quick question

[redraider#1]

The one pipe I own does not smoke good and after reading on this site I think I've figured out why. The draw hole is about I'd say between a 1/8 to a 1/4 inch above the bottom of the bowl. I read something about using cigar ashes to repair a burnout bowl can I do the same to build up the bottom of this bowl closer to the draw hole? And if this is posible what is the correct procedure to do this.
Thanks Ben

[Frank]

I'll let someone else address the cigar ash "pipe mud" issue, but when you say, "... does not smoke good", you need to be more specific. Perhaps part of the problem is the "draw", i.e. smoke flow. Widening the draught hole in the shank and stem often vastly improves the smokeability of a pipe. If you do enlarge the draught holes, be sure to use a taper drill bit on the stem. Sometimes the slot also needs to be widened a bit.

[kbadkar]

Yes, you can use pipe mud to raise the bottom of the bowl. Mix clean burned cigar ash (white ash, no chunks) with a little water until you get a mud like consistency. Pack it in the bottom until you get "close" to the draught hole. Make sure that when you stick in a pipe cleaner that it doesn't pry your patch out. You could stick a pipe cleaner down the shank while the mud is still wet to make sure you don't pop it out in the future. Let the mud dry a couple days or more to be sure.

Like Frank pointed out, the bowl-hole alignment probably isn't the problem if it doesn't smoke right. The main problem with a high draught hole is that you can't smoke the tobacco to the bottom of the bowl. If it never smoked right, the draught hole and slot may be drilled too small for good flow. If it did once smoke well, the arteries may be constricted by tar build up. I like a 5/32" draught. I open my bought pipes' airways if it doesn't smoke well... and estate pipes always get a complete airway reaming with the right sized bit. It's amazing how much gunk can clog an airway if not tended to. If it still doesn't smoke well, I open it up to 9/64 or 5/32, depending on bowl size, and widen and deepen the v-slot. I would say constricted flow is the #1 cause for bad puffing properties.

[redraider#1]

I'm sorry when I said it doesn't smoke well the problem was all the unburned tobacco in the bowl. I didn't know if it was me or the pipe. Being a cigar smoker but always liking the thought and smell of pipes better I thought I would try to switch over but I don't know alot about pipes so i thought it was me.

[kbadkar]

There are so many variables when it comes to pipe smoking. Packing the tobacco chamber correctly is probably almost as important as pipe construction. Don't be discouraged if the pipe mud trick doesn't solve all problems. I rarely can smoke a bowl to a "clean white ash" all the way to bottom. Some dottle is par for the course. Eventually, you'll find your groove. Pipe smoking has so many advantages over cigars - price being number one (as long as you avoid Pipe Acquisition Disorder), tobacco variety, and re-lighting (easily put it out when you like and re-light with no loss of quality and taste) - that it's worth keeping it up until you crawl over the learning curve hump.

[redraider#1]

thanks for the encouragment after reading on various forums and learning techinques on smoking pipes tonight smoke was alot more pleasurable. I still plan on the cigar ash fix for my pipe. My uncle smoked a pipe for years he was a luetenant colonel in the air force and retired when I was a kid. He should be able to give me some advice and maybe I can talk him out of some of his old pipes. He has a whole rack of them. I remember his favorite was a straight billiard.

[Anvil]

I don't know if this is something you would like to try or not but when I made my first pipe I had some similar problems. It would leave some tobacco unburned at the bottom of the bowl and the whole pipe full wouldn't burn very well. Granted I was very new to the whole pipe smoking thing, but I got some good advice from my local pipe shop.

Of course packing is a lot of the problem that most people have. I'm sure there is a sticky or something with packing instructions or there is lots of info on the pipedia page. The thing that I tried that helped me through the beginning was a small metal screen that sits in the bottom of the pipe and effectively raises up the bottom while letting air flow underneath the tobacco which keeps it burning better. They sell them in pipe shops or at least I assume they do because they do in mine. Anyway, I don't use them anymore but it was a great help until I figured out what I was doing and got my pipe broke in a bit.

Good luck and happy smoking!