New Pipes. Pre-Carbonized

I think that's the correct jargon. Anyway, you most likely know what I mean. You get a new pipe and the chamber is blackened, supposedly a favor to you as it makes building a cake sooo much easier.

You like that? Well I don't! I have to say it's become a real pet peeve of pipe smoking for me. I'm a guy who just like to see natural wood in the chamber, likes to pack the tobacco for the first time according to the old school way of just enough to fill up the bottom third, do it like that for the next few smokes, gradually climbing up the bowl until there's no more wood showing but a rather a nice reward for my patience in the form of a good-formed cake with (hopefully) not much brim blackened.

Anybody else feel like me or am I just a throwback enamored of a needless way of doing things?

Really it doesn't bother me either way. Of course there are different types of pre-carb. One is applied like a paint, the other is actually charred using a flame. Again, neither bother me. I treat a new pipe just like any other pipe. Pack and smoke, virgin wood or pre-carb.

I've bought both kinds. I actually prefer the pre-carbonized. Breaking a pipe in is a ritual for some. To me it's just a pain.

HATE bowl coatings.

If they come with coatings, I leave them. If they don't have one from the factory that is fine too. Probably the fastest break-in and cake I have ever experienced was with a Yello-Bole.

Either way, I NEVER really noticed a difference, carbonized or not. And as far as that old incremental "break-in", NO WAY ! In over 40 years of smoking and breaking in new pipes I only did it once or twice till an old timer and a shop owner told me to just load, light and smoke the WHOLE bowl the first time and always after. Been working just fine for me all these years !! I like to SMOKE tobacco, not engage in ritual !!

i usually scrape the pre-carb out and sand down to the wood before breaking it in. It's just my thing, no science behind it. I just prefer to start with bare wood.

I also hate bowl coatings.
I try to remove as much as possible
if I buy a pipe that's coated.

Ah yes, one of the thorny issues that crop up regularly on the boards....

I'm in the camp that prefers bare wood to a coating. I've removed the coatings on new Pete's in particular since those seem to be the ones that affect the flavor most negatively.

Interestingly, the Tinsky BoB POTY had one, and while it was the very first Tinsky I've ever had that had one it didn't affect the flavor from the get-go. None of the pics of the POTY indicated it had one either. And I also got in the '15 Xmas pipe and it didn't have one. So not sure what's up with that.

Still, the POTY smoked well from the first bowl and continues to. So maybe the method Mark uses is flavor negative. Kind of an eye opener for me.

And like monbla stated, I've virtually always used full bowls to break in new pipes and never any any untoward issues. Perhaps this could be filed under "use whatever method works for you".




Cheers,

RR

Brewdude wrote:

Ah yes, one of the thorny issues that crop up regularly on the boards....

Perhaps this could be filed under "use whatever method works for you".




Cheers,

RR

This.

Brewdude wrote:

Interestingly, the Tinsky BoB POTY had one, and while it was the very first Tinsky I've ever had that had one it didn't affect the flavor from the get-go. None of the pics of the POTY indicated it had one either. And I also got in the '15 Xmas pipe and it didn't have one. So not sure what's up with that.

Still, the POTY smoked well from the first bowl and continues to. So maybe the method Mark uses is flavor negative. Kind of an eye opener for me.

My POY came without the coating, so I guess it's whatever mood he's in.

Zeno Marx wrote:

HATE bowl coatings.

I detest bowl coatings and it's a deal breaker for me.

eklektos44 wrote:

I've bought both kinds. I actually prefer the pre-carbonized. Breaking a pipe in is a ritual for some. To me it's just a pain.

I always said that I hated bowl coatings (factory Peterson coatings - yuch!) But, the natural (gelatin/activated charcoal) coatings used by many artisans these days (most?) is a plus in my book. I don't detect any taste (bad or otherwise). And break-in is a snap. Last year, I was able to break in two pipes by artisans, one coated, one not. I preferred the coated bowl. Eventually, the uncoated bowl caught up - but why have a delay???

This is always a contentious subject....so watch out!

riff raff wrote:

eklektos44 wrote:

I've bought both kinds. I actually prefer the pre-carbonized. Breaking a pipe in is a ritual for some. To me it's just a pain.

I always said that I hated bowl coatings (factory Peterson coatings  - yuch!)  But, the natural (gelatin/activated charcoal) coatings used by many artisans these days (most?) is a plus in my book.  I don't detect any taste (bad or otherwise). And break-in is a snap.  Last year, I was able to break in two pipes by artisans, one coated, one not.  I preferred the coated bowl.  Eventually, the uncoated bowl caught up - but why have a delay???

This is always a contentious subject....so watch out!

Heh, they all seem to be contentious subjects.

Fr_Tom wrote:

If they come with coatings, I leave them. If they don't have one from the factory that is fine too. Probably the fastest break-in and cake I have ever experienced was with a Yello-Bole.

I used to coat my bare new pipes with honey but stopped doing it for no reason. Those pipes had the best break in and cake of all.

For the record I despise the coatings.

SpeedyPete wrote:

Zeno Marx wrote:

HATE bowl coatings.

I detest bowl coatings and it's a deal breaker for me.

Yup. Otherwise, why bother looking for good briar? Looks? Seems like any briar would do, unless the coating gets smoked off eventually. Do you want to smoke the coating? Do you want the coating to stay, thus forming a barrier? These concerns bother me, but apparently not others. Breaking in a naked bowl is not difficult.

leacha wrote:

I used to coat my bare new pipes with honey but stopped doing it for no reason. Those pipes had the best break in and cake of all.

I've done this as well. It works great. Fill to the brim. Smoke the f'ing thing.

How? Put a little honey on your finger and rub it around the chamber. Then, I would wipe my finger off with a paper towel or whatever. Rub around the chamber again. Repeat until it was basically a thin, tacky film around the chamber. We're talking almost no honey remains. I've seen smokers really glop it in there, and while that works as well, the cake wasn't as hearty, as in the cake wasn't as dense or solid. Maybe all that sugar gets crackling when heated and creates air in the cake?

I really hate sanding coatings out of pipes. It feels unnecessary and aggravating, but it also is yet another way to accidentally mark the pipe with a slip of the hand or whatnot. The nice thing about this direct artisan pipe buying of today is that you can request them to not coat if they commonly do coat. I did have one maker tell me that it would void their warranty. Eh, I can see that, but then again, I didn't end up ordering from them. I get it. The coating is that important to you as a maker, but guess what? The coating is that important to me to not be there. The relationship wasn't meant to be.

I don't coat except in specific instances, and I prefer bare wood in pipes I buy.

I can understand makers coating bowls though. Lots of buyers have no idea how to smoke a pipe without having it red-hot, and a nice thick pre-cake of something protective makes sense.

I figure if a guy is gonna drop 300 bucks on a pipe, two things: one is that he probably isn't gonna fry it first light. Second is that I don't mind showing him the briar - if it needs hid, maybe I shouldn't be selling it at that price point.

If someone DOES want a bowl coat there's lots of inoffensive recipes - I like sugar and carbon as ingredients, it hardens up fast and tastes okay. Probably less protection than the sodium silicate or clay based ones.

I fall into the load it up and smoke it to the bottom category. If it gets hot I just set it down to cool and re-light it.

eklektos44 wrote:

I fall into the load it up and smoke it to the bottom category. If it gets hot I just set it down to cool and re-light it.

Yup. This......normally.

Just for schmidts and giggles, the mega bent bowl Morretti Dutch gifted me a while back, I did the exact opposite-

First 5-6 or so bowls were like 1/2 way. Then 3/4 for another 5 or so.

And I'm still not all the way to the top since the chamber is so large that I don't really want to load it all the way. After chatting with Chris one day, he made me to realize that some of the rim gunking I've been getting is a result of loading the chamber all the way with the inevitable expansion of the 'baccy during the initial phase. Simple logic, but it was brought home to me there and then.

Sometimes you can teach an old dog a new trick!





Cheers,

RR

I've always preferred bare wood, and I think primarily it is because I can't stand the smell of burning rubber!

But seriously though, I think all this got started years ago, when companies started offering to replace a pipe, if a smoker had a burnout. Then, it became the norm for smokers to expect a replacement anytime they got a burnout.

My guess is, a lot of one off pipe carvers get asked the question about replacement, and some of them feel the need to coat their bowls to protect them from smokers who haven't learned the proper way to smoke a pipe yet.

Common sense would tell you, that the easiest way to prevent burnout of a new pipe, is to raise the price. However, when a craftsman is selling to some people who have more money than sense, some will pay $2000 for a new pipe, and hotbox a hole right through the side.

Since carvers have to be concerned with their reputation, it's easier for them to just put in a bowl coating.

I too prefer bare wood, but like Al stated, some of the charcoal coatings are the perfect compromise. However, I just bought a new pipe back around Christmas, and the first thing I did, was get some Jim Beam and a Q-tip, and wipe out the charcoal coating.

You speak straight words of true sense, as is your way, Dutch. Pipemakers must protect themselves from those who lack the sense to protect their pipes.

And Many Thanks for the Jim Beam and Q-Tip tip. I will definitely try this out. I must also add that, as a former piper who is returning to the fold, I must face the fact that my smoking chops aren't what they used to be. With a natural bowl, I can measure my smoking, my break-in style, a lot better. Just today I was breaking in a Caminetto Bulldog ( natural chamber) and after my smoke I emptied out the ash and noticed that there was a bit of a dollop that came out, which hid a spot of bare wood - no cake development at that part of the bottom. I smoked it too wet (It was a freshly opened tin of Dark Star from 12/31/03). I only air dried it for an hour or so - too anxious (and it tasted so good!) So, lesson learned, patience enforced.