What's the best way to pack and puff a shallow pot

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TheLowlyApprentice

TheLowlyApprentice

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I decided to break in my Savinelli 316KS pot today. The bowl was too shallow to allow for a 3 stage packing so I went with a 2 stage pack of C&D's Billy Budd.

For the most part I took short sipping puffs while clenching the pipe with the occasional long, very slow draw, but no matter how I went about it, the pipe smoked very hot.

Maybe the pipe's not a good smoker or my packing and puffing technique is not right.

Any thoughts on what I need to do to avoid an overheated pipe?

Many thanks,

TLA
 
I usually codger scoop my pots. Of course I usually codger scoop everything. You won't know if it is a good smoker until you get it broken in. A new one often gets a "hot spot," so I just put it down and let it cool off before relighting.
 
I recommend being kind and cautious to it until a good cake has formed...... It'll work out the rough in time.
 
MisterE":zzgwqb7i said:
Hopefully Montbla can chime in on this one. His favorite shape is the Pot. :twisted:
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That is if he comes back! Hopefully he will!

I'd only say just build your cake slowly and carefully, and if it gets hot put it down. It'll get there.



Cheers,

RR
 
Try a looser pack with a slightly firm but still springy, flat top. Strive to light only a surface patch of the bowl -- i.e., avoid sucking the flame down into the bowl. All you need to do when lighting is to get it started. If it gets hot, let it go out, let it cool down, tamp lightly, then relight. It should smoke cooler after it's been seasoned. You might also try different blends and cuts. Pipes sometimes have a preference. In theory, your pipe's bowl shape should prefer a Lat blend. OTOH . . .
 
Many thanks, Fr_Tom & KevanM, for the tips.

I really couldn't do a codger scoop from a mason jar so I dribble filled the pipe to a bit overflowing with Artisan's Blend and then gave it a light packing.

It really seemed to do the trick. It took a few more relights and it was a slightly shorter smoke, but overall the pipe was significantly cooler.

Many thanks,

TLA
 
Pour some out in a ziplock Baggie, codger scoop it, pour the remaining contents back in the jar.
 
"Codger Scoop?" Is that a technical term? I like it! :mrgreen:

I suppose I've been known to "codger scoop" myself once and a while. I still really haven't found a pot shape I like yet, but I do have a couple. I may need to experiment.
 
Ocelot55":9bo7pj3c said:
"Codger Scoop?" Is that a technical term? I like it!  :mrgreen:

I suppose I've been known to "codger scoop" myself once and a while. I still really haven't found a pot shape I like yet, but I do have a couple. I may need to experiment.
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I'm guilty of doing that. scooping out of a pouch and a thumb press. Seems to work......
 
Does "codger scoop" = "educated thumb?" The wee problem I had with that method is it's hard to adjust the density of the pack. Maybe my thumb isn't educated.
 
KevinM":0em06eur said:
Does "codger scoop" = "educated thumb?" The wee problem I had with that method is it's hard to adjust the density of the pack. Maybe my thumb isn't educated.
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I scoop and shake the pipe for it to settle. Then I scoop again and leave it a little rounded on top. That gets poked in with the thumb. My thumb might be experienced at doing this, since this is pretty much the way I have loaded a pipe since 1977. This was what my father did and I had seen it in action enough times. It works best with fairly dry things that are not a long ribbon. With a long cut ribbon, the scoop and shake does not work well, and I usually stick the pipe in the tobacco and cram in two wads with my finger. You get a feel for it.

This can be done pretty easily with one hand while drinking coffee or driving. Back before the internet and the Frank method, you just watched what the old guys did who had been smoking a while. The codgers in my life all loaded pipes more or less this way.

Flakes are another issue, but if you rub them out, they turn into long ribbon and I cram the wads in from my palm instead of from the pouch.
 
puros_bran":k25548n4 said:
'Watching how the old guys do it' equals pre-Internet YouTube.
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It is just one of those big cultural changes I guess.

I remember as a kid noticing that all the old men smoked pipes or cigars. The cigars seemed to get chewed on mostly. They all seemed very happy with their lives. You would think to yourself, "If I am ever 80, I would not mind being that guy." They all seemed to fish and have cool things - old cars, racks full of guns. They made their own handles for tools.

These days I can watch some goober on youtube with a bad haircut who has smoked for a month try to explain some packing method that I would have to write down to learn. I am not thinking, "I want to be that guy."

I remember going to see my granny in an assisted living place back in the 70's. My father and I went fishing, and on the way back we dropped by the basement in the place to show off fish. The men were all down there playing pool, smoking and watching baseball on TV. Everything came to a halt so they could come inspect the fish. We stayed long enough to soak up some ambiance and get some advice about fishing.
 
Fr_Tom":tvd7y3v9 said:
I remember as a kid noticing that all the old men smoked pipes or cigars. The cigars seemed to get chewed on mostly. They all seemed very happy with their lives. You would think to yourself, "If I am ever 80, I would not mind being that guy." They all seemed to fish and have cool things - old cars, racks full of guns. They made their own handles for tools.
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I know this is an old thread but it really brings back memories for me. My widower neighbor growing up was a cigar guy who I can never remember him actually lighting a cigar. He would chew them all day long. He taught by example how to be a respectful and stoic gentleman that always had time to talk to a snot nose kid.
 
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