It's supposed to absorb tar and nicotine and to some degree it does...it also tapers down the whole draft hole business..som like it and some throw them away but if you do, realize you're going to have a very large draft hole running through most of the shank and stem...you can buy more of those if you want...Medico filters fit fine...
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Too bad it doesn't absorb the taste from the first five bowls! Hey! I love a cob - smoke one all the time - but that wood thingie sticking in the chamber needs to char out over several smokes. Don't be alarmed if the second half of your first several smokes tastes like your old Pinewood Derby car.
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I'd love to know why you were smoking your old Pinewood Derby Car...then again, maybe I don't want to know...:-)
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I'm happy you just said that, because I just picked up a cob pipe and some captain black cherry... The smell of the tobacco was almost overwhelming, I assumed the taste of all of that cherry would make me want to puke... But I could hardly even taste it. I could taste it a little at first then it just started tasting like crap. My mouth tastes like I just licked an ash tray.

I also forgot to get pipe cleaners. And I'm using a 308 winchester case to tamp(don't worry, its been fired... And its fresh out of my case tumbler, so its clean)... And it also went out every time I went to tamp.

I also burnt the hell out of the top of the bowl... Good thing the pipe only cost $4. I almost opted for the $20 one, but I kept all of your opinions in mind, and for those I thank you all :-)

-Jimmy PP
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Troy,

Take some really light grit sandpaper and wrap it around your finger and then rub it around in there. Only do this enough to take off the coating. You definitely don't want to get too wild in there and shave it down too much!
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DISCLAIMER: I'm not even at the level of "young fart" yet. Greenhorn, wet behind the ears, those are more fitting descriptions :-)

Having been where you are Jimmy, keep at it. It took me a few months, but I finally learned to load the pipe in such a way that it stays lit part of the time and only needs tamped a few times. And I got a eel for what kinds of tobacco work and don't. And well... the world just starts lining up for you :-)... until then, keep at it, it doesn't take long to get there.

I'll leave the wet aromatic tobacco bit and any other actual advice for an old fart to touch on, just wanted to give you a bit of encouragement that it will get much better fairly quickly. :-)
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Actually I haven't really been having too many problems. By the third bowl I had looked bowl packing up on youtube. And I found a way that works pretty good... I sprinkle tobacco into the bowl until full, tap the side to get it to settle down, then pinch tobacco in my fingers and set it on top, and coax it in by pushing on the sides, then repeat........ And the third time I smoked it didn't go out once. I did tamp it about every 5 minutes though. Who else does it like this?

I was smoking for at least half an hour, if not longer... I really didn't expect a tiny bowl to last that long!
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I'm not sure what the rule of thumb is with tamping. I usually forget too, and end up tamping then relighting. It also really depends on what type of tobacco you are smoking.
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Here's a question for ya fellas...

I have two Peterson Pipes, Donegal Rocky Style pipes with the sterling silver bands. What can I do to clean the silver up? They are starting to look a little dirty.
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Wright's Silver Polish but use a q-tip to put it on and be careful you don't get any on the briar, although it probably wouldn't hurt the finish...I do it carefully and don't want to chance it anyway...

Wright's Silver Polish on ebay
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Wright's works fine if you have it around. I've use Berbia stem polish for some time now without any harm I can see, use a soft cloth and polish the metal band at the same time as vulcanite stem.
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Got a question. What is the best way to go about removing the gunk (tar I assume) left over in the very bottom of the bowl? I was just using the pick on my pipe tool, but feel like that may damage the pipe. Or maybe I'm just over concerned because it's a new pipe.
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got a question - I got a crapload of old pipes whose stems taste horrible. Plenty of ways to restore... whats the easiest?
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If it is a briar pipe, you're good. Not a problem.
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What "GUNK" are you talking about - When do you see this gunk?

If you’re talking about the moisture in the bottom of the bowl after smoking, leave it alone, you need it to form cake in the bottom of the bowl.

Let the pipe cool after smoking before stirring the dottle and ash up from the bottom of the bowl, place your thumb over the top of the bowl and shake the pipe to coat the inside with the ash, then set it down and leave it alone for 1 or 2 days, 3 would be better.

The next time you’re going to smoke the pipe, pass a pipecleaner through the stem into the bowl, making sure there aren’t any obstructions. Use a pipecleaner to gently remove any loose ash from the chamber walls, the “GUNK” from your last smoke will have absorbed into the dottle and ash you left in the bowl, this in turn forms the cake which will help to prevent the briar from burning.
The pick is meant to be used for clearing obstructions from the draught hole. Obsessive scraping/picking at the inside of a briar pipe can ruin it, you may even pick a hole in the bottom of the bowl.
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If they're not grungy-nasty-oxydized-brown-and-green vulcanite then it's easy. Rout them out with bristle pipecleaners dipped in Everclear (or any other highproof option like 91% isopropyl or vodka). You can clean dried yuk around the buttons with toothpaste or baking soda and a soft toothbrush.

Nasty on the outside vulcanite takes a little more effort. Which is it?
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I found the gunk after I got home and gave the pipe a mild cleaning to get rid of any loose ash. The "gunk" was right after the draught hole in the very bottom of the bowl, the bottom of the bowl is rather pointed in shape so a rather good environment for that sort of build up I suppose. From what you said I now believe it was just moisture buildup and will be sure to leave it alone from now on. Thanks!
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Another noob question.

Is there a site similar to the devil site for pipe tobacco?
I want to try a big varity, and the B&M's here have a small selection of pipe tobacco around here. If there isnt, where would you suggest getting tobacco online?
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pipesandcigars.com
smokingspipes.com
4noggins.com
marscigars.com

any of those will be a good place to find tobacco, unfortunately (by that I mean thank the Lord) there's no "pipebid" out there
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or pipe JOE...Pipe tobacco is cheap which is good. But that still doesnt help the fact that it's easy to turn into a Hoarder when it comes to pipe tobacco tins...
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