AVOIDING PIPE BURNOUT THROUGH PROPER CARE
(Care of Stefan Seles)

During the past few years we have seen a resurgence of interest in pipes, pipe tobacco and collecting tobacciana. As the Boomers move on, pipes and memories of Grandpa’ are connecting for today’s middies. Now is the time to become educated in this genre of tobacco. Being the premiere pipe maker and distributor in Canada since 1906 so it would seem only natural that Brigham provide you with an up to date column written by a pipe smoker for retailers and consumers of pipes.

As a bit of background, I have owned and smoked pipes for 20 years. During the past 5 years I have done extensive, almost obsessive research on pipes and tobaccos. Some may call me a ‘Pipe Nerd’ for want of a less derogatory term. Suffice to say, I am an enthusiastic smoker and collector of things associated with the fine art of Kapnismology (The Pursuit of the Art and Business of Smoking).

KNOW YOUR BURNOUTS

One of the least common, but often irreparable problems of the pipe is the dreaded Burnout. Nothing is more disheartening to a smoker than to finally find the shape and finish that caught your eye, spend the time to properly break the pipe in only to have a hole burn through on the bowl. What causes the demise of a carefully crafted smoking instrument and what can be done to prevent it?

As you may already be aware, briar pipes are made from a root burl of the White Heath Tree (erica arborea) of which the best is found in the rough terrain surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. This burl is one of the hardest woods known because it is subjected to one of the harshest terrains and must be very hardy to survive. Like any natural product, however, the briar can develop imperfections during its growth. Premiere pipe wood is over 75 years old and that is an awful long period of time to remain absolutely perfect. Most flaws such as sand pits (where sand becomes imbedded in the wood) or cracks that develop during curing are discovered during the manufacturing and finishing stages and those bowls are sold as seconds or discarded. Sometimes, a flaw is hidden so deep in the wood that it is not detected when the pipe is being made. This leaves a soft spot that may burn through rather than develop a cake.

Burnouts can be spotted early in a smoking pipe’s life by the development of an area darkening more quickly than the rest of the bowl. This dark patch indicates that the heat from the burning tobacco is coming through more intensely in that one spot. If this happens early enough, the pipe can be replaced. If it is not caught in time, the result will be a black hole that cannot be remedied by warranty or repair. All that is left is a somber burial in the backyard beside the leg lamp and the mighty oak.

Some precautions against this horrid development are:

 Break in your pipe gently. Many people smoke their pipe from the get go like it is a furnace designed to heat a 4 cubic meter area. Smoke the first dozen or so bowls slowly, not letting the bowl heat up too much. If you cannot hold it against your cheek (your choice of cheek), than you are risking burnout. Stop smoking the pipe and let it cool.

 Pack your bowl properly and light it evenly. Follow the hints in the Brigham Brochure for filling your pipe. The tobacco should be firm, and yet retain some spring when pressed. Lighting should be done in a two-stage process. A charring light is completed by moving, in a circular motion, a wooden match or butane (NEVER A TORCH) flame over the tobacco. You should be drawing the flame into the tobacco by a gently puffing five to six times. Tamp down the ash and repeat the lighting a second time. With an even light, the tobacco will not over heat one side of the bowl reducing the risk of the black hole.

 Avoid smoking where there is going to be a breeze. Unknown to many pipe smokers is the fact that when there is a breeze over top of the bowl, it actually increases the combustion of the tobacco much the same as a bellows would in a blacksmith’s fire. This causes a corresponding rise in temperature that contributes to burnout. This can be avoided by using a pipe cover that covers the tobacco chamber and reduces the breeze. Simply, it is not a good idea not to smoke outside when it is windy.

 Be careful when you ream out the cake in your pipe. The cake acts like a firewall between the heat of the burning tobacco and the wood surface of briar. The cake should be at least the thickness of a dime or 1 – 2mm. If the cake gets uneven, then the heat comes through unevenly. Conversely, when the cake gets too thick, then the bowl could crack allowing the heat to have direct contact with the inside of the briar. The reaming tool itself could also dig into the wood causing a spot where the combustion would cause further damage. The catchword here is ‘Caution’. Watch your cake and do not ream zealously.