Ooops! Overreamed some cake.

[smoker13]

So what's a guy to do on a hot, humid day? Sit inside the AC house and clean some pipes to feel productive and good about oneself.

This I did with a few of my beauties, and with a couple that had cake beyond an acceptable point, I addressed with my excellent PIPNET pipe reamer set.

One of the pipes, a favorite Ser Jacopo picta Van Gogh, had uneven cake problems, i.e. much more in the top third than the bottom two thirds. Well, I only meant to even things out, but of course I ended up going beyond the point I wanted to and the result is that I have a stripe going completely around the circumference of the pipe where there is a striation of cake and wood. In one spot, horror of horrors, there is nothing but bare wood.

Now, I have many favorite pipes, like all of us, so it would be foolish to say this is my favorite pipe, but it IS right up there as one of many I consider as top echelon.

So has the pipe been irreparably damaged or can I gently and gingerly nurse it back by slowly bringing back the cake in the damaged area(s)? This has never happened to me so I am at a complete loss as to just how best to judge what has been done.

As always, I appreciate any and all help from the Brotherhood.

 

[SpeedyPete]

I'm sorry to hear about your accident which indeed it is. Don't blame yourself!

What I will do is to fill the pipe only two thirds to start off with. In time new cake/cover will develop because of smoke leaving the bowl. Take it easy at first to prevent burning a hole or gap where you've only got raw briar now. It will take some time but eventually your problem will solve itself. Briar is much harder than we believe.

 

[MisterE]

I wouldn't worry about it too much. Maybe just smoke the next bowl or two carefully around that area. It'll cake up pretty quickly and be no worse for wear.

 

[AJ]

If you're a little afraid to smoke it with the bare wood you might cover the area of concern with a little pipe mud. But I agree with the others that it should do just fine using the methods they recommended.

AJ

 

[puros_bran]

I used to intentionally strip pipes to the wood... buying estates, do what ya do ya know.
Your pipe will be okay. Load up some burley to get a fast cake, then follow it with a few bowls of virginia to harden it up. Good to go, easy peasey.

 

[ontariopiper]

I agree with the group - your pipe is fine. Having refurbished over 100 estate pipes to date, I can confirm that they do not suffer from being reamed to the briar for a fresh start. Also keep in mind that your pipe is already broken in, so no need to go through the 1/2 bowl, 3/4 bowl, etc process all over again.

Enjoy the pipe!

 

[Brewdude]

Agree with the above statements. I regularly ream my Wiley Dub/Rhody back to virtually bare wood, more often by accident than anything, and it never seems to suffer for it. Dang thing builds cake quicker than anything so I have to keep after it.


Cheers,

RR

 

[KevinM]

My .02 is that reaming can be too aggressive a solution to a non-problem. A bit of sand paper, judiciously applied, is sufficient, it says here. After smoking your pipe, having run a cleaner through it, double the cleaner and take any remaining debris off the walls with it. This will help build a thin but even cake that will help protect the briar. That said, the urge to tinker is a constant temptation for many smokers, and a piper can have far worse habits. (Reaming with a sharp-pointed pocket knife, being one.) As others have said, your pipe should be fine with a bit of care. Remain calm. Carry on.

P.S. If you do get a stubborn, uneven cake, a small rat-tail file offers the advantage of applying controlled, limited attention to the problem spot. And you likely already have such a tool in your handy person's box.

 

[Fr_Tom]

I would claim that it is not "over" reamed unless you took off wood. I would not worry about this and just smoke it. Enjoy the new bowl capacity!

 

[Richard Burley]

Is the chamber rim still circular? :lol: I've done this several times and the thought never crossed my mind that I had done any harm. There is no way I could pick out which pipes they were.

 

[Stick]

Looking at it from a different angle, unless they're a mass production unit with a bowl coating (to the distaste of many), most new pipes start off as bare wood in the bowl.

Load her up and smoke her!

 

[SpeedyPete]

Looking at it from a different angle, unless they're a mass production unit with a bowl coating (to the distaste of many), most new pipes start off as bare wood in the bowl.

Load her up and smoke her!

There you've got it!

 

[Brewdude]

Looking at it from a different angle, unless they're a mass production unit with a bowl coating (to the distaste of many), most new pipes start off as bare wood in the bowl.

Load her up and smoke her!

There you've got it!

Sums it up, ain'a?

:sunny:


Cheers,

RR

 

[Puffer Mark]

Looking at it from a different angle, unless they're a mass production unit with a bowl coating (to the distaste of many), most new pipes start off as bare wood in the bowl.

Load her up and smoke her!

Yuuuhhp. On the head, Stick.

I've never had need of a reamer. A bit of rolled up 220 grit sandpaper is all I've ever needed. Better control and less risk of disaster, I think.

 

[Idlefellow]

One of my favorite pipes is a flea market pre-Republic Peterson; someone over-reamed the bowl to the point that you can tell the wall thickness has been thinned.  The rim of the bowl has been treated pretty roughly, and the bowl has a crack in it.  Smokes great and I love that pipe!