Resting......a.k.a. "beating a dead horse"

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LaurenceS

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Hi All,

O.K., o.k......G-d only knows how many threads there have been about resting your pipes, and believe-you-me, I've read quite a few, but alas, I am going to flog that ol' expired horse nonetheless. So, I've been smoking my Kirsten's for about a year now, and don't get me wrong, I absolutely love them, but there's a whole lotta pipes out there. I just got in a new Peterson Standard System in Ebony (#317), and it's absolutely perfect!!!!!!!! The bowl is the absolute PERFECT size!!!!! My Kirsten bowls are all waaaaayyy too big. So, I'm going to get a few more Peterson's. The question now becomes, exactly how many bowls, and how much rest time between bowls is recommended per day? As a ferinstance, I'm going camping, not this coming weekend, but the next; June 3rd - 5th. It's one of the few times that I actually have the time to just sit back and relax. That means substantial time throughout the weekend for enjoying my pipe. Now, from what I've read, if I understand correctly, theoretically speaking, if you smoke 4 bowls of tobacco in a pipe during a given day, then you want to let said pipe rest for the next 4 days. No problem, I get that, but if you're going to smoke 4 bowls of tobacco in said pipe in a given day, how much time should be allocated to allow the pipe to rest between bowls? In general, I only have enough time during a given business day to smoke 1 or 2 bowls. If I'm lucky, I'll save half of one of those bowls and smoke the rest of it when I get home from work, and then I'll have a nice bowl after dinner when I actually have the time to enjoy it. My weekends are generally just as busy, so I don't have much more time. Camping on the other hand is another story. It's one of the few, true, respits that I get when I can actually sit back, relax, and truly enjoy my pipe. Lastly, if I dig the Peterson this much, anything else you guys would recommend along similar lines?

Words of wisdom Brothers?

I thank you ever so kindly,

Laurence
Your Neophyte brother
 
I think the pipe will tell you if it needs a rest. I often get a new pipe and will smoke it exclusively for several weeks. I got back from Chicago a week ago Sunday and have had at least two bowls a day, often back to back in my new Peter Heeschen P shape sandblast. I have done that with my Ruthenberg's also. I don't seem to have any problem at all. Maybe because they breath better. I don't know. If a pipe tends to smoke wet, it usually gets smoked occasionally and will improve with time. Or not. I don't have a rigid rule of thumb about cleaning or rotation. But it works for others.
 
Carlos":twexlww4 said:
I think the pipe will tell you if it needs a rest. I often get a new pipe and will smoke it exclusively for several weeks. I got back from Chicago a week ago Sunday and have had at least two bowls a day, often back to back in my new Peter Heeschen P shape sandblast. I have done that with my Ruthenberg's also. I don't seem to have any problem at all. Maybe because they breath better. I don't know. If a pipe tends to smoke wet, it usually gets smoked occasionally and will improve with time. Or not. I don't have a rigid rule of thumb about cleaning or rotation. But it works for others.
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Thanks Carlos! I appreciate the opinion :D

-Laurence
 
MisterE":yb1zk3dr said:
Harlock999":yb1zk3dr said:
MisterE":yb1zk3dr said:
"The pipe will tell you". I like that and I agree.
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very Zen, Yoda-ish...
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:lol!:
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Yesterday, my supervisor asked asked me to Google some Yoda quotes for an inspirational e-mail he was sending out. I was thinking "I'm getting paid to do this? Heck yeah!"

Sorry for jacking the thread...my sincere apologies.
As for resting pipes, I don't smoke often enough, so my pipes get two weeks in between smokes...they almost get as much vacation as the Germans!
 
One important thing to remember: even if "rest time" is an imperfect science, the longer you believe your pipes should rest, the more excuses you have to buy more pipes!
 
Bump.

Resting pipes is analogous to ageing [Virginia]* tobacco.

Q : How much is "enough" ?

A : Depends on how good you want it to taste.

Q : But isn't there a point beyond which it's pointless because improvement either stops or increases so slowly it's negligible ?

A : Sure. But that's academic because you're going to smoke it before you reach that point.

:face:
.............
* Latakia & other orientals, like pets, have indefinite but finite lifespans. But from all current indications, Virginia -- stored properly -- is immortal.
 
Diggin' in the post graveyard! :cheers: Heheheh

I like that last answer about aging Virginias. Part of the reason why I popped that tin of 2001 Navy Cavendish was due to the fact I have a theory that aging happens on a bell curve over time. Starts slow at year 1, gets going at 2-3 years, tops out (speed-wise) around 10 years, and goes through minimal changes to infinity (or whenever after some point you just decide to take the plunge. There's no basis on it, except due to the plant material doing its thing via anaerobic gymnastics, as compared to other biological processes...like leaf litter in a forest over time.

8)
 
Doc Manhattan":umx2kno7 said:
One important thing to remember: even if "rest time" is an imperfect science, the longer you believe your pipes should rest, the more excuses you have to buy more pipes!
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Like this. :cheers:

Thank you for pulling this out of the post graveyard Kyle, the above quote is great.
 
I smoke 4-6 bowls a day from the same pipe. Letting them rest about 15 mins between bowls. I do this with Petersons, Savinellis, Czechs.... you get the point. Been smoking this way for about 5 years, including with Peterson and Savinelli which have been with me since my beginning my hobby. No problems so far soo...
 
I very rarely if ever smoke the same pipe twice in the same day. And I smoke at least 5/6 bowls a day. But then I have over 80 pipes so they all get a good "rest" btwm smokes ! "Resting" is a GREAT reason to aquire more pipes :p
 
But HOW will your pipe tell you it needs a rest? The bottom of the bowl and air passage will be wet. They must be allowed to dry in their own sweet time which will vary from pipe to pipe.

I also follow the "smoke it once a day max" rule mentioned above. Admittedly, this isn't very Zen, but women seem to accept home hygiene as a credible reason for the frequent appearance of USPS trucks bearing new briar.

Couple other considerations -- After you smoke your pipe and empty the "clean white ash" :) you'll want to get the juice O U T of the pipe. First of all, vigorously blow through the mouthpiece to clear it, Then run cleaners (regular and bristly) through it. Then use a bent cleaner to dry and dredge the bowl. Then give it a rest.

I also avoid the practice of smoking half a bowl and putting the rest down for later. You'll still have damp residue sitting for half the day in your pipe. If you only have time or inclination for half a bowl, only fill it hafway to help keep your pipe smoking dry and sweet.

If necessity forces smoking the same pipe repeatedly, pack a good supply pf cleaners, use them as if they're free, and choose a tobacco that smokes dry.
 
Recommendation (FWIW) :

Use a cleaner first. Stop it just short of the bowl. Pull it out, and you're not blowing moisture into the bowl that you want to dry out. Common sense.

PS : run the dry end through the stem about half an hour later. You might be surprised.

:face:
 
P.S. Here's how my pipes tell me when they're ready for another go -- They smell good. Just plant your beak on the bowl of your pipe and inhale Yucky? Needs more rest. Smells sweet? Readt to fire 'er up again.

And Yak is right I'd say about using another pipe cleaner half an hour after you think you've finished. I think briar absorbs some juice during the smoke, the 1st cleaner removes what hasn't been absorbed by the briar, and what was absorbed during the nice warm smoke is at least patrially secreted during the half hour cool down and removed during the later cleaning. I think the extra step is worth the extra effort. Even my missus' visiting friends have complimented how good my pipes smell. When they see a display of 50 pipes they are ready to hold their noses and feign polite interest, as proper ladies do. But surprise!
 
MisterE":jvwfmt4j said:
"The pipe will tell you". I like that and I agree.
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I am glad I am not the only one willing to admit that my pipes talk to me sometimes.....

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Something I did not mention in my previous reply - pipe cleaners are your best friend ! They are cheap enough, I buy 'em by the dozen packs at a time, and will use as many as I feel are required during a smoke. The other MAJOR factor is WHAT type of blend/mixture you smoke which effects how "dirty/wet" your pipe will get. If you are a lover of Aromatics which are heavily cased and contain alot of PG you will get a much "wetter" smoke and probably more of a wet "dottle' than a person who smokes a dryer mostly st.va blend/mixture will. I smoke a couple of Va based Balkan blends and several St.Va blends / mixtures which tend to burn hotter and dryer. They all still leave residue/tars etc. which need cleaning for sure but not as much as the Aro's do.
Another good friend in the cleaning/resting mix is the metal "shank" brushes you can buy. I have a few dozen sitting around and when I pull 12 pipes out of the racks for my monthly "cleaning" these come into use. After pulling the pipe apart and giving the bit a good cleaning, inside and out with one of these brushes and several clnrs, I move to the briar and use 'em on the shank and bring the cake to what I like, about a dimes thickness, and let all 12 pipes dry overnight before re-assemblng them. Then I put these pipes in a seperate rack for a month, bowl down, till the next batch comes up for cleaning. This has worked for me for many years now and I can truley say I don't have any "wet/dirty" smokers. 'Course LOTS of pipes helps this all out :p
 
I also like those little pipe "bottle brushes." I don't have to use them often, but once in a while, nothing eise will do.

8)
 
Here's something else a pipe cleaner can tell you. After you've passed the cleaner through and judged your pipe dry and clean, put a slight bend in the cleaner about 2" from the end -- just enough of a bend that the slight kink will touch the sides of mthe airway but not get hung up. Depending on the tobacco, I sometimes find a smudge of goop at the kink. A little extra time spent cleaning things up on the inside can forestall that sense of, "Hmmm, this pipe ain't what it used to be," down the line.
 
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