I've seen some places that recommend giving a pipe 2-4 days between smokes. Is that really that necessary? Or does having some inexpensive but functional pipes as sort of daily beaters in general rotation, and just using the nicer ones once in a while so they get that rest time work just as well?
Letting a pipe rest?
- Thread starter Shave_Rat
- Start date
Commander Quan
Commander Yellow Pantyhose
Conventional wisdom says that the reasons for letting a pipe rest is that unless the wood is allowed to dry the pipe will sour at a faster rate, and over time can develop a soft heal. The souring issue can be solved with a salt & alcohol treatment. If you are smoking multiple styles in the same pipe (latakia, and Virginia, and aromatics) it's not a bad idea to do a S&A treatment often because the flavors will start to get muddled.
I have no idea exactly how long it would take for the heal to get spongy, and I personally don't know anyone this has happened to, but I'd guess that number to be pretty high. If you are only smoking 1 or 2 bowls a day, You can get away without resting the pipe for quite a while, if your smoking all day long you'll probably want to have at least 3 pipes to rotate through.
I have no idea exactly how long it would take for the heal to get spongy, and I personally don't know anyone this has happened to, but I'd guess that number to be pretty high. If you are only smoking 1 or 2 bowls a day, You can get away without resting the pipe for quite a while, if your smoking all day long you'll probably want to have at least 3 pipes to rotate through.
NO NO NO! you have to have multiple pipes or the apocolypse will occur, that's why you need more pipes! (said loud enough for SWMBO to hear)
<quietly> It all depends on your tobacco, smoking style, etc. You want the pipe to dry out as much as possible, but what is possible if up to you. If you are concerned but can't / don't want to spend more on briars, pick up a couple MM corn cob pipes to throw in the mix. They are inexpensive, and smoke great!
(Loudly again) you need at least a 7 pipe rotation, 14 is better.........
<quietly> It all depends on your tobacco, smoking style, etc. You want the pipe to dry out as much as possible, but what is possible if up to you. If you are concerned but can't / don't want to spend more on briars, pick up a couple MM corn cob pipes to throw in the mix. They are inexpensive, and smoke great!
(Loudly again) you need at least a 7 pipe rotation, 14 is better.........
My grandfather used a pipe for years, never any resting with no problems. I would be more worried about ghosting than hurting your pipe.
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- #5
NO NO NO! you have to have multiple pipes or the apocolypse will occur, that's why you need more pipes! (said loud enough for SWMBO to hear)
<quietly> It all depends on your tobacco, smoking style, etc. You want the pipe to dry out as much as possible, but what is possible if up to you. If you are concerned but can't / don't want to spend more on briars, pick up a couple MM corn cob pipes to throw in the mix. They are inexpensive, and smoke great!
(Loudly again) you need at least a 7 pipe rotation, 14 is better.........
SWMBO is ok with my pipe AD. I'm not big on the cob, tho I may get a few, but those Mr Brogs... they smoke great for me, and are a damn inexpensive pipe to pick up. I'm digging them so far.
I have to say I like to let my pipes have a good rest between days smoked - 7 days for briar 2-3 days for meer. I do reload many of my pipes a couple times a day. I can definitely taste a difference between a clean well rested pipe and on that isn't. I find they also tend to smoke cooler and dryer which is a lot of the reason the smoke tastes better. As far as an absolute need probably not as much.
Other than a rank, sour pipe. Yes, I know the old timers smoked the same briar for 16 hours a day, seven days a week for years at a time - but seriously, give that a try and tell me how wonderful your pipe tastes. Even the old-timers will admit that they would simply perservere when their pipes went sour, knowing that a birthday or Christmas would arrive eventually and often bring a new smoker. It was a different time, with different ideals. I mean heck, remember, the most popular tobaccos in most of North America were plugs and ropes kept under glass at the local druggist with the intent that you could slice off a chunk for the bowl, or simply take a bite and pack a lip (it was cheap and packed with nicotine). Now, would you consider loading your bowl with Redman or Cope? But never mind that, we modern pipe-smokers are fastidious about cleaning our pipes, because it makes them taste better. Ask your granddad how often he cleaned out his smokers...I suspect the answer would be somewhere around never.
Just because that's how it was done 'back in the day' doesn't mean that's necessarily the best way to go about things.
Edit: Personally, I'll smoke up to three bowls consecutively (and I mean consecutively; within a few hours) through the same pipe, but I'll let it sit for a week afterwards. Fortunately, I have a large enough rotation of pipes that I can maintain a rotation that allows for ample resting time.
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- #9
The point still seems to stand that it didn't harm the pipe physically. I'm gathering that with basic periodic cleaning and normal cleaning after use, I shouldn't worry about using a pipe then giving it a few days off. The cleaning will keep it from getting rank/sour, the dry time from that will give it good dry out time.
Doesn't mean I will stop at having like 3 pipes, still. lol I've a feeling I'll need a wall rack and then some, by the time I'm done.
My Landlord's father is the only pipe smoker that I know. He had several of the same Dr. Grabow model as that is what his kids/grandkids would get him for Christmas/Birthday every year. After a while he told them to stop giving him pipes as he has more than enough. Eventually the all went to hell, so he picked up 7 MM Ozark Mountain pipes (Hardwood) and marked them. He uses 1 pipe a day (several bowls) and lets it rest for a week.
I think most old timers are like this. It may seem like they are smoking the same pipe all day everyday, but they actually have several of the same pipe and rotate on a daily basis. I'm sure there are a few that only smoke 1 pipe continuously.
I think most old timers are like this. It may seem like they are smoking the same pipe all day everyday, but they actually have several of the same pipe and rotate on a daily basis. I'm sure there are a few that only smoke 1 pipe continuously.
I suspect this to be the case. I tend to buy bent billiard briar pipes that strongly resemble one another. Nobody in my family realized I had more than one pipe until I moved my six pipe rack from the bedroom to the living room. Then it slowly dawned on them that I also had racks with more pipes at the office and at my mid-week apartment.
Most guys probably bought pipes off the rack at the drug store, hardware store, or barber shop. Whoever had the shop just ordered more of the same and that's what was available. The many specialty pipes that many of the BL enjoy were for the wealthy back in the day, or maybe one that somebody had as a special pipe at home. Out and about, though, they probably settled on an everyday pipe that they liked and had several of.
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- #12
I've actually thought about doing this as well. Grabbing a couple of the same ones (the less expensive ones) that I really like to spread out the rotation a bit.
I have a few pipes (about 7 right now).
I usually let mine sit at least 24 hours after smoking one.
I usually let mine sit at least 24 hours after smoking one.
My great uncle was an avid pipe smoker and all of his were the same make and model rusticated bulldog. I thought he just smoked the one pipe for years until I learned better.
That's how I wound up buying my three cobs. They were purchased so that I would have a seven day rotation at the apartment and a five day rotation at the office. As I have bought more pipes I have adjusted what I have in my home, office, and apartment rotations. When I get my next pipe it is likely to be a bent, briar pipe with a large bowl for the apartment or a small bowl for the office. Either way, the last office cob is going to join the other two out at home on the farm.
That's subject to change if my next pipe is a meerschaum, church warden, or other oddity that would be more at home with the other odd balls at the farm...
I love my Churchwarden, I want a meer or Calabash next but I'm going to hold off until after Tax season!
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