made for pipes and tobacco - hacks reappropriation

[Singed]

@Zeno. several solutions to a cone-shaped bowl with a high draft . meerschaum chips, pumice crumbs or volcanic clay, crushed terra cotta shards,
I have even heard of rice grains being used. There are also tiny screen baskets available online for just that application: I've seen them on either SP or TP.

A more permanent solution is to mix some pipe mud and literally fill the floor of the bowl to a comfortable draw. I've used this method for several cobs to eliminate the "junk bucket" beneath the shank insert. I use fine fireplace ash, with a 50% water/sodium silicate solution. Some people raise concerns about sodium silicate but it is a common glazing solution in pottery and used for everything from garden gnomes to dinnerware. Research pipe mud well before you apply it for a good pipe. I taught myself on used up cobs. I cure the stummel in the oven at minimum heat for 2-4 hours depending on the size of the bowl and the depth of the patch. It also works well for charring pits.

 

[William Ziegler]

You got rocks in your pants? I mean in your pipe?

I have a great smoking pipe that the bottom of the bowl is a cone. The airhole is about 1/2 inch too much above where I feel it should be, but maybe I'm wrong. As I said, it is a great smoker. However, with each bowl, I dump out about a thimble of unsmoked tobacco because it is stuck down in the point of that cone. You can futz and futz to get at it, but eh...I'm ready to futz a different way. Anyone ever tried filling that type of conical drilling with a rock? I know the rock is going to get gooey and messy to keep track of and clean. It's just an idea. I know guys who used to crumple up smoking papers at the bottom to sort of deal with this. Or those Denicool crystals are another idea. Honestly, I don't want to have to buy something else. A little pea gravel seems like it would work well enough. I found one just the right size. Anyone tried this? Thoughts? Thanks.

Try dry white rice. It will also absorb moisture. Cheap too. Throw out after each smoke.

 

[Zeno Marx]

Try dry white rice. It will also absorb moisture. Cheap too. Throw out after each smoke.

Nice one! A hack that never occurred to me. DUH.

 

[BriarPipeNYC]

Try dry white rice. It will also absorb moisture. Cheap too. Throw out after each smoke.

Love it! Thanks for the K-I-S-S suggestion. I coulda, woulda, shoulda, thought of this rice hack....but, truth be told, I never had an original thought in my entire life. Which is actually a good thing. It absolves me from taking responsibility for failures.

 

[lgoldberg]

For humidifying, I use a tea infuser with a chunk of damp paper towel in it.

 

[PLANofMAN]

I've seen people use heat shrink tubing to protect the mouthpiece on pipes from tooth chatter.

I'm a fan of using a DIY mix of mineral oil and beeswax on my pipes to retard oxidation on the stems, gives a nice low luster shine to the pipe bowl too. What the British would likely call 'patina.' It was originally formulated as a finish for wood projects, but it seems to do well for pipes too, especially for revitalizing dry estate pipes.

 

[PLANofMAN]

I've seen people use heat shrink tubing to protect the mouthpiece on pipes from tooth chatter.

I'm a fan of using a DIY mix of mineral oil and beeswax on my pipes to retard oxidation on the stems, gives a nice low luster shine to the pipe bowl too. What the British would likely call 'patina.' It was originally formulated as a finish for wood projects, but it seems to do well for pipes too, especially for revitalizing dry estate pipes.

FYI, this is what I meant when I said "dry estate pipes." Same pipe, before and after.

 

[Singed]

For what it's worth, I use cutting board oil applied with a soft toothbrush to maintain briars. It only takes a drop and it makes a world of difference. I'm fairly sure it is a mineral oil base. It works really well reconditioning textured pipes.

 

[PLANofMAN]

For what it's worth, I use cutting board oil applied with a soft toothbrush to maintain briars. It only takes a drop and it makes a world of difference. I'm fairly sure it is a mineral oil base. It works really well reconditioning textured pipes.

Yeah, cutting board oil is just mineral oil in a fancier bottle with a much higher price tag.

It's very much like lighter fluid. You can buy the Zippo fluid in a small container, or you can buy a gallon of Naptha at the local hardware store for about the same price. Same stuff.

Edit: a caveat about mineral oil, is it does seep into the pipe, and when smoking, it tends to wick through the pipe to the surface of the rim if the grain goes that way. I don't know how it affects the breathability or permeability of the wood in a negative or positive manner. I suspect the heat from smoking insures some sort of balance between how much mineral oil the briar retains, versus how much oil and tar is absorbed from the tobacco. I just wipe the excess off before the pipe cools.

 

[William Ziegler]

Yeah, cutting board oil is just mineral oil in a fancier bottle with a much higher price tag.

It's very much like lighter fluid. You can buy the Zippo fluid in a small container, or you can buy a gallon of Naptha at the local hardware store for about the same price. Same stuff.

Edit: a caveat about mineral oil, is it does seep into the pipe, and when smoking, it tends to wick through the pipe to the surface of the rim if the grain goes that way. I don't know how it affects the breathability or permeability of the wood in a negative or positive manner. I suspect the heat from smoking insures some sort of balance between how much mineral oil the briar retains, versus how much oil and tar is absorbed from the tobacco. I just wipe the excess off before the pipe cools.

Almond oil is a safer and better alternative IMHO. I have oil cured Benchmade pipes I've turned with it. If there are any plant resins in the briar it will drive them out. I boil the oil in the bowl using my microwave. All I have kept have been sweet smokers.

 

[PLANofMAN]

Almond oil is a safer and better alternative IMHO. I have oil cured Benchmade pipes I've turned with it. If there are any plant resins in the briar it will drive them out. I boil the oil in the bowl using my microwave. All I have kept have been sweet smokers.

Never thought about that... Either the microwave or almond oil. No worries about it going rancid over time?

 

[BriarPipeNYC]

Pipe-Balm:
Buy a small block of pure, natural, beeswax, the kind that smells like honey. Stick the beeswax in a small heatproof bowl, add some walnut oil/mineral oil, and melt in the microwave. Mix with a chopstick until blended and let it cool. You need to keep adding enough oil to make a stiff, but not too solid paste. When you get the proportions just right, pour the wax mixture into one of those small Altoids/Sucrets lidded-box, or something similar.

Keep this Balm handy and before lighting up, rub some of this homemade Pipe-Balm on your fingertips and rub the briar pipe. The heat from the pipe's bowl will melt and absorb the Balm, and make your pipe look real nice! Hint, hint: Just one or two tiny drops of pure, food-grade, "Orange Oil"..... (DO NOT use candle fragrance oils, or, any perfume oils!!!!).... mixed into the hot wax mixture, will ever-so-slightly tinge your creamy Pipe-Balm, and as your pipe heats up a few atoms of citrus will waft into your nostrils. This citrus fragrance will NOT ghost your pipe.

Got a pipe or, estate-pipe, that stinks, smells rank, makes you gag? Well...clean that pipe... especially the disgusting stem/mortise hole. Use scrubby pipe-cleaners dipped in Rum Extract, elbow grease, ram them in and un-stink your stem or hole. If you must, sand/ream away excessive, cake. But wait, there's more, you're not done yet. After you clean that pipe, tightly jam some fresh, juicy, oily, orange-peel inside the bowl, and leave it there for a few days. The citrus oils will do its magic and will permeate and soften the smelly cake. You'll be able, at this point, to easily scrape away, with a wooden chop stick, any extra cake from the bowl, and your pipes will be refreshed. A little Pipe-Balm wax will work wonders. BTW, after a few days that citrus peel that you tightly jammed into the bowl..... will shrink, and almost drop out of the bowl.

Especially for garage/yard sale, estate-pipes, I've used this citrus peel method for years, and my pipes just never get to that "stink stage".

 

[Eutychus]

Brothers, I am soaking up your collective wisdom!

 

[William Ziegler]

Never thought about that... Either the microwave or almond oil. No worries about it going rancid over time?

All oils can go rancid. I keep the oil tin, that is food grade and I get it at the grocery store, in the refrigerator. I've just used it when I turn a Benchmade and in the bowl with heat - short burst from the microwave will boil it, adding oil as needed. I plug the shank with a wooden dowl. I maybe do that for 30 minutes. The exterior of the pipe will have a nice luster. Wipe everything down with an absorbant cloth or paper towel, then smoke the pipe. I've always gotten a sweet break-in. I've never done this with an already smoked pipe although I have a Savinelli Canadian blast that has always smoked hot and bitter. I am think of treating it to see if it turns it into a good smoker - I'd like to save it as it has a really long shank. I gave it a salt treatment several years ago, but it didn't improve it. I will let you know my results. Attaching a pic of the Savinelli.

 

[PLANofMAN]

All oils can go rancid. I keep the oil tin, that is food grade and I get it at the grocery store, in the refrigerator. I've just used it when I turn a Benchmade and in the bowl with heat - short burst from the microwave will boil it, adding oil as needed. I plug the shank with a wooden dowl. I maybe do that for 30 minutes. The exterior of the pipe will have a nice luster. Wipe everything down with an absorbant cloth or paper towel, then smoke the pipe. I've always gotten a sweet break-in. I've never done this with an already smoked pipe although I have a Savinelli Canadian blast that has always smoked hot and bitter. I am think of treating it to see if it turns it into a good smoker - I'd like to save it as it has a really long shank. I gave it a salt treatment several years ago, but it didn't improve it. I will let you know my results. Attaching a pic of the Savinelli.View attachment 16259

Grape seed oil does not go rancid, it's why I use it on cast iron cookware instead of other seasoning options. (It also has a higher smoke point than most other food safe oils). I doubt very much that it tastes as good as almond oil from a smoking perspective.

Looking forward to your results!

 

[William Ziegler]

Grape seed oil does not go rancid, it's why I use it on cast iron cookware instead of other seasoning options. (It also has a higher smoke point than most other food safe oils). I doubt very much that it tastes as good as almond oil from a smoking perspective.

Looking forward to your results!

PlanofMan, well I oil treated my Sav deLux 804EX Canadian, but not with Almond oil - couldn't find my tin of that. Instead I had a tin of walnut oil in the Frig and it wasn't rancid. I plugged the shank and reamed it down to bare wood filled the bowl and cooked it in the microwave. Takes about 45 sec to one minute to get the oil boiling in the bowl. I did this for a couple of hours while watching Gun Smoke on the kitchen TV. The oil smelled nice. I wiped the pipe down with paper towels and pipe cleaners in the shank. I swear, this pipe has the hardest briar as it didn't weep much oil through to the outside. Fired it up last night with Solani Silver Flake 660 vintage 2011 and it smoked good. Smoked much better, like a normal sweet pipe. Occasionally got hot, but bitterness/acridness gone. Smoking it now so will update if it goes back to it's old cantankerous self. Here are a few pictures:

 

[William Ziegler]

PlanofMan, well I oil treated my Sav deLux 804EX Canadian, but not with Almond oil - couldn't find my tin of that. Instead I had a tin of walnut oil in the Frig and it wasn't rancid. I plugged the shank and reamed it down to bare wood filled the bowl and cooked it in the microwave. Takes about 45 sec to one minute to get the oil boiling in the bowl. I did this for a couple of hours while watching Gun Smoke on the kitchen TV. The oil smelled nice. I wiped the pipe down with paper towels and pipe cleaners in the shank. I swear, this pipe has the hardest briar as it didn't weep much oil through to the outside. Fired it up last night with Solani Silver Flake 660 vintage 2011 and it smoked good. Smoked much better, like a normal sweet pipe. Occasionally got hot, but bitterness/acridness gone. Smoking it now so will update if it goes back to it's old cantankerous self. Here are a few pictures:View attachment 16372View attachment 16376

So far to the good