I noticed today that I used my left hand (not dominant) more than my right, even though I voted dom. Drink in my right hand, lighter in my right hand, etc.
Holding a pipe question
- Thread starter Mike H
- Start date
About equal for me. I'm right-handed, so I hold the pipe with the left while lighting, shift it back and forth (and hold it in my teeth a small percentage of the time), then back to the left hand while I tamp with the right.
The other thing I do was something I read in one of the rare texts on pipe smoking I could find in the '80s. I'll curl a forefinger, usually the right, around the shank, the bowl resting on my second and third fingers, while I puff. Generally I do this only with straight or near-straight pipes, not the strongly-bent ones.
The other thing I do was something I read in one of the rare texts on pipe smoking I could find in the '80s. I'll curl a forefinger, usually the right, around the shank, the bowl resting on my second and third fingers, while I puff. Generally I do this only with straight or near-straight pipes, not the strongly-bent ones.
Lefonque
Even more clueless than you
Dominant hand mostly.
Addendum to my earlier: I see, smoking my 307 Peterson this morning, that I often pinch it at the metal collar with the thumb and forefinger of my right hand. The bowl thus rests on the remaining fingers of that hand.
AimlessWanderer
Remember to forget me!
I do use both hands, but mostly the right (dominant) hand.
When lighting or tamping, the pipe is held by the left, while the right deals with the tools. The pipe is switched back to the right when the tools go down. Same with a drink, which is brought to my mouth with the right, but goes straight back to the table, and the pipe goes back in the dominant hand. Books are held in the left anyway, so the pipe stays in the dominant hand for page turning.
As for doing anything else, there's a reason I always smoke sitters. The pipe goes down on any reasonably level surface, while I do what needs doing. No clenching, no smoke in the eyes, no talking like Popeye. Smoke a bit, do a bit, rinse and repeat.
As I've said many times before, a round bottomed pipe is about as useful to me as a round bottomed mug of tea, or bottle of beer. If I can't put it down, I don't want to pick it up.
When lighting or tamping, the pipe is held by the left, while the right deals with the tools. The pipe is switched back to the right when the tools go down. Same with a drink, which is brought to my mouth with the right, but goes straight back to the table, and the pipe goes back in the dominant hand. Books are held in the left anyway, so the pipe stays in the dominant hand for page turning.
As for doing anything else, there's a reason I always smoke sitters. The pipe goes down on any reasonably level surface, while I do what needs doing. No clenching, no smoke in the eyes, no talking like Popeye. Smoke a bit, do a bit, rinse and repeat.
As I've said many times before, a round bottomed pipe is about as useful to me as a round bottomed mug of tea, or bottle of beer. If I can't put it down, I don't want to pick it up.
I'm right handed, but use my non dominant hand for holding my pipe. Kind of odd as I use my dominant right hand for cigars.
Mostly dominant (right) but I'm comfortable with my non-dominant as well.
Both. My dominant hand is my right, but I write with my left, so I tend to use whichever is "handy".
Usually non-dominant because I need my dominant hand for other tasks.
Like others here have let on, I hold my pipe in my free hand.
Since my left hand (non-dominate) really isn’t good for anything except catching baseballs and holding things it usually has pipe holding duty.
Around here, the left have is really good at making helpful informative hand gestures in traffic as well.
I loved this post. Until I read it, I honestly didn’t know which hand I held my pipe in. I’m a right handed person who holds their pipe in their left hand.
