Trouble Keeping a pipe lit

PipeProfessor

Lets help all those that have trouble keeping their pipe lit...what are your suggestions?

drac2485

The best advice I can give is what I have been given.  Don't worry to much about relighting, its just part of the process and the pipe is not a cigarette or cigar that starts to get funky after relighting it to many times.  HOWEVER, as I learned there are a lot of wet tobaccos out there and most need a little, or a lot, of drying time before trying to light in a pipe.  If I found a particularly hard tobacco to keep lit I also normally found a wet mess in the bottom of my bowl at the end.  I would either leave some out to dry for an hour or so or just load my pipe the night before and let it dry out a bit that way and what a difference it made.  Also, after smoking cigarettes and cigars for many years I never would have guessed that putting a pipe down and coming back to it later that day and relighting it actually seemed to make the tobacco taste better (personal observation and I don't remember what tobacco it was...). Make sure you do a really good charring light first not just a quick light that produces smoke (how I started).  The charring light seems to help quite a bit.

pipeman83

I agree , relighting is part of the process of smoking a pipe, sometimes I have to relight , sometimes I don't.

PappyJoe

The only time it's necessary to worry about a relight is during a long smoke contest. For those contest, it's important to pack the tobacco right, get a good charing light with the first match and a make good use of the second match. Then it comes down to a slow and steady smoking cadence. You don't want to puff like a freight train but you don't want to daintily sip on the pipe either. 

I do occasionally manage to smoke a pipe to the bottom without a relight but most of the time I have to relight at least once. 

Topaz75

While I agree that relighting is a normal part of the process, there is a limit beyond which it simply becomes a PIA. One of the primary qualities I look for in a tobacco is that it burns well enough to not require excessive relighting.

Once you have a decent pipe and some quality tobacco, it's just a matter of practice. The better you pack it, the easier it is to keep lit.

Subtilis87

I feel like the thing that changed the quality of my smokes most was to stop getting down on my self for not smoking a bowl to the bottom in one light. I love the process of using matches, but a pipe lighter greatly reduced the annoyance of relighting . I agree with the others, about relighting just being part of the process. Most importantly, don't judge yourself and enjoy your pipe.

ghostsofpompeii

Thought with all the new pipe smokers joining up this might be helpful. And we might get a few more tips.

ocpunk714

I find myself using the tamp more to keep my pipe lit. Pressing the embers into unlit tobacco has been working quite well for me. JD from The Country Squire did that trick on a video.

Woodsman

Tamp at the beginning and middle of your smoke I find if you tamp near the bottom the pipe will go out soon after. I use the location of the heat in the bowl to let you know how far down the ember is and I just tap the side of the pipe with my finger to settle the ember on the last quarter. Sometimes using a spiraling turn while tamping to move the unburnt tobacco around the top of the pack to move it around to where it will burn.

thebadgerpiper

I think the most essential part of keeping a pipe lit is making sure the pipe is packed properly. If the pipe is packed too tight, then you're in for a bad smoking experience. After packing your pipe, test the draw before lighting. The draw from your pipe should be reminiscent to drinking a milkshake through a straw. If the tobacco doesn't give you any resistance, then you've packed it too loose. If you draw on the pipe, and your face turns blue from the lack of air, then you've packed it too tight. Dump the tobacco out and try again.

If you get packing down, then that's most of the battle. I'd also suggest making sure that you get a nice even ember on the top of the tobacco on the first light by making small circles around the edge of the bowl with a match with small puffs. You want an even burn in the bowl, or that'll cause problems mid smoke. Tamp the ash down and do the second light, with longer puffs so the flame goes deeper into the bowl. Once the pipe is lit, tamp again and relax.

Sometimes when the tobacco passes the mid point in the bowl, you might find it hard to get a good draw, due to how dense the tobacco ash is. Scoop out some of the ash, and use the spoon on the pipe tool to mix the tobacco around to break it up. Run a pipe cleaner through the stem, so you get a nice air pocket at the bottom of the bowl. You should have no issues after that.

KA9FFJ

Another little tip is to very gently blow into your pipe for, let's say around 3 - 4 seconds when it seems your pipe is starting to wain and die out. This is not something to do often, because each time you do this, you cause a small amount of moisture to start forming in your stem/shank resulting eventually in gurgling. But if done rarely and gently, it has the effect of "bellowing the fire". Again, this is not a technique to use or do frequently during your smoke, but it does tend to cut my relighting by about half...

motie2

@Topaz75 provides the key: <<The better you pack it, the easier it is to keep lit.>>

motie2

From a document published originally by The Pipe Smokers' Council

<<Lighting the pipe should preferably be done with a pipe lighter or wooden matches. The first light is called the ‘charring light’. Its purpose is to create a charred ‘lid’ of tobacco that will hold the second light. When creating the charring light, move the flame all around the tobacco, igniting it completely, but be careful not to scorch the bowl rim. Once completed, tamp the charred lid down gently. Now you are ready for the second light. Puff slowly and rhythmically as you ‘walk’ the flame over the charred tobacco. There! You’ve done it!

 

Because tobacco is a natural product, it will go out if not puffed regularly so do not be afraid to use numerous matches throughout your course of pipesmoking. And it is only natural to eventually hear (or taste) a little gurgle of moisture in your pipe: this is a by-product of combustion. In addition, some people ‘smoke wet’ and these natural juices should be immediately removed by running a pipe cleaner down the airhole, retamping the tobacco, and relighting if necessary.>>