How many pipes do you have and why?

ShawnOL

I know some of you guys have a fairly large collection of pipes and may be a collector but I'm curious about to the ones you regularly use. For the average pipe smoker, do you need two, three, five? Do you only smoke one type of tobacco out of one particular pipe and and have another for a different favorite blend? Do you keep a certain pipe just for trying new blends?

Yakster

www.pipesmokersden.com is a haven of pipe collectors and some pipe makers. Easiest way to buy a pipe is to read that forum. I'll work on a longer, more personal response later when I have time and am not in my phone.

ShawnOL

I'm just starting out and figure since I have time for a cigar after work before dinner, but not usually after dinner, that I may use that time for pipe smoking. Enjoy both daily.

Also, I have a flat bottomed pipe but whenever I set it down it tips over and spills stuff on the table. Am I supposed to get a stand for it or just not put it down? What do you guys do?

silvermouse

Oh, it is a slippery slope. One question at a time: I have about 100 pipes.

ShawnOL

Damn! Is it a collecting thing or do you usually smoke from each of them?

NorCalR1

I have about 15 pipes and they are reserved for different types / blends of tobacco. I do this to prevent ghosting.

silvermouse

It is good to let pipes rest and dry out after smoking and cleaning. Of course when I was a kid people had just one and threw it away after it burned out. And they usually found one tobacco they liked and only smoked that. Same with cigarettes and cigars. Times have changed with our rising standard of living and consumer mindset.

ShawnOL

@silvermouse said:
It is good to let pipes rest and dry out after smoking and cleaning. Of course when I was a kid people had just one and threw it away after it burned out. And they usually found one tobacco they liked and only smoked that. Same with cigarettes and cigars. Times have changed with our rising standard of living and consumer mindset.

I guess, when the world is at your fingertips, why not avail yourself of all that is out there.

NorCalR1

So many great blends to sample and share these days having a variety of pipes helps preserve the taste of the tobacco. I like a mildly aromatic or custom blend in the morning but don’t want those flavors crossing over when I’m smoking an English blend in the evening. And of course Virginia’s have a few of their own. It’s personal preference how many pipes you end up. Some people end up with a large pipe collection because they like collecting them and only a few “go to” blends in their cellars. Others every blend under the sun and only 3 cobs and briar...

Stubble

@ShawnOL said:
Also, I have a flat bottomed pipe but whenever I set it down it tips over and spills stuff on the table. Am I supposed to get a stand for it or just not put it down? What do you guys do?

https://www.clintonvilleleather.com/collections/accessories/products/pipe-cigar-rest

I like this guys stuff. You can always make your own with around nine inches of leather and a snap or rivet....

Trykflyr_1

I'm a neophyte...have 6 total: 3 briars, 2 cobs & 1 rosewood. There is, however, 2 shelves in a closet which have been overrun with tobaccos, mostly thanks to the guys here redistributing their wealth. (Don't let 'em fool ya...they're closet socialists that way) I try to run a different pipe each time and have a marathon deep clean session one evening. As for tobacco, it's just whatever I feel like that day in whichever pipe is clean.

Stubble

I think I'm hovering at around 50/55 pipes. Kinda afraid to get a hard count really! Stacking tobacco too, for we never know what comes around the corner....

NorCalR1

@Stubble said:
I think I'm hovering at around 50/55 pipes. Kinda afraid to get a hard count really! Stacking tobacco too, for we never know what comes around the corner....

I’m thinking that number is low and would guess it closer to 75 than 50..

Wylaff

I'm in the minority here. I have 1 briar and 1 corncob. I will usually use the briar for milder smokes, and anything with a strong flavor goes in the cob. While I would like to get a couple more briars, the cost can be quite prohibitive.

ShawnOL

Wow. I'm curious to see which way I go and what I end up with a year from now. I have a bit of ocd and tend to collect/hoard stuff.
Steve, that leather stand looks easy enough to copy and I do have plenty of leather left over after making a couple of holsters.
I don't know what briar looks like but assume it's somewhere between rosewood and cobb, price wise? I'm going to be investigating the differences and benefits between the different types in the near future. Same with blends. Gonna take a bit to learn my tastes in tobacco.

Stubble

@ShawnOL said:
Wow. I'm curious to see which way I go and what I end up with a year from now. I have a bit of ocd and tend to collect/hoard stuff.
Steve, that leather stand looks easy enough to copy and I do have plenty of leather left over after making a couple of holsters.
I don't know what briar looks like but assume it's somewhere between rosewood and cobb, price wise? I'm going to be investigating the differences and benefits between the different types in the near future. Same with blends. Gonna take a bit to learn my tastes in tobacco.

Some briar is very expensive, some not. Custom cobs can be just as much as a briar pipe...all depends on your wants and tastes....addy up, I can send a fair amount of tobacco samples covering a lot of different blends.

Stubble

@NorCalR1 said:

@Stubble said:
I think I'm hovering at around 50/55 pipes. Kinda afraid to get a hard count really! Stacking tobacco too, for we never know what comes around the corner....

I’m thinking that number is low and would guess it closer to 75 than 50..

🤨 73 briars and 13 cobs.

ShawnOL

That would be very kind, Steve. I think I just might take you up an that offer. I'm always up for trying new things.

NorCalR1

@ShawnOL said:
That would be very kind, Steve. I think I just might take you up an that offer. I'm always up for trying new things.

Be careful what you ask for this is coming from the guy who thought he had 50 pipes... 😂

silvermouse

Yakster

Fourteen pipes with another one on the way.

• Four Missouri Meerschaum cobs which are inexpensive and smoke dry, great performance for the price. You don't have to worry about losing or breaking these pipes.
• Eight briar pipes, five of these with natural finishes and two of them rusticated or sandblasted
• One meerschaum lined briar pipe in the coffee cup with all the cobs, a Carey Magic Inch system pipe which uses pressed meerschaum instead of being carved from a whole block and has a cheep stem with air vents and papyrus filters that are supposed to give you a cooler smoke. The first briar on the left in the coffee pot of my Vesuviana coffee maker is also a Carey Magic Inch system pipe. Many think it gives a thin, airy smoke, but if you draw it right it's fine. Not my favorite pipes.
• One Falcon metal pipe with three bowls. The Falcon pipes use a thin aluminum stem and a humidome with a moisture absorbing "dry ring" (cut pipe cleaner) which gives a cool, dry smoke. Since you can have multiple bowls you can change bowls and smoke with a Falcon pipe all the time, as long as you keep it clean. The tall bowl on the Falcon was bought from someone on PSD (Pipesmokersden) the other two came with the kit I bought from Ken Byron Ventures with a special pipe tobacco blend that he sells. I keep the bowls in the S&R cigar box.
• One figural (sultan) meerschaum pipe. Meer pipes smoke cool and will darken with age. Many meerschaum carvers are not artisan pipe makers so you may end up with a pipe with too small a hole in the tenon, that doesn't pass a pipe cleaner all the way from the stem to the bowl, or other problems. There are some well regarded makers of meer pipes, but they are costlier. (IMP, Altinok, Baki)

Ok, so the pipe in front of my 5 Vegas humidor on the left is a Hilson "Calabash" shaped bent Dublin and the first pipe that I bought back in the 80's in Oxnard, CA as an estate pipe from a tobacconist. It has an acrylic stem and is an Army Mount style with an acrylic band around the shank. Army mounts usually use metal bands, you want to avoid removing the stem from the shank while the pipe is still hot, but this is less of a concern with army mount (or military mount) pipes. This pipe has a large bowl and smokes well for being a 2nd tier or lower factory pipe.

The pipe to the right of it is a rusticated bent no-name Italian Dublin that I usually use for smoking pressed "flake" tobacco. It smokes well, but has a vulcanite stem which has discolored due to exposure to the sun, I believe. I've treated it with Obsidian oil, but it didn't completely darken and it has a dull finish now. You can use this or mineral oil or olive oil on your Vulcanite and Ebonite stems to prevent and treat oxidation and discoloration. I may need to buff the stem with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser or a buffing wheel to really bring it back if I want to bother. Really oxidized stems are said to have an unpleasant odor.

Vulcanite / Ebonite stems are softer and more pleasant to clench than acrylic stems, but acrylic stems don't discolor since they're not a natural rubber product. I use soft bits to cover the end of my stems where I bite down so I don't have any problems with acrylic stems hardness.

The meer and the Hilson are resting in leather pipe rests. I made my first one (not shown) from an old belt with some electrical tape. You can buy nice leather pipe rests, some of them have a cut-out on the side so they also work as cigar rests, or make your own. The no-name Italian bent Dublin is on a folding metal pipe rest that is thin when not in use so that you can slip it in your pipe bag or pocket. You can put your pipes in an egg crate or bowl or get an ashtray with a pipe rest built in, or just hold the pipe, but it's always nice to have some way to set down your pipe.

I'm showing a pipe tool, pipe lighter, and an Opinel folding knife for cutting plug tobacco in the center foreground. These tools are on a little leather pad that came with my meer. It's handy to load your pipe over the pad and any tobacco that doesn't make it in the bowl is caught and you can fold the pad like a funnel and put it either into the bowl or back into your tobacco jar / pouch / can. You can use a paper plate or cloth or paper towel if like. Paper plates work great to put plug tobacco on that you need to slice and rub out before smoking.

So, why so many pipes? I buy pipes that I like esthetically because they look good and I think that they'll fit my style. I have a large head and frame so I can pull off a large pipe. I read somewhere that there's pipe size recommendations based on body morphology, I don't think I'll go that far. I also buy pipes of different sizes so I can enjoy a long or short smoke session. Some pipes I smoke Latikia tobacco in (smoky) and some I smoke primarily Virginia flake and some I'll smoke aromatic, flavored tobacco in.

The pipes I smoke most often right now are the Maddis rusticated Dublin to the left of the S&R box (newest), the Hilson, the two Chacom French factory billiards that have a beautiful grain and shine, the no-name Italian flake pipe, and the figural meer.

I don't have any high-end factory pipes like Peterson, Dunhill, etc. Many think that an artisan pipe smokes better than factory pipes, and if you look you can often pick up an artisan pipe from a hobbyist pipe maker at a pretty good price.

What was the question again?

Yakster

If I had less restraint, this would be my 16th pipe: Long Stemmed Tomato on PSD.

Vision

I have one that was given to me by my dad.

Yakster

My dad didn't keep any of his pipes, AFAIK.

Stubble

@Yakster said:
Fourteen pipes with another one on the way.

• Four Missouri Meerschaum cobs which are inexpensive and smoke dry, great performance for the price. You don't have to worry about losing or breaking these pipes.
• Eight briar pipes, five of these with natural finishes and two of them rusticated or sandblasted
• One meerschaum lined briar pipe in the coffee cup with all the cobs, a Carey Magic Inch system pipe which uses pressed meerschaum instead of being carved from a whole block and has a cheep stem with air vents and papyrus filters that are supposed to give you a cooler smoke. The first briar on the left in the coffee pot of my Vesuviana coffee maker is also a Carey Magic Inch system pipe. Many think it gives a thin, airy smoke, but if you draw it right it's fine. Not my favorite pipes.
• One Falcon metal pipe with three bowls. The Falcon pipes use a thin aluminum stem and a humidome with a moisture absorbing "dry ring" (cut pipe cleaner) which gives a cool, dry smoke. Since you can have multiple bowls you can change bowls and smoke with a Falcon pipe all the time, as long as you keep it clean. The tall bowl on the Falcon was bought from someone on PSD (Pipesmokersden) the other two came with the kit I bought from Ken Byron Ventures with a special pipe tobacco blend that he sells. I keep the bowls in the S&R cigar box.
• One figural (sultan) meerschaum pipe. Meer pipes smoke cool and will darken with age. Many meerschaum carvers are not artisan pipe makers so you may end up with a pipe with too small a hole in the tenon, that doesn't pass a pipe cleaner all the way from the stem to the bowl, or other problems. There are some well regarded makers of meer pipes, but they are costlier. (IMP, Altinok, Baki)

Ok, so the pipe in front of my 5 Vegas humidor on the left is a Hilson "Calabash" shaped bent Dublin and the first pipe that I bought back in the 80's in Oxnard, CA as an estate pipe from a tobacconist. It has an acrylic stem and is an Army Mount style with an acrylic band around the shank. Army mounts usually use metal bands, you want to avoid removing the stem from the shank while the pipe is still hot, but this is less of a concern with army mount (or military mount) pipes. This pipe has a large bowl and smokes well for being a 2nd tier or lower factory pipe.

The pipe to the right of it is a rusticated bent no-name Italian Dublin that I usually use for smoking pressed "flake" tobacco. It smokes well, but has a vulcanite stem which has discolored due to exposure to the sun, I believe. I've treated it with Obsidian oil, but it didn't completely darken and it has a dull finish now. You can use this or mineral oil or olive oil on your Vulcanite and Ebonite stems to prevent and treat oxidation and discoloration. I may need to buff the stem with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser or a buffing wheel to really bring it back if I want to bother. Really oxidized stems are said to have an unpleasant odor.

Vulcanite / Ebonite stems are softer and more pleasant to clench than acrylic stems, but acrylic stems don't discolor since they're not a natural rubber product. I use soft bits to cover the end of my stems where I bite down so I don't have any problems with acrylic stems hardness.

The meer and the Hilson are resting in leather pipe rests. I made my first one (not shown) from an old belt with some electrical tape. You can buy nice leather pipe rests, some of them have a cut-out on the side so they also work as cigar rests, or make your own. The no-name Italian bent Dublin is on a folding metal pipe rest that is thin when not in use so that you can slip it in your pipe bag or pocket. You can put your pipes in an egg crate or bowl or get an ashtray with a pipe rest built in, or just hold the pipe, but it's always nice to have some way to set down your pipe.

I'm showing a pipe tool, pipe lighter, and an Opinel folding knife for cutting plug tobacco in the center foreground. These tools are on a little leather pad that came with my meer. It's handy to load your pipe over the pad and any tobacco that doesn't make it in the bowl is caught and you can fold the pad like a funnel and put it either into the bowl or back into your tobacco jar / pouch / can. You can use a paper plate or cloth or paper towel if like. Paper plates work great to put plug tobacco on that you need to slice and rub out before smoking.

So, why so many pipes? I buy pipes that I like esthetically because they look good and I think that they'll fit my style. I have a large head and frame so I can pull off a large pipe. I read somewhere that there's pipe size recommendations based on body morphology, I don't think I'll go that far. I also buy pipes of different sizes so I can enjoy a long or short smoke session. Some pipes I smoke Latikia tobacco in (smoky) and some I smoke primarily Virginia flake and some I'll smoke aromatic, flavored tobacco in.

The pipes I smoke most often right now are the Maddis rusticated Dublin to the left of the S&R box (newest), the Hilson, the two Chacom French factory billiards that have a beautiful grain and shine, the no-name Italian flake pipe, and the figural meer.

I don't have any high-end factory pipes like Peterson, Dunhill, etc. Many think that an artisan pipe smokes better than factory pipes, and if you look you can often pick up an artisan pipe from a hobbyist pipe maker at a pretty good price.

What was the question again?

May not be to late to seek help...I'm a lost cause.

Amos_Umwhat

Only 13 pipes, but lots of tobacco.

Why only 13? Because I buy too many cigars.

ShawnOL

Are those gourds in the back?

Amos_Umwhat

@ShawnOL said:
Are those gourds in the back?

one, the back is a mirror

Amos_Umwhat

Why on earth did I ever look at this thread? I spent an hour looking at pipes today.

Do I need another pipe? No!

But, Yak has more than me, so I must need another one.

What then? Aim higher? Try to match Stubble or Silvermouse? Can't do it. Stop looking at them!

Boy, that Savinelli Signature keeps coming back to my mind.

It's a sickness! Purge yourself! Aaugh!

Amos_Umwhat

Gonna go look at Bum of the Week. Don't need one of those either, but there's little danger...I'm too old.

Of course, there's pharmaceutical enhancers out there...............

Yakster