Greater Kansas City Pipe Club Meeting November 20, 2014

What happens if you never sharpen a knife?

Clean out your vacuum? • After a while, performance is diminished

The same will happen to a pipe if not properly maintained:• Tobacco will not taste as good• Pipe may smoke wet and/or sour etc

Begins with the very first smoke and how you prep the bowl:• Some moistening or protection advisable• Slow and cool smoking required to avoid bowl

scorching• Smoke the entire bowl from top to bottom

Clean the ‘ash hole’ completely with a pipe cleaner. Same with pipe shank

Avoid overworking the pipe & let it dry. Clean rim and outside of bowl with soft cloth

Cake retains flavor and protects the inside of the bowl

Optimal thickness between a dime and a nickel• If too much cake, bowl capacity reduced &

may crack the bowl• If too little, may not retain flavor & may

smoke hot & wet

Good absorbent pipe cleaners Soft cleaning cloth Pipe cake/bowl reamer

• Caliper, knife, buttner scraper (rounded bottom only)

Alcohol good quality drinking spirit (for you). Everclear for the pipe (avoid isopropyl/witch hazel). Breaks down tars and resins from tobacco.

Shank Brush Warm coffee (cleans outside of bowl

and rim without damaging finish/stain Cigar ash – good silver polish

• Basis for pipe mud for hotspot repair or raising bowl floor if draft hole is too high

Kosher salt or deactivated charcoal if major/deep cleaning is required (seek experienced person to help – may cause damage)

Buffing wheel removes dirt but also removes stem and bowl material/nomenclature

Sharp pointed ‘reamers’ may eventually puncture the bottom of the pipe bowl

Pipe cleaner use if too aggressive can eventually wear a hole through the front wall of the pipe bowl

Dry pipe tobacco provides a sweeter cooler smoke and less residual moisture

The more frequently you smoke a pipe during the course of a day, it may not taste quite as good with each additional smoke• A good rule of thumb: ‘Smoke a pipe once a day

then let it rest for a day or two.’ Tobacco tastes better after a meal Lighter blends early in the day. Heavier

blends for later in the day or evenings. There are always exceptions and

differing opinions regarding the information noted in this presentation!