Break In A Pipe

The topic of break in a pipe comes up again and again. Above all, beginners in the world of pipes are interested in it - after all, the newly acquired pipe should not break straight away.

There are several practical ways to smoke a new pipe. With all of them it is important to be careful the first time you smoke, to make sure that the heat is not too high and to smoke the pipe nice and "cool". But why is that? In an unused pipe, great heat would attack the wood. This is where the heat comes up again and again during later smoking processes.

The result could be a burnout. You can usually tell by the taste. You can't expect that from a pipe beginner. Therefore, great care is then required. During these first smoking sessions, the briar inside the tobacco chamber is transformed into charcoal by the embers. This layer of char protects the wood from burning. It grows from the chamber into the wood.

At the same time, various combustion residues collect in the chamber. This layer also grows - unlike the carbon layer - into the chamber. This is the so-called cake. When the pipe is smoked, you can carefully wipe the bowl with a curved pipe cleaner after smoking, so that not too much cake can get stuck.

A smoking paste can be found in the chamber of many pipes today. It usually consists of water glass and carbon powder.

Neither is heat protection and does not protect the pipe from excessive heat. Sometimes fireclay flour is also added, which actually has a heat protection effect.

The lack of heat protection is intentional so that the carbon layer mentioned above can form. There are manufacturers of series pipe that even just use black paint. The risk of a burned pipe is therefore generally low and, as described, is initially perceived more by the unpleasant taste than by visual indications. A smoke paste without heat protectants is mainly intended to calm the nerves. The formation of the layer of charcoal and cake is often uneven and small cracks in the wood can also appear on the surface. This is a normal process and should not be overstated.

In general, you should worry less about small anomalies in the chamber and instead focus on enjoying yourself. So fill your pipe and enjoy the moment!