Pipe clenching

[Kentos]

How do you clenchers do it? I tried using the rubber tips but it tastes bitter. Do you barely bite down and lever it between the teeth? Or do you bite hard? I find my jaws start to ache sometimes.

Just a noobish wondering as he sits getting his pupils dialated.

 

[Price]

I like to sit and relax with the pipe when I can, so I'm not much of a clencher in general. When I do, I fall into the "barely bite down and lever it between the teeth" category.

 

[DC_MPA]

I put my bottom front teeth under my lip and the pipe rests on my bottom lip supported by my bottom teeth and my top teeth just lightly hold it steady. I will say that I just do that short term though. I mostly take a puff and hold it in my hands until the next puff.

 

[cb91710]

When I do, I fall into the "barely bite down and lever it between the teeth" category.

Ditto.

I go back and forth on liking the Peterson "P-Lip"...
It makes it VERY easy to lever the bit without sticking my lower jaw out... but I really prefer a normal fishtail.

 

[Kentos]

Hey DC, took some time but your mailbox will soon smell of maple syrup.

 

[Kentos]

Hmmm, I need to work on my clenching technique.

 

[Commander Quan]

I use softys on all my pipes, and clench almost constantly.

 

[COHunter]

Depends on the pipe. I have a big Nording Freehand that is just a heavy pipe that makes the jaw ache if I clench it too long. I clench my cobs all the time. I don't use any of the tips, just mark up the stem!

 

[morganjg]

I like to sit and relax with the pipe when I can, so I'm not much of a clencher in general. When I do, I fall into the "barely bite down and lever it between the teeth" category.

+1

 

[nrdoty]

I use softys on all my pipes, and clench almost constantly.

Same here. But yeah, sometimes my jaw doesn't like this.

 

[Kentos]

I usually clench a nose warmer cob while driving in traffic. I have been biting down on the stem so far, but will try the leverage technique.

 

[jwhite]

I mostly smoke bent pipes and sort of hang them off the jaw at the corner of my mouth. Some of my pipes after years of use show faint tooth marks, more light scratches really so I don't use softy bits. I don't bite down on any pipe.

 

[rickcharles606]

I sometimes clench and sometimes I don't...depends on what I'm doing and what pipe I'm smoking. Although...if I don't use a softy bit, I ruin my stems due to light "teething".

 

[DC_MPA]

Woohoo! I've recently went from 4 pipes to 8 so it will be enjoyed very much. Many thanks!!

Hey DC, took some time but your mailbox will soon smell of maple syrup.

 

[jdto]

I sort of lightly hold them with my teeth. I've noticed that my cob stem (the cheap plastic one) is getting marks on it already. My vulcanite and lucite stems show no wear, as yet. I use heat shrink wrap on a few of my pipes and a softie bit on the one I reconstructed with JB Weld. I found the softies too big to be comfortable and I'm actually leaning toward removing the heat shrink from the vulcanite stems. I do like it on the acrylic. If my pipes get a bit of tooth chatter on them, it means they're being smoked.

 

[mdove47]

FWIW, clenching til your jaw aches might lead to some jaw problems. No jaw problems here....til started a pipe and clenching. Jaws ached and ended up developing TMJ from the clenching.

 

[jdto]

TMJ (temporomandibular joint) is the joint, but what sort of problem did you develop? I have some problems with my TMJ, as it pops in and out, which apparently could lead to it locking up on me at any time. I can't eat apples or sandwiches with crusty, hard bread or anything where I have to open wide and bite down hard. I am probably headed to surgery at some point. It sucks.

 

[Uncle Jackie]

Whenever I need 'hands free', I tend to use a full bent pipe.

 

[PugslyCat]

I mostly smoke bent pipes and sort of hang them off the jaw at the corner of my mouth. Some of my pipes after years of use show faint tooth marks, more light scratches really so I don't use softy bits. I don't bite down on any pipe.

Whenever I need 'hands free', I tend to use a full bent pipe.

+1 - I'm with these gents. I found myself having to strongly clench straight pipes, which was tiresome and kept them in my line of sight all the time. With a bent pipe it just hangs there with minimal pressure, no joint pressure, and pretty much out of sight.

Most of my smoking is done outdoors as my office and mid-week apartment are non-smoking. The bent pipes work well for smoking while walking. The only place I have for indoor smoking is at my weekend house in the country. While there I tend to smoke straight pipes while seated in my recliner, but tend to hold it or set it down between puffs.

 

[allawd]

I was out at the Smithsonian natural history museum and saw some interesting pipe clenching evidence from early American Colonists. Several skulls had round holes in the teeth indicative of clenching a pipe.

http://anthropology.si.edu/writteninbone/pipe.html

This skull was from a 25-29 year old man.