ok, here goes one:

today, i decided to look into the bowl of my first pipe. the one that wont smoke for ****. and i notice that the bowl comes to a bit of a point in the bottom and the bottom of the bowl is the width of 2 paper matches (side by side) in height difference between the air hole and the bottom.

now i know it is supposed to be even (or close) to the bottom, and i know theres a way to do fix this. my questions are:

could i use cigar ash for the honey/ash mud combo, or would that not be a good thing. i can get that ash much more easily/quickly than pipe tobacco.

and:

would i be better off just tossing the damn pipe? it was $60 and id hate to think its a bad pipe. i got it from my work, and im not sure if i could "take it back" and get a new one.

i have just taken a good look in the mortise (?) of the bowl, and it appears to be drilled similar to a peterson system where the tennon is drilled a bit past the air hole to collect moisture, whereas the other pipe is only a little past the air hole. maybe something?
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You can raise the heal by mudding the bottom of it. Do a search for "Mudding a Hackert". it is a good post by out own Mr. Moo out on the net, and should be reposted here, because it's helpful.

I've had good luck with the cigar ash/saliva combo, but have heard from others that honey tends to stay sticky for a long time.
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Hey all,

My name is Damian and I'm new to both the forum and pipe smoking. My wife brought home a Radice Rind Pure No. R258 a month or so ago as a surprise gift and started me down the path of no return. Everything is going pretty well as I get better at filling my pipe and learning to smoke slowly. I also picked up a 2nd pipe (cause you have to have a few!) so that I could smoke more often and rest my pipes like you are supposed to. My questions may seem pretty basic but here goes:

1. Would you recommend (is it ok) to dump the ash from the pipe mid-smoke, say you smoke half a bowl and then put it down for an hour or so then come back dump and relight, or just leave it in and light?

2. How warm do you let your bowl get or not get before you put it down and let it cool before continuing to smoke?

3. I know it comes with time and I shouldn't worry about it but.... about how many bowls does it take to get up to the dime thickness cake (a watched pot never boils etc. etc.) because this is something of a pride issue with me :-)

4. Finally, I have noticed some discoloration on the stem of my pipe where I estimate that the mortise and tenon have a little gap inside the stem and since this is a natural finish pipe its quite noticeable. I get some gurgling every now and then so my guess is that its from the moisture in the stem. Is this a problem or will it cause a problem in the future ie weaken the stem?

Thanks for all your help guys and I look forward to enjoying the CA community.
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Bump. Come on old farts I'm hangin on by a thread here!
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Some folks ash-dump mid-smoke, most not. No rule here.

There is a rule about heating up a pipe, however. If it's too hot to touch to your cheek, it's too hot. When a pipe overheats you risk damaging the pipe but, more likely, you ruin the taste of the tobacco. Work on your filling/tamping technique to keep producing nice clouds of smoke with short sips, say, 3-5 times minute, through a warm (but not red hot) pipe.

Regarding cake, it happens slowly - many scores of bowls before it's thick enough to scrape. The question about moisture in a new pipe may relate; more cake means drier smokes in my experience. Raw wood often smokes wet for a while. Smoke half bowls to prevent the heel of the pipe from getting soggy and don't be afraid to use a pipecleaner during a smoke if things get gurgly - or two or three pipecleaners if needed.
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Thanks for the advice Moo! I am still trying to get my filling down and have tried just about every method. It seems I am getting better at it as I usually only have to relight about every 10-15 minutes or so. Are there any suggestions as to when to tamp (I seem to find myself tamping after its too late and the pipe goes out) and tamping technique. When I tamp I kind of go around the edge of the bowl on a circular route all the way around. Should I just tamp the center and not the edges? Thanks again for setting me on the path to pipe bliss.
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Tamp as you wish but try not to scrape the sides of the chamber. Tamping was well described by EvanS not so much as a means of compressing tobacco but, rather, to collapse the ash column. Think of a perfect fill relating to a good, even burn; tamping has less to do with pipe smoking as your fill technique improves. You will see...
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Thanks Moo! I really appreciate the insight and will adhere to the practice makes perfect credo. I am looking forward to improving on my form and sharing the experiences with all.
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It took me a year or two to get it natural and easy to enjoy a pipe; I still learn something new every so often.

Main thing is fill evenly, compress lightly, light fully, keep dry and puff small for big clouds.
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I have been smoking cigars for a few years. I usually smoke at least one a day. I have been wanting to try out pipes but don't know what would be a decent pipe to start out with. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks,
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A lot of people start out with a Missouri Meerschaum Cob. Don't let the look or the price fool you. Even most seasoned pipe smokers have a couple cobs in their rotation. If you are dead set on a briar Dr. Grabows are decent pipes. My first was a Grabow and it still gets put to use, I would just avoid the really small ones. A little further up the ladder Brands like Savinelli and Stanwell have pipes in the ~$50 range.

With pipe smoking proper technique makes a bigger difference than the cost or quality of the pipe.
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I appreciate the info. I am heading to a cigar function at a local shop on Friday and they carry the MM cobs. Will pick one up and give it a try.
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This is great advice.
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That last paragraph is the real deal. I have had Dunhill pipes that didn't smoke worth a tinker's dam, and have never had a corn cob that smoked poorly. Take out the filter though, it makes a huge difference.

Pipe cleaners are your very good friend, if you hear a slight gurgle, run a cleaner through the pipe from the stem to the bowl (do not remove the stem to do so). This will help you to smoke cool.

Peace of the Lord be with you.
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Is it possible to use cigar tobacco in a pipe?

I have a couple of cc's that were gifted to me, yet horribly damaged. The tobacco is fine, just the structure is ruined. My fiancé has a bunch of pipes that her grandfather used decades ago and I was wondering is that might work?

Any thoughts?
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Sure you can, don't expect it to taste the exact same as in it's cigar format, but you can clip off a half inch and rub it out before filling the pipe.
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Thanks! I'll give it a try.
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Image

So....about to go try the crumbled cigar experiment. Which of these fine smoking devices should have the honor of my being my first pipe?
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That silver duke is calling, GIVE ME LEAF!
Least thats the one I would pick, looks like it could be a nice smoker
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I'd say go with the Falcon(metal stem), they always seem to smoke great.
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