questions about air holes

[magicbilly]

is it better to have a large bore air hole? would this help in anyway? also seems to me that roughing up the air hole with a dremel bit might improve function of cooling / moisture absorption by increasing surface area regardless of diameter. what do you think?

[Sasquatch]

Larger airways seem to function as you suggest - less condensation (or less noticeable condensation), but most people who bother to report on this subject say the same thing: larger is better up to a certain point and then it's not anymore, and this is in regards to both pipe performance and more importantly, taste in the resulting smoke.

There's probably a bell curve where 7/64" would be the small end of things and 3/16" would be a practical maximum. I have pipes drilled bigger (a Ser Jac Maxima with a curved airway at probably 5/16") and .... actually I think it smokes just fine. Feels different than other pipes but it doesn't seem to be obviously detrimental.


In terms of knocking condensate out - Peterson System pipes do just that and people love em. The argument against it is that if you are knocking out moisture, you are also knocking out essential oils, esters, sugars etc that are being carried, ie, knocking the "flavor" out of the smoke too.

[wmolaw]

Larger airways seem to function as you suggest - less condensation (or less noticeable condensation), but most people who bother to report on this subject say the same thing: larger is better up to a certain point and then it's not anymore, and this is in regards to both pipe performance and more importantly, taste in the resulting smoke.

There's probably a bell curve where 7/64" would be the small end of things and 3/16" would be a practical maximum. I have pipes drilled bigger (a Ser Jac Maxima with a curved airway at probably 5/16") and .... actually I think it smokes just fine. Feels different than other pipes but it doesn't seem to be obviously detrimental.


In terms of knocking condensate out - Peterson System pipes do just that and people love em. The argument against it is that if you are knocking out moisture, you are also knocking out essential oils, esters, sugars etc that are being carried, ie, knocking the "flavor" out of the smoke too.

I happen to agree, an overly dry smoke is a relatively tasteless smoke.

[Rodneywt1180b]

I have no hard data to back this up but I think if there was anything to be gained by roughing up the airway, the benefits would be lost over time due to either build up of residue being caught in the valleys created by roughing up the airway or by the polishing action of pipe cleaners smoothing out the high spots over time or some combination of both. Either way the passage will eventually become smooth.
Rodney

[wdteipen]

A smooth airway is preferred because it decreases surface tension and thus decreasing condensation collecting in your airway. There's no benefit at all to roughing up your airway. Think of it sort of like Rain-X on your windshield. Water doesn't want to stick to a slick surface.

As far as airway diameter goes, I think, to an extent, larger airways compensate for bad smoking technique and that is why so many pipe smokers like them. (I realize that statement might offend some but I still believe it to be true.) You don't have to smoke as carefully to manage condensation with a large airway. Larger airways also tend to diminish the intensity of the flavor of the smoke. Stick with 9/64" and 5/32" airways.

[Jthompson1995]

So, maybe a dumb newbie question, how does this relate to the calabash principle. If a larger airway equals a tasteless smoke, why are gourd calabash pipes still around and why do people seem to be so excited about reverse calabash pipes? Their airways are much larger than the typical air hole diameters.

[LatakiaLover]

So, maybe a dumb newbie question, how does this relate to the calabash principle. If a larger airway equals a tasteless smoke, why are gourd calabash pipes still around and why do people seem to be so excited about reverse calabash pipes? Their airways are much larger than the typical air hole diameters.

Now, why did you have to go and kick that bee's nest?

Don't worry, pipe people just love to argue about shit. They don't see anything wrong or unusual in people having different tastes in food, cars, clothes, movies, or anything else, but find Religious Causes at the drop of a hat when it comes to pipes, and run on about them endlessly.

Smoke what you like, and you'll like what you smoke. There is no right or wrong about any of it, least of all airways.

[Sasquatch]

What LL meant to say is that there's other ideas about how to make a pipe than what has been expressed thus far in this thread. One being that if you build a pipe with a giant secondary cooling chamber, you'll get pre-cooled smoke with each draw.