Pipe Stands. Stem Up Or Stem Down?

[Salvaje]

I have about 70 Lee in my office pipes stored in racks stem up, bowl out.

The ones with real gold stars are in on fronts of the racks.

Aside from better drainage and circulation of air, that shows off your pipes.

And, it helps to be able to pick one out from the others.

At home it doesn’t matter much.

View attachment 273668

What’s sad is I have two boxes of pipes still in boxes unsmoked and another box of estate pipes that need attention so I can enjoy them. I really need to give some tobacco to my boxed and a bit of spit and shine on the estates. Maybe I’ll find a few more gems I’m not familiar with yet. Looks like an Erik in that pile?

 

[sablebrush52]

Racks are the Devil’s spawn, destroyer of pipes. The only proper way to store pipes is this, you heathens:

 

[jpmcwjr]

Well, all righty, then! Not everyone has access to a sewing box!

If you really want a triple posted photo, lemme know.

Almost HNY....

 

[Simmerdown☕️]

With stands…bowls down. Hanging racks…bowls up. ️

 

[captpat]

No preference for me, I have both types of racks.

 

[Grangerous]

 

[cosmicfolklore]

When you store your pipe with the stem down, all the luck drains out of it.

 

[SBC]

In theory, stem down would allow better drainage of moisture from the stem and bowl

I would think that this is an undesirable thing?
I don't mind a little moisture in my bowl, on the assumption that it contains carbon and contributes to cake. But we use cleaners to get all moisture out of our stems. It can't do any good there -- only impart unwanted flavors.
I imagine that you might be less likely to keep stems clean and sweet if stored upside down.

 

[metalheadycigarguy]

Aestheticaly, I think pipes look better stem up, but it doesn't really matter. My pipe racks are all closed holes, and being that most of my pipes are bent, they all go stem down. Except for select meerschaum pipes which either have a pipe rest or rest in their case.

 

[Christos D. Tsatsaronis]

Mixed style, up and down plus a few horizontal.

 

[Searock Fan]

Definitely stem down. That way any goop in the stem can drip down into the mouth piece and you can enjoy it all over again.

 

[krizzose]

Doesn't matter how you store them.

View attachment 273475

I adhere to the same practice, except mine are mostly taken apart so I have to search through the pile for the right stem.

 

[Searock Fan]

I adhere to the same practice, except mine are mostly taken apart so I have to search through the pile for the right stem.

Interesting. You must take them apart right after smoking when they are still warm. Doesn't that ever lead to getting some loose fitting stems?

 

[jpmcwjr]

Just another take: I very seldom remove the stems. Partly because a hot water flush helps remove the gunk that can accumulate in the mortise. Partly because all the stems fit very well, and don't want to bugger that up.

 

[LeafErikson]

Racks are the Devil’s spawn, destroyer of pipes. The only proper way to store pipes is this, you heathens:
View attachment 273983

Ah yes. I remember the tragedy of 'Cat on the Rack' back in '04. Many good pipes were lost that day.

 

[Zeno Marx]

I like the stand that allows levitation. Haven't seen one yet.

When I was a kid, the jewelry store had a shelf or three of knickknacks. Mostly ugly big glass crystal things for the kids to buy for their moms, as it was the only store in town for any feminine gifting. I digress. But it had some oddball things too. One of them was a Doomsday Device. It was a rectangle of wood with a plexyglass rod in the middle, a red magnet like a doughnut "floating" half way up the rod, and a red, wood sphere for a cap on the rod. On the bottom of the rectangle of wood was felt, but it also served to hide another magnet. The -/- of the magnets kept the one on the rod "floating". If the magnet dropped, you knew it was doomsday.

What does this have to do with pipes? Not a dang thing. But it does lend to the idea that if you get a strong magnet strip, like the ones for hanging kitchen knives on the wall or tools on the wall, you could place a medium ball-bearing in the bowl and use the magnetism to hang your pipe. Someone makes a pricey pipe stand with a similar deal, but for less than $15, you could make something cooler.

 

[lraisch]

I will quote the (very opinionated) author Georges Herment. "One can, indeed, buy so called "pipe holders" in which the mouthpiece is held uppermost. We pass these by without comment, leaving such stupidity to expose itself."

Here I must disagree with the author, as I prefer to leave the bowl down so any residual moisture will drain into the bowl to facilitate evaporation. Does it make a difference? Probably not, at least if you run a pipe cleaner through after each smoke.

 

[SBC]

I will quote the (very opinionated) author Georges Herment. "One can, indeed, buy so called "pipe holders" in which the mouthpiece is held uppermost. We pass these by without comment, leaving such stupidity to expose itself."

Here I must disagree with the author, as I prefer to leave the bowl down so any residual moisture will drain into the bowl to facilitate evaporation. Does it make a difference? Probably not, at least if you run a pipe cleaner through after each smoke.

It's not so much the strength of his detailed arguments that convince me (persuasive as they are), but his magnetic personality.

 

[jpmcwjr]

This thread is closing. No worries; another one will be started before long.