Remedies for a Straight Billiard that Collects a Lot of Moisture?

[Talon]

So I've had this pipe for about a year or so now .. but every single smoke I have in it has really not been enjoyable. It's a nice enough pipe I think but it gets really soggy and starts gurgling shortly after the middle of the smoke and sometimes if I tilt it even the slightest bit it drops down the stem into my mouth. It's very unpleasant and I've never had this problem with my other straight billiards.

Here is a link to the exact pipe

https://www.smokingpipes.com/pipes/estate/england/moreinfo.cfm?product_id=345801

 

[AppalachianPipe92]

I would just keep a few pipe cleaners handy with each smoke. Anytime you feel a little moisture, just pass a cleaner. I'm assuming you dry your tobacco enough and smoke slow enough, seeing as your other straights don't give you any issues.

 

[Grumpy11]

What tobacco are you smoking in it?

 

[Chaukisch]

I've heard of people using pieces of sepiolith to soak up all the moisture their wet aromatics produce.
They place a few small pieces into the chamber like a bedding that'll soak everything up.
You could probably even place smaller bits into that long stem and keep the chamber free,
as long as there's not too much drag on the draw.
I never tried it myself but it seems logical and I don't see any reason why it wouldn't work.

Edit: As others already mentioned, you do want your tobacco to be on the dry side.
Better a little too dry than a little too wet.

 

[OverMountain]

I had a Vauen billiard that was a gurgle factory. I started drying the tobacco more, and slowing down the cadence and the gurgle went away and now it’s one of my best smoking pipes.

 

[Talon]

What tobacco are you smoking in it?

I have tried many different blends from Straight Virginia's, English, VaPers and Aros. They all seem to yield the same problem unless the tobacco is dry like sawdust.

 

[fireground_piper]

Do you happen to notice if it collects in the bowl vs the shank/stem?

 

[Talon]

Do you happen to notice if it collects in the bowl vs the shank/stem?

It seems to mostly collect in the shank but it almost always leaves the dottle virtually soaked, to the point where I've never fully burnt a bowl down in that pipe without puffing like a clown.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

I have tried many different blends from Straight Virginia's, English, VaPers and Aros. They all seem to yield the same problem unless the tobacco is dry like sawdust.

What is your normal standard for dry vs. "dry like sawdust"? And is "dry like sawdust" maybe what some would call "crispy"? Crispy is pretty close to my normal when I take the time to let it dry.

I love the pipe, it reminds me of a very old Hardcastle I obtained from Reborn Pipes.

Is the draw nice and open or not so much?

No expert on pipes, but maybe it really is possible that this pipe likes the tobacco crispy if your normal use is the same with the crispy tobacco vs. whatever your normal level of dry is.

Maybe as stated above there's also an element of slowing down from your normal use standard and taking what the pipe gives you?

Just spitballing (pun intended, lol) and maybe none of these questions or ideas are relevant!

If not solvable, I wouldn't hesitate to toss it out, but that's probably not a common solution.

 

[nolan613]

Just an observation but I have had a few pipes with smaller bowls and they seemed to be more particular about dryness and packing.

 

[Talon]

What is your normal standard for dry vs. "dry like sawdust"? And is "dry like sawdust" maybe what some would call "crispy"? Crispy is pretty close to my normal when I take the time to let it dry.

I love the pipe, it reminds me of a very old Hardcastle I obtained from Reborn Pipes.

Is the draw nice and open or not so much?

No expert on pipes, but maybe it really is possible that this pipe likes the tobacco crispy if your normal use is the same with the crispy tobacco vs. whatever your normal level of dry is.

Maybe as stated above there's also an element of slowing down from your normal use standard and taking what the pipe gives you?

Just spitballing (pun intended, lol) and maybe none of these questions or ideas are relevant!

If not solvable, I wouldn't hesitate to toss it out, but that's probably not a common solution.

Just an observation but I have had a few pipes with smaller bowls and they seemed to be more particular about dryness and packing.

These are both some good points! I will try and dry my tobacco out more upon lighting up in this pipe! I don't really dry my tobacco out too much when I smoke so this one may be particularly susceptible to it.

 

[OverMountain]

You will notice a difference and it may improve the taste by drying. Experiment with dry times to see what works best. Chase the ember, and enjoy the taste. Hard puffing to overcome moisture creates STEAM, which vaporizes the essence you are trying to taste.

 

[Talon]

You will notice a difference and it may improve the taste by drying. Experiment with dry times to see what works best. Chase the ember, and enjoy the taste. Hard puffing to overcome moisture creates STEAM, which vaporizes the essence you are trying to taste.

Will do thanks for your inputs Mountain!

 

[OzPiper]

Back when I was a newbie I never dried out my tobacco. In fact I kept a piece of apple with my tobacco on the advice of my father who never smoked a pipe !
When I could afford to, I bought several pipes so I could build up a rotation so the pipes could dry properly to overcome the funk of moist bowls and shanks.

Buying pipe cleaners by the carton would have been cheaper.
But a less interesting solution. ?

Having lurked and finally joined these Forums, I now dry my tobacco as much as I can.
However not being good at fore-planning, the tobacco is often less than ideally dry.

That's where meerschaum chips, Nording Keystones or Sharrow Philtpads can come in very handy.
Some may find they are extra thing to buy. But they are very easy to use, work well. And are cheap

But pipe cleaners are a quick fix, cheap and a no-brainer

 

[Briar Lee]

So I've had this pipe for about a year or so now .. but every single smoke I have in it has really not been enjoyable. It's a nice enough pipe I think but it gets really soggy and starts gurgling shortly after the middle of the smoke and sometimes if I tilt it even the slightest bit it drops down the stem into my mouth. It's very unpleasant and I've never had this problem with my other straight billiards.

Here is a link to the exact pipe

https://www.smokingpipes.com/pipes/estate/england/moreinfo.cfm?product_id=345801

When I read about “wet” smoking pipes, it starts to convince me that boring (pipe construction) is more important than briar (wood quality) in the purchase of a pipe.

Years ago I owned some pipes that smoked wet, unless I babied them while smoking with practice and good technique, I have only one briar pipe out of hundreds I’ve owned I had a hard time ever breaking in, and a Kaywoodie Magnum that’s just plain a bad pipe, made of bad briar and not bored correctly.

Three years ago, I made a major culling of my pipes and sold all of them that weren’t excellent smokers in excellent condition.

I didn’t sell one Lee and very few four hole stinger Kaywoodies.

This Lee listed on eBay is in excellent condition and in my opinion over priced, but for $75 I can guarantee you this pipe is as good as any pipe on this earth can possibly be. It’s made of excellent briar, well cured, and it will smoke as cool and sweet as any pipe ever made.
If I didn’t have about four or five just like it I’d invest $75 and buy it.

My wife and I ate out at Longhorn’s steak house last evening and the tab came to a hundred and ten with a tip.

Lees are cheap.

There’s no reason to smoke second best.

 

[UB 40]

Maybe it’s a symptom of arteriosclerosis. Some ever so small obstacle blocking the airway. It compresses the smoke on the income. On the outcome smoke expands gets cooler and looses more humidity, straight physics. Maybe you can see the obstacle while looking through the stem. In respect to the shank I would try to get a drill of 2.5 millimetre up to 3 millimetres led by hand right down into the bowl. I assume the drilling on that small pipe is about 3 mm.

 

[Honkytonk Man]

Rest the pipe stem up, as Briar Lee has suggested.
Pass a pipe cleaner through the pipe when you start hearing the gurgle, this might be required a few times during your smoke. Does the pipe pass a cleaner free enough?
And perhaps dry your tobacco a little longer than you would normally do.

 

[kcghost]

Why do you still own this pipe??

 

[Talon]

Why do you still own this pipe??

Honestly that's a great question. I have contemplated throwing it away a few times but I payed for it and enjoy how it feels and looks. If the above mentioned remedies don't work it's going to become firewood ! Or a flower pot haha.

 

[AJL67]

Something something doomed to repeat it blah “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”