After having seen this section of B&B got me to remembering that squirreled away somewhere I have a pipe that has been dormant for some 40 years. So I dug it out. It has no name on it, but, on unscrewing the stem there is a small tube with a little perforated ball on the end that slips in near the bowl. What kind of pipe is this? Is this type of pipe desirable/undesirable? Oh, and before you ask, my picture taking/posting skills are almost zero.
Pipe Question - Probably Dumb
- Thread starter john parker
- Start date
Take some pictures if you can. It sounds like the piece you are describing is a type of "stinger" which is supposed to cut down on gurgling. I removed this from a pipe I obtained that had one with no ill effects. I could be wrong, so the pics might clear it up.
- Thread starter
- #3
Thanks! You are absolutely correct! I googled stinger pipes and there it was. Also inadvertently ended up with a pipe forum thread where no one had anything good to say about them except to remove the stinger part if possible. However, I may just try it as is.
They came out pretty easily on the couple that I had.. both pipes had much better draw without the stinger.
Good thinking to try it either way. Usually they are just an unnecessary pain, but some guys like 'em. I don't, I find that it really opens up the draw of the pipe if you take the stinger out.
Yep, it is a YMMV thing. Some like filters in their cobs, some (like me) don't.
its a stinger keeps moisture from coming to your mouth, but it also decreases draw strength, i took mine off but this was my situation , also if you do get gurgle you cant put a pipe cleaner in and absorb the moisture
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- Thread starter
- #8
Not sure I understand gurgle.
to much moisture in the bottom of the bowl and it heats up and boils, gurgle, on pokers , billiards, dublins, zulus ans such shaped pipes it will send moisture back through the stem and burn your tongue -- the stinger basically keeps the moisture block, but honestly i think stingers cause more gurgle my 2 cents
wow look at all the frogs- wow i am losing my mind
- Thread starter
- #13
Finally discovered that my pipe with the stinger is a Kaywoodie! It has the small, white, clover emblem on the upper part of the stem. Is a Kaywoodie a decent pipe?
very nice, , but i dont think you can take the stinger out i believe it is one piece with the threaded section of the stem, its all good
Kaywoodie has been around forever and has some diehard fans! Back in their heyday, they were priced comparably with Dunhills.
Older Kaywoodies are generally thought to be better than newer ones. The type of stinger on the stem can often help determine a rough estimate of when it may have been made.
The stingers on Kaywoodie are built in. If you remove it, it will be gone forever. Give it a lengthy try WITH the stinger before you commit to taking it out. Without the stinger, the draw WILL be more open. But there is such a thing as too open a draw - and some people have complained about just that happening after removing stingers.
I think it's largely a case by case thing. Some individual pipes smoke better with them, some smoke better without them. They're there for a reason, so just try it first. I have only tried two pipes with stingers. One was a Kaywoodie which I didn't much care for, so I gave it to a friend who's a die hard Kaywoodie fan. The other is a Signature (an old pipe made by the folks who used to make Edgeworth....Larus Bros. or something like that) which I love. The Signature has a removable stinger to make it easier to clean. I've tried it without the stinger, but honestly it smokes so well WITH the thing that I prefer it that way.
So give it a go - you may be surprised! Enjoy!
Older Kaywoodies are generally thought to be better than newer ones. The type of stinger on the stem can often help determine a rough estimate of when it may have been made.
The stingers on Kaywoodie are built in. If you remove it, it will be gone forever. Give it a lengthy try WITH the stinger before you commit to taking it out. Without the stinger, the draw WILL be more open. But there is such a thing as too open a draw - and some people have complained about just that happening after removing stingers.
I think it's largely a case by case thing. Some individual pipes smoke better with them, some smoke better without them. They're there for a reason, so just try it first. I have only tried two pipes with stingers. One was a Kaywoodie which I didn't much care for, so I gave it to a friend who's a die hard Kaywoodie fan. The other is a Signature (an old pipe made by the folks who used to make Edgeworth....Larus Bros. or something like that) which I love. The Signature has a removable stinger to make it easier to clean. I've tried it without the stinger, but honestly it smokes so well WITH the thing that I prefer it that way.
So give it a go - you may be surprised! Enjoy!
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