Questions You Thought Were Too Dumb to Ask (Pipes Edition)

[Cool Breeze]

I have a question that seems very elementary.

When smoking a large bowled pipe, do you dump some of the ash when you get down into the bowl say, halfway or so?
I've noticed that if you're smoking a tobacco that is on the moist side and you have trouble with having to re-light too often, that getting rid of some of the ash tends to help. Am I committing some kind of pipe crime by doing this or is it common?

Thanks.

[Branzig]

I have a question that seems very elementary.

When smoking a large bowled pipe, do you dump some of the ash when you get down into the bowl say, halfway or so?
I've noticed that if you're smoking a tobacco that is on the moist side and you have trouble with having to re-light too often, that getting rid of some of the ash tends to help. Am I committing some kind of pipe crime by doing this or is it common?

Thanks.

Not at all. If you need to take a dump, then you take a dump

If the tobacco is too wet I find this happens. Also if I was sloppy with my pipe packing I find that I sometimes have to dump the ash, stir the tobacco up a bit, and then relight it and start from there.

[Nachman]

I find G&H flakes seem to smother themselves about half way through if you don't dump the top layer of ash. Occasionally I have to dump ash on other tobaccos, but not often.

[Bruck]

I'm an ash dumper.

I find that with flakes, which is most of what I consume, the smoke starts getting a little thin about halfway thru a bowl. At this point, I lightly tamp and reshape the pile, then dump out the ashes and relight. Good to go after that!

[Cool Breeze]

Thanks for the replies guys.

I have also noticed that I need to do it more with flakes.

[bluenoser]

if you have a tobacco that seems to be a bit damp should you open the jar and let it dry a bit or load a bowl and let it sit a while before smoking?

[Pugsley]

Just take out the amount you intend to smoke and allow it to dry for a while before you fill your pipe. If you fill it with tobacco that's too damp to light it's going to take forever for it to dry in your pipe. I have a screw off lid from a tobacco tin that I use to spread the tobacco in while it drys.

[Bruck]

If your tobacco is too wet, it wouldn't hurt to let it dry out a bit. YMMV, but I prefer my tobacco just a little moister than death valley.

[Pugsley]

A bent vulcanite stem can be heated and straightened out for redrilling, but if I have a acrylic stem with a tight spot in the bend is there anything I can do, short of having a new stem made?

[Nachman]

Acrylic stems can be re-bent, but they are touchy. The airway could collapse and if the temperature is not just right they can be deformed. I would have a pro redo it and if that won't correct it, he can put a new stem on it while he has it or take other corrective action.