| Author | Message | ||
     Jackson Painter Member Username: Jackson_painter Post Number: 1 Registered: 11-2005 |
Hello to everyone! This is my first post, although I have been a long time lurker... My question to anyone out there is this: I live in the winter wonderland of northern New York. I love smoking my pipes when working outside in the winter. There is nothing better than pipe smoke rising slowly though a densely quiet, snow covered forest. Anyhow, I have suddenly become afraid that the moisture generated during a smoke will contribute to the cracking of a favorite briar when smoked in the cold weather months. Should I be too concerned? Just wondering if anyone has had an experience with a briar cracking due to cold weather. Thanks! | ||
| Ian Weeks Member Username: Kilgore_trout Post Number: 210 Registered: 03-2005 |
An interesting question that you present Jackson. One that certainly bears scrutiny. I have but two rules of thumb when smoking a briar outdoors. This has always worked for me: 1) There must be no precipitation- rain, snow, sleet, or mist. 2) The pipe must have a cake on it that is sufficient enough to protect the briar from any overheating that might occure from a breeze or gust of wind. This has always worked for me no matter the season. | ||
| David Peever Member Username: Dave_alchemist Post Number: 43 Registered: 11-2004 |
I've smoked my Royal Prince and Grabow Savoy pipes at -25°C numerous times with no troubles. On physics principles I would advise not to leave wet dottle in the bottom afterwards, the freezing might cause stresses. | ||
| Jackson Painter Member Username: Jackson_painter Post Number: 2 Registered: 11-2005 |
Thanks for the reply! When smoking outdoors, I generally try to keep the bowl surrounded by my hand to protect it the best I can from light precipitation – which is usually snow. I do not venture outdoors with a pipe when it’s raining, unless it is under a porch roof! I think that the “good cake” rule is interesting through. I would imagine, and this may be a stretch, that the heat retention within the dense cake would assist in dampening any quick temperature changes to the bowl. I guess this thread will serve to either dismiss, (or possibly reinforce!), my notion of cracking briars in cold weather! | ||
| Tom Bruce Member Username: Tom_bruce Post Number: 260 Registered: 03-2005 |
I was raised in the wilderness of Northern New York and the first few years of my puffing began there. I never gave a thought to the cold cracking a briar, and it never did. But then and now I always let my pipes dry out between smokes. Even so, I'm not sure that moisture would penetrate the briar deep enough to cause a crack. I can tell you, from personal experience, that transporting a lit meer from the hot indoors to the cold outside can definitely lead to cracking. A costly lesson. | ||
| Joseph Boyd Member Username: Druk Post Number: 3 Registered: 11-2005 |
The no precipitation thing doesn't work to well if you live in the northwest. How much of a risk is overheating in the wind? Its pretty windy here lately. Currently Smoking: Royal English | ||
| Ian Weeks Member Username: Kilgore_trout Post Number: 211 Registered: 03-2005 |
David said: "On physics principles I would advise not to leave wet dottle in the bottom afterwards, the freezing might cause stresses." Agreed, but I don't think that this would be a problem for most people, becuase who allows their pipes to be exposed to those conditions? When I am out smoking and I finish with my pipe I do my usual routine of shaking the ash and running the pipecleaner through it and then deposite the pipe in the pocket of my coat, exactly where my hands usually are- nice and warm:-) | ||
| Ian Weeks Member Username: Kilgore_trout Post Number: 213 Registered: 03-2005 |
It doesn't work too well here Joseph- I do live in the "windy city" you know:-) In any event- tray from these rules at your own risk. As for how much damage can the wind do? I suppose that depends on the cake, the pipe, and the wind. Alot, none, some- but why take the chance? | ||
| Philip Lau Member Username: Chopstix Post Number: 36 Registered: 08-2005 |
By way of further anecdotal data, I was puffing gently in the park last weekend while reading a book during a light but steady breeze; I was not paying too much attention to my pipe as this was a tough book to get through. When I finally did put my hand on the bowl it was almost too hot to hold, and when I cleaned out the bowl later, one side of it looked pretty charred. Lesson learned, good thing this was not one of my "good" pipes. | ||
| Dan Goldberg Member Username: Inept Post Number: 49 Registered: 08-2005 |
I can't even manage to smoke a dry bowl outdoors in the cold or when it's raining! What's the secret? | ||
| Jackson Painter Member Username: Jackson_painter Post Number: 3 Registered: 11-2005 |
I do always clean out the bowl, and run a cleaner through the stem into the bowl to remove the moisture - or at least any moisture remaining outside of the wood - once I am finished. I try to keep the pipe in a safe place within my jacket when I am done. So, at the very least, it is most likley above freezing. I would imagine the cold weather / hot pipe effect on the meer resulted in a *tink* sound that would make anyone cringe! | ||
| Anthony Lewis Member Username: Afl Post Number: 8 Registered: 08-2005 |
My father grew up in upstate New York, and went to school there (Syracuse University) as well. I can remember him shoveling snow in screaming blizzards (this is back in the 1960's) while smoking his pipe. He would pack it tightly, light it and get it burning good, then smoke it upside down, so the snow couldn't get inside! I haven't had the nerve to try it yet... | ||
| jeff armstrong Member Username: Cigarnomo Post Number: 149 Registered: 03-2005 |
I agree with Ian on the cake aspect but, being an outdoorsman and a pipesmoker sometimes puts me in some weather situations at times. I generally take a "beater pipe" on such trips and if it gets wet.... well it gets wet, I have not had any ill effects except for some strange oxidation patterns on the vulcanite stems. I do make sure that I have plenty of pipe cleaners on hand in cold weather because the moisture level seems to increase with the condensation so I do run a cleaner through several times during a bowl outside. Tommorow I'll be standing in icewater fighting steelhead and puffing away! Fish On! JA | ||
| david goliath Member Username: Fritzin Post Number: 166 Registered: 07-2005 |
Wind will be more of a problem then the cold but cold pipes being lit are known to crack or burst but is rare. Dunhill used little windshields and there is also a 'upside down' wind proof pipe called 'The Vilager'. Here is the link to here discussing one. http://forum.pipes.org/~discus/discusdiscus/messages/8859/22742.html#POST44242 | ||
| Charles Spencer Member Username: Charles_spencer Post Number: 256 Registered: 03-2005 |
There are also the clip on wind screens. I find they work well when smoking outside. Back in the days when I was more of a clincher, I did have a pipe get blocked because the moisture in the shank froze. Didn't damage the pipe, though. | ||
| Gary R. Thomason Member Username: Phantom55 Post Number: 131 Registered: 11-2004 |
Years ago, I read an article addressing this problem. Don't remember where I read it, however, it said the greatest risk in temp extremes is caused by the different expansion rates of cake and briar. Their advice was not to take a thickly caked pipe outdoors in winter. | ||
| Bill Morris Member Username: Bluewind95356 Post Number: 2 Registered: 11-2005 |
I remember seeing a program on PBS about the explorer Commander Byrd and noted that he smoked in the Artic. Somewhere I read that he once left a filled pipe at base camp only to return years later and find the pipe, lite up and he had a great smoke according to him… |