Question about the airhole size.

[MenguantE]

Hi guys. Well, first of all i'm sorry about my pity english... i'll do my best.
My name is paula, and i live in a little country called Chile. Since a little time a go i'm thinking about make pipes, just for hobby. I already make one of chessnut wood, but i'm thinking about ask for some briar. I already sent an email to JAlan, so he gave me some hint of where to ask for pipe making supplies.
Now,and after my proper presentation, i have a little cuestion about drilling...
Is there a formula to calculate the size of the airhole??, i mean, some hint about what size would be the best, considerating the size of the chamber and the lenght of the stummel...

Well, thanks!

Pau

[KurtHuhn]

There has been some discussion on this in the past and it involved complex calculations of heat, airflow, turbulence, fluid dynamics, thermal mass of air and smoke particulates, etc. In the end it was determined that it was probably simpler just to use a standard size drill bit and not worry about such small details.

I typically use drill bits in the 3.5 to 4mm range, and really only use the 5/32" one (3.9mm).

[MenguantE]

There has been some discussion on this in the past and it involved complex calculations of heat, airflow, turbulence, fluid dynamics, thermal mass of air and smoke particulates, etc. In the end it was determined that it was probably simpler just to use a standard size drill bit and not worry about such small details.

I typically use drill bits in the 3.5 to 4mm range, and really only use the 5/32" one (3.9mm).

eeeew.. complex uh? i was asking that because i read in another post about the golden ratio, and i thought that there was a formula to calculate that too...

Thanks Kurt

[Sasquatch]

If it was that complicated, none of us could have figured it out.

1/8" is on the small side, 11/64" is on the big side. 5/32 is right in the middle and it works perfect for just about every pipe.

[MenguantE]

Thanks guys. !

[LexKY_Pipe]

It seems that 4 mm/ 5/32 is pretty standard among US pipemakers.

[Charl]

It seems that 4 mm/ 5/32 is pretty standard among US pipemakers.

Here across the ocean at the southern tip of Dark Africa as well! For me in any case...

[eder]

Hi Pau,

Recently, I was talking to a French guy who asked me about the diameter of the air holes of my pipes. I told him that
usually I make 3.2mm air holes, but depending of the diameter and length of the shank they can get till 3.7mm. He
told me that most part of the pipesmokers prefer the ones with 4mm. Of course I asked why... so he told me
that an American guy called Rick Newcombe wrote in his book, In Search of Pipe Dreams, that he adopted 4.7mm
and some how the 4mm became a standard. I found that book on Amazon, and it's possible to take look inside of it:
http://www.amazon.com/Search-Pipe-Dream ... 0966623916

I found some clue in the page 255:

But I guess, he tells more about the air holes in the page 81. I only could do a search in the book content,
but unfortunately I could't visualize that page.

But anyway, I don't know if 4mm are standard because of R. Newcombe or it just became the most usual diameter.
I still stick to my 3.2mm-3.7mm Ø

eder.

• • •
Eder Mathias
http://mrhydepipes.com

[RadDavis]

Rick Newcombe had nothing to do with the 4mm airhole size. He advocates a much bigger bore.

Mark Tinsky's been making pipes for almost 30 years, and he's always used 4mm (5/32) as far as I know.

Rad

[eder]

Rick Newcombe had nothing to do with the 4mm airhole size. He advocates a much bigger bore.

Mark Tinsky's been making pipes for almost 30 years, and he's always used 4mm (5/32) as far as I know.

Rad

So, I was wrongly told about him
Good to know!

eder.

• • •
Eder Mathias
http://mrhydepipes.com

[Sasquatch]

Rick's specification is 11/64 (4.3mm) or even 3/16 (4.7mm) at the bowl, and then tapering in the stem then flaring out again at the button. He claims to file out stems such that a fluffy will pass without any trouble. This is all well outside the "ordinary" parameters that most pipe makers use.

I've made a lot of pipes to this specification, mostly because the initial tooling I got rigged with (tapered bits etc) was at that size (11/64). I got rave reviews from almost everyone who bought a pipe from me. No one said "Wow, that's a grotesque airway, you screwed this pipe up." but a lot of people said "Wow, my tobacco has never tasted like THIS before."

Certain of the well-regarded Italian pipes (Castello, for example, and Il Ceppo) tend to have wider airways than your average "English" pipe would.

I pipe with a well constructed airway at 5/32 (or even smaller - I think my Wiley is probably just over 1/8) will smoke just fine as far as I can tell. But especially for larger bowls, I have had good results with the 11/64 setup.

I guess I'd say making a good airway and a good stem is more important than the actual size of the airway.

Your mileage may vary.

[KurtHuhn]

I've got reviews exactly like that with my 5/32" airway. I think the important thing, more important than actual size, is making sure your airway is consistent and well constructed, and that you pay careful attention to detail.

At least for everyone but Mr. Newcombe. And it's there that knowing your customers and what they want is going to play a major part in how you create pipes. Among my regular customers, there are a variety of preferences that I have to keep in mind when they commission a new pipe.

[LexKY_Pipe]

Kurt: Excellent point. Make it fit what the customer wants and all is well.

[m.c.]

I've noticed that airhole size in the bit is more variable than in the stummel. 4mm is very good for the stummel in my limited experience, and at 3mm or less there is a tendency to clog. But the different airway sizes in the bit which I've reacently comparison-smoked led me to rethink the consistency-of-airflow rule. Where the bit is drilled to 4mm as is the stummle, it provides a very open and consistent draw, but the flow of smoke seems to be less responsive to slow sip which is my usual way of smoking. In this case 3mm seems to offer a more relaxing smoking experience. Puffing at a faster pace, however, the resistance comes to be irritating and 4mm instead seems to be more enjoyable. Does that make sense?