Pipes

FedoraGent · Jan 6, 2008

Considering...

I've been considering taking up the pipe as well. It would be great to smoke a pipe while having my "Music Listening Hour". I'll be in SF and San Leandro soon, can anyone suggest a good place to get a pipe?

FG.

warbird · Jan 6, 2008

Pipes are wonderfully relaxing. I tend to smoke pipes most often in the winter or when I am in my office writing.

My favorite pipes are a Brebbia, an old Meershaum Block, a Peevey and a couple of old old Kaywoodie military pipes. If you want to smoke a pipe buy a nice one, even if it is an inexpensive estate pipe, which are readily available. Cheap pipes breathe horribly and greatly lessen the experience or ruin it with bite and steam coming back up the stem. Yuck.

Next aromatics smell great but many of them smoke very hot. Stick to less aromatic baccis. Then move into non-aromatics once in a while, like a good Frog Morton- On the Bayou.

Bigfeet · Jan 7, 2008

Well because of this thread I have now gotten into pipe smoking. I had been a very long time cigar smoker and was interested in trying something new.

I am still learning about this new hobby. I do have a question, is it normal for your tongue to be numb after smoking?

Thanks,
Bigfeet

LocktownDog · Jan 7, 2008

Bigfeet said:
I am still learning about this new hobby. I do have a question, is it normal for your tongue to be numb after smoking?

Thanks,
Bigfeet

No. You're probably puffing too hard and fast. Easy to do when you're new. Sip, boy, sip. Like a fine wine. Get yourself an account on smokersforums.org Lots of help and advice available. I've been there for 7 or 8 years now and am known as Wartooth on there.

Richard

Bigfeet · Jan 7, 2008

LocktownDog said:
No. You're probably puffing too hard and fast. Easy to do when you're new. Sip, boy, sip. Like a fine wine. Get yourself an account on smokersforums.org Lots of help and advice available. I've been there for 7 or 8 years now and am known as Wartooth on there.

Richard

Richard,
Thank you for the response. I will head over there to check things out.

I figured I was doing something wrong.

Bigfeet

Ian Dundrillon · Jan 8, 2008

Numb Tongue

Dear Bigfeet,
You didn't say what brand of pipe you have. Peterson and some others have bits made of Vulcanite, an early form of mouldable plastic similar to hard rubber; as opposed to the newer plastics and acrylics.
As I have posted elsewhere, Vulcanite can discolour over time and require re-polishing. Also, it can have a taste that can impart a tingling or numbing sensation to the lips or tongue. It is not toxic, however, usually presents no problem, and tends to dissipate over time. Welcome aboard; good luck and good puffing.
Best regards, Ian

SamMarlowPI · Jan 8, 2008

got a 1940's Medico, never been smoked and never will, and my regular smoker a Dr Grabow "Golden Duke"...both straight...

Ecuador Jim · Jan 9, 2008

I have a Calabash, a couple of bent-stem briars, and a Kirsten. I've been looking for a good Meerschaum, but can't seem to find the right one.

I've always thought a Kirsten was a little funky until I looked at its history. A Boeing engineer was told he would kill himself if he kept smoking. He developed the pipe to be able to continue with his habit.

Turns out the Kirsten is a fine, cool smoke in my opinion, but it still looks so non-traditional. So, the search for a cool Meerschaum continues...

Bigfeet · Jan 9, 2008

Ian Dundrillon said:
Dear Bigfeet,
You didn't say what brand of pipe you have. Peterson and some others have bits made of Vulcanite, an early form of mouldable plastic similar to hard rubber; as opposed to the newer plastics and acrylics.
As I have posted elsewhere, Vulcanite can discolour over time and require re-polishing. Also, it can have a taste that can impart a tingling or numbing sensation to the lips or tongue. It is not toxic, however, usually presents no problem, and tends to dissipate over time. Welcome aboard; good luck and good puffing.
Best regards, Ian

Greetings Ian,
Thanks for the post. I purchased a Thomas Cristiano Shape Number 5 pipe. It does seem that the numbing has dissipated over the last couple of days. I have been enjoying several different types of tobacco and now know that pipe smoking is for me.

Regards,
Bigfeet

Jovan · Jan 11, 2008

I'm soon going to purchase my friend's corncob pipe from him since he no longer uses it. He pretty much just smokes Camels now. His loss.

Is his $4 asking price fair? The mouthpiece appears to be made out of clear plastic.

LocktownDog · Jan 11, 2008

Jovan said:
I'm soon going to purchase my friend's corncob pipe from him since he no longer uses it. He pretty much just smokes Camels now. His loss.

Is his $4 asking price fair? The mouthpiece appears to be made out of clear plastic.

You can buy them brand new at just about any newsstand for that price. The cheaper cobs are meant to be throw-away pipes. There are some higher-end cobs, but even those are usually less than $10.

BegintheBeguine · Jan 11, 2008

If you can't find a newsstand, Jovan, try Walgreen's. They're usually behind the counter but the clerk will wait on you. I've bought many a lost pipe at Walgreen'ses in Florida.

Corn cob pipes are fun. Expect many comments and questions from hoi polloi.

RockBottom · Jan 11, 2008

A suggestion. I've smoked pipes on and off for decades. (When I was a young college professor, I felt compelled). Now I revert back when the budget won't allow Macanudos.

Anyhow, something I've noticed is that the price of good briar pipes has escalated dramatically over the past thirty years, while meerschaum has not.

I'd thus recommend a meerschaum as a starter. Just Google it.

Meerschaums are more fragile than briars but the advantage is that they can be smoked without a long rest period. Briars really shouldn't be smoked more than once a day or once every other day, so you need a collection of them.

As for tobacco, I'm a great fan of Georgetown Tobacco's blends. I myself like an English blend with a good helping of Syrian latakia.

Badluck Brody · Jan 12, 2008

...

After recieving a pipe from my buddy at work, I've come to realize that it's kind of an art to not only enjoying a good pipe, but also keeping the darn thing lit...

I also just picked up a nice Kaywoodie. It looks untouched, but was probably used. Don't know about using a second hand pipe though???...??

jamespowers · Jan 12, 2008

Badluck Brody said:
After recieving a pipe from my buddy at work, I've come to realize that it's kind of an art to not only enjoying a good pipe, but also keeping the darn thing lit...

I also just picked up a nice Kaywoodie. It looks untouched, but was probably used. Don't know about using a second hand pipe though???...??

I do it all the time and it hasn't killed me yet.

I just plug the stem end with a paper towel, fill the bowl with salt that has no iodine added then saturate the salt with high proof alcohol. 90 proof or better does the trick. It gets rid of the tar build up and cleans the pipe. The ends I soak in bleach for about 45 minutes. Makes sure to watch the stems because you sure don't want to dissolve the stem by accident. Most stems can take it but.....
I hope that helps.

RockBottom · Jan 12, 2008

Badluck Brody said:
After recieving a pipe from my buddy at work, I've come to realize that it's kind of an art to not only enjoying a good pipe, but also keeping the darn thing lit...

I also just picked up a nice Kaywoodie. It looks untouched, but was probably used. Don't know about using a second hand pipe though???...??

Yep. It's a matter of tamping it just right.

Badluck Brody · Jan 12, 2008

My thought exactly...

I actually cleaned her up scrapped some and hit her with alcohol. Between the two, the Kaywodie seemed to "burn" (?) a bit hotter than the curved Peterson.

I agree about the tamping! And until I can find a decent one, I've been improvisig with an old skelton key.

Tonight was a bit of the Sunset Rum... And the other day was one called Raven??

I've actually never tried the Captain Black...(??)

jamespowers · Jan 14, 2008

Badluck Brody said:
I actually cleaned her up scrapped some and hit her with alcohol. Between the two, the Kaywodie seemed to "burn" (?) a bit hotter than the curved Peterson.

I agree about the tamping! And until I can find a decent one, I've been improvisig with an old skelton key.

Tonight was a bit of the Sunset Rum... And the other day was one called Raven??

I've actually never tried the Captain Black...(??)

All pipes have different properties and different grades of wood used so it is likely you will find one burning hotter then another. You just take that into account and put it down more often of puff less from it.
I have heard of people using a nail with a large head for a tamp but never a skeleton key.

Captain black is an old aromatic. If you are into aromatics it is the grandfather of them all.

RockBottom · Jan 14, 2008

It's probably worth adding that aromatic blends, while they smell great, tend to burn both wetter and hotter than what is called a "Virginia" blend (unflavored, mostly Virginia tobaccos) or an "English" blend (which have Syrian Latakia, often some Turkish, and an American tobacco called Perique for flavoring.) They are hotter because they have a higher sugar content and sugar burns hot.

jamespowers · Jan 15, 2008

RockBottom said:
It's probably worth adding that aromatic blends, while they smell great, tend to burn both wetter and hotter than what is called a "Virginia" blend (unflavored, mostly Virginia tobaccos) or an "English" blend (which have Syrian Latakia, often some Turkish, and an American tobacco called Perique for flavoring.) They are hotter because they have a higher sugar content and sugar burns hot.

That's true. I take issue with Perique though. It may be cooler burning but it will make your head spin like a lathe.

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