Thanks for the advice guys. The first thing I did was go to the tobbaco shop and get some decent tobbaco, Mac Baren Black Cavandish. Next I took a hack saw to the stinger and cut it off just below the threads. I loaded up half a bowl, with a pipe cleaner handy. First of all, the taste was much better than the Borkum Riff that I started out with; it didn't bite my tongue. When I noticed some condensation building up in the bowl I ran the pipe cleaner down the stem. Problem solved! I had a nice half-hour smoke.

One final question, I know with cigars most people reccomend taking a puff every minute or so. Is there a comparable rule of thumb for smoking a pipe, or should I make like Popeye and just puff away?
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If you really want to taste the subtle nuances, "sip" your pipe. That's the best way I can describe it. If you puff away, you will get much more condensation and possibly burn your tongue.

But, you may not be susceptible to tongue bite.

Try some different things and see what happens.

Oh, this is a must. Smoke your pipe. When done with a bowl, run a pipe cleaner through it. Then let it sit for about 2 days before smoking it again, giving it time to dry out thoroughly.

Peace of the Lord be with you.
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...and, where it pays to have a couple of extra pipes on hand while pipe #1 is airing out:-)


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this is a great resource I went back to the beginning and started reading learned that tamping is key to staying lit.
I thought my Dr. Grabow was a bad pipe because it would not stay lit tamping fixed that
also that loose draw with little smoke problem I had again tamping fixed that also.
I actually enjoyed smoking my pipe tonight for the first time and got threw a whole bowl with out giving up on it :-)
I learned to load properly and no P word is used in this house any more concerning the pipe :-)
I still got a long way to go still got to get me the basics tamper and cleaners (using roofing nail for now)
and I also learned why it took me 2 years to start using this pipe as all the tobacco I had was aero from Walgreen's
had the giaint bags of all the flavours and after 2 years just rolled up they are still moist :-)
I got good backy from emjay and sterling and I am glad I have finaly figured out how to use it properly and enjoy it.
so basically THANK YOU OLD FARTS!!!!! :-)
:-)
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Ah HAH! :-)
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Thanks for the advice. I haven't gotten tongue bite with this new tobbacco, but I'll try sipping it. I must say I enjoy smoking a pipe, so now that things are going well I'll probably pick up another one.
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I definately get a lot more flavor from sipping. but I still give it a couple good puffs every now and again. sadly I tend to sip or whatever every 20 seconds or so. more often if I really like the baccy!

as to letting the pipe dry out.... Hmmm... I have two pipes. a ben Wade and a basket pipe that smokes like a gurgling baffoon. i tend to smoke two or three bowls a day. and mostly out of my ben wade. sounds like you just gave me a reason to get another pipe of 20... :-)
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Stock up on some cobs. As many will agree, cobs can be some of the best smoking pipes out there once broken in. I love my cob that I picked up last spring, thing smokes like a champ, but I'm holdin out hope for the new one I picked up last week as it still needs some breaking in.

The glory of a cob is they're perfect for travel, you break one its not a big deal, its ~$8 to replace depending on where you get it from. Same with burning them out, they're great for smoking on in between nights for your briars. I have 4 pipes, 2 cobs and 2 briars, and the cobs tend to see about 2-3 times the action my briars do combined.
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Good advice about the cobs. Really they are decent smokes. Get rid of the tampon inside that they come with and they smoke much better.
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That's what she said.
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Aaaaaaand now I'm really tempted to walk into work on Sunday, find the box of Medico filters and make a label to put over top the logo reading "Feminine Products" :-):-):-)
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Sorry, all they do is soak up moisture, expand as they do, and they never really dry out - simply impeding the smoke flow more and more. They are the greatest hindrance to making a cob smoke well.
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Is that the same as the wood filter that comes in my Savanelli? I'm having a particularly hard time keeping it lit and I wonder if that is one of the factors.
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The wood filters are not the same. Although, I'd get rid of them also. Unrestricted air flow will help some to keep it lit. There may also be other factors... you bowl fill/pack, your initial light/tamp procedure to get your intial burn, your puffing habits.
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I took out the wood filter and it definitely improved the overall smoking experience. I could feel the bowl and how I needed to either fill it more or pat it down more. I only needed to relight twice which for me... was a score.
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Glad that suggestion worked for you.

Enjoy your smoke.

Peace of the Lord be with you.
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How do you know when the pipe is done? For ex. last night I was on the porch reading and it was quite dark even w/ the light on. It would go out and then I'd light it back up. But I was never sure when the tobacco was done... when I dumped it out I still had a tiny bit left.
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There usually will be a little bit of unburnt tobacco int he bottom of the pipe. It's not something to worry about. Moisture can collect in the bottom preventing it from burning up, and the drilling of the pipe can also effect how well it burns the last bit. If it's only a small amount, you're not doing anything wrong.
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What if you keep trying to light it? Could you damage the bottom of the pipe?
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If you are too aggressively trying to get the last bit of tobacco to burn, you'll burn your tongue before you burn the pipe.
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