Resting Time For A Briar?

[SpeedyPete]

The brothers, I've been advised by a fellow pipe smoker to rest a briar for atleast 3 days after it's been smoked for a day. Do you agree? If so, why so, if not, why not?

 

[dougc905]

Let the pipe sit until the moisture has evaporated out of the bottom of the bowl. Also check the airway at the bottom of the bowl leading to the mortise/tenon area. This will take varying amounts of time depending upon the ventilation where you sit your pipes.

The main point => completely dry before you smoke it again.

A wet pipe smokes wet while a dry pipe at least has the chance to smoke dry depending upon your technique. Plus the pipe will not be as smelly if you let it dry between smokes.

 

[Maiser]

I have heard that 1 day is sufficient, as in "Smoke it on monday, rest on tuesday, smoke again on wednesday". Although I may only smoke the same pipe once or twice a week (this is due to my rotation and # of bowls I smoke per week).

-Mike.

 

[Anonymous]

Pipes need enough down time to be at their best when you smoke them -- dry, rested and refreshed.

The harder you push them, the more their interiors never get a chance to completely dry back out, the more they lose the ability to deliver the flavor of the tobacco in them and the more they start getting sour and nasty on you.

If you end up with a wet heel, it can be a good idea to dig the dottle out, fill the last quarter or so of the bowl and smoke that to dry it out before resting it, but this only shortens what the recovery time would have been otherwise.

I experimented with this a while ago and found that even once every other day was unsustainable over time. The deterioration was slower, but cumulative and inevitable.

Two or even three times in a row is do-able as a short term proposition (although the last bowl won't taste anywhere near as good as the first did), but pipes need time to rest and recover after exertion, the same as you do. Football players don't have contact practice in pads every day, and weight-lifters don't work the same muscle groups day in and day out.

Same with pipes.

Note : written with reference to Virginia flakes. Burley seems to be a different story -- it seems to generate less of that yummy good heavy tarry funky gunky residue.

FWIW

:face:

 

[SpeedyPete]

Pipes need enough down time to be at their best when you smoke them -- dry, rested and refreshed.

The harder you push them, the more their interiors never get a chance to completely dry back out, the more they lose the ability to deliver the flavor of the tobacco in them and the more they start getting sour and nasty on you.

If you end up with a wet heel, it can be a good idea to dig the dottle out, fill the last quarter or so of the bowl and smoke that to dry it out before resting it, but this only shortens what the recovery time would have been otherwise.

I experimented with this a while ago and found that even once every other day was unsustainable over time. The deterioration was slower, but cumulative and inevitable.

Two or even three times in a row is do-able as a short term proposition (although the last bowl won't taste anywhere near as good as the first did), but pipes need time to rest and recover after exertion, the same as you do. Football players don't have contact practice in pads every day, and weight-lifters don't work the same muscle groups day in and day out.

Same with pipes.

Note : written with reference to Virginia flakes. Burley seems to be a different story -- it seems to generate less of that yummy good heavy tarry funky gunky residue.

FWIW

:face:

I always clean my pipes after a day's use. Then I place a pipecleaner in the stem and "screw" a rolled up piece of paper kitchen towel into the bowl. Would you recommend this or should I rather leave the pipe empty?

 

[Jeff10236]

I've seen it suggested that one should have 7 pipes. You start the day with one, then put it away for a week before you smoke it again. It is probably excessive, and I've seen the 7-pipe rotation generate a lot of internet debate, but no one has ever suggested it isn't enough.

Personally, I'd say you should have 3-5 pipes, take one out for the day, then put it away at the end of the day and don't smoke one you've already had until you've smoked them all (if you are a very heavy smoker you may want to double it and smoke 2 pipes a day). If you are just starting out, you can set up your rotation without breaking the bank. Buy one or two briars, then fill out your rotation with corn cobs or Missouri Meerschaum hardwoods (good cobs run $5-10 each). Corn cobs are fine smoking pipes, they don't ghost, they dry quickly, and they are cheap in case you mess one up or lose one (great for outdoors activities for just that last reason). I have over 20 pipes in my collection, many are quite nice, and I have a corn cob (and I'm adding another as soon as the cobs I ordered come in the mail).

 

[Jeff10236]

I always clean my pipes after a day's use. Then I place a pipecleaner in the stem and "screw" a rolled up piece of paper kitchen towel into the bowl. Would you recommend this or should I rather leave the pipe empty?

Leaving the pipe cleaner in the mouthpiece for a day or two after cleaning to absorb all the moisture isn't a bad idea (though it isn't necessary). I wouldn't plug the bowl with a paper towel though. It is probably better to keep it open so it can air dry.

 

[Anonymous]

All I can see having a cleaner in there accomplishing is making it take longer to dry back out again.

:face:

 

[SpeedyPete]

I'm so glad that I was refered to this forum by brother BigMick!! I thank you, gentlemen, for all your responses. I've started SMOKING pipes while I was still at school but only now I'm a learning how to ENJOY a pipe!

I'm a happy man :lol: :cheers: :lol:

 

[Amenhotep04]

All I can see having a cleaner in there accomplishing is making it take longer to dry back out again.

:face:

Absolutely. The moisture doesn't mysteriously vanish from the cleaner. Take the pipe cleaner out and let that pipe dry up.

:farao:

 

[Iron man]

Note : written with reference to Virginia flakes. Burley seems to be a different story -- it seems to generate less of that yummy good heavy tarry funky gunky residue.

FWIW

:face:

I agree. I mainly smoke burleys and they don't seem to collect as much moisture or gunk as some other tobacco's.
I can usually rest a pipe for 3-4 hrs and it's dried out enough to use again. It is better when I rest a pipe for a day or longer when it comes to taste.

 

[djf1]

I'm probably in the minority but I really favor 4 pipes and I tend to use them all the time. My resting time is really hours sometimes as I travel a a lot and I only carry one with me on my trips. I have been using lots of thick soft pipe cleaners and they remove any moisture really well. So after everytime I light a bowl I run a pipe cleaner religiously. I dont have tongue bite or bitterness and both my pipes smoke pretty cool the Virginia flakes which tend to burn hotter than other blends I have tried. I have tried the extended rest period and I did not have any noticeable difference to make me quit what I'm doing, still when I'm at home I try to use one pipe per day with the rest resting.

 

[SpeedyPete]

I'm probably in the minority but I really favor 4 pipes and I tend to use them all the time. My resting time is really hours sometimes as I travel a a lot and I only carry one with me on my trips. I have been using lots of thick soft pipe cleaners and they remove any moisture really well. So after everytime I light a bowl I run a pipe cleaner religiously. I dont have tongue bite or bitterness and both my pipes smoke pretty cool the Virginia flakes which tend to burn hotter than other blends I have tried. I have tried the extended rest period and I did not have any noticeable difference to make me quit what I'm doing, still when I'm at home I try to use one pipe per day with the rest resting.

This makes sense to me. I leave a pipecleaner in my pipe for a while after smoking and then removed it and let the pipe sit for a day. My feeling is that if I only smoke one bowl a day, one day's rest should be sufficient.

 

[MisterE]

Some of my pipes get more rest than others. :lol:

I´ll usually have about 2 to 4 in rotation any given day and then they´ll get a good cleaning and a few days rest. I regularly smoke only a fraction of my pipes. About 10 will rotate over a weeks time.

I stuff a cleaner in them when I´m done then remove it when the pipe cools down, that way air can get in and dry it out better. Some folks are "one pipe- one smoke" but I´ll have anywhere from 2 to 6 bowls before I give it a rest. Then give it 4-5 days "snooze" if it´s one of my regular smokers.

 

[Zeno Marx]

One day rest for me. But I only smoke a bowl or two per day. I notice significant a difference on that second bowl of the day, but I still sometimes push a pipe into two smokes.

 

[Buddy Springman]

I may smoke a pipe up to three times in a day, but then it rests for a week. When it is done for the day, I put an ethyl alcohol soaked cleaner in it for about 30 minutes, and then follow that with a dry one.

Never have problems with skunky pipes.

Buddy

 

[nosenhoj]

Gentlemen;
There was a time, when I didn't fully understand the need for pipe rotation.
over several years I have come to this method for resting & rotating briars.
3 X 7 = 21. 3 Pipes a day for 3 bowls. 4 Pipes a day for 4 bowls. 5 Pipes a day for 5 bowls. Depending on how many bowls one smokes a day. would determine
how many pipes to take with, each day.This may sound excessive and inconvient,
but these days most of us drive cars, or carry breif cases, or back packs. or other
bag types.If we smoked one bowl from each pipe, or even two, resting that pipe for a week would certainly be enough time to dry.This method can be varied depending on the amount of pipes one has in his rotation. This method assures
the smoker of a dry smoke, and for myself, it allows me to enjoy more of the briars that I do have on hand.


"There's a Story behind every Bowl"