The Reason Old Men Never Cleaned Their Pipes?

http://www.joffrethegiant.com

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• pipe
• smoking

[DailyPuffer]

I think that pipes will smoke better with little cleaning than with obsessive maintenance that may prevent them from acquiring a proper cake and flavor. However, the ideal lies, as usual, in the middle.

My view is that if you're a pipe smoker, you need to save those all important two minutes every day: even if just to brush the pipe and remove the dottle. We owe it to the pipe in return for what it has provided us. If we don't do it, we're only two steps away from becoming deadbeats.

[joffrethegiant]

@DailyPuffer Sad...pipe smoking deadbeats...

[TheBaccyButcher]

I think you're right. In addition, Pipe crafters are getting upwards of $1000 and beyond for pipes now, wheras "back in the day" a pipe was a smoking machine. I don't think the old men cared about grain, or even what the hell they were smoking. If the pipe went sour, they bought a new one and started over. Nowadays, we collect these instruments, and have put a high value on them, hence why we take care of them and clean them..well..not me. I don;t clean mine because I'm lazy

[joffrethegiant]

@TheBaccyButcher Great point about the value of pipes. Although even there there must be a class distinction. I'm sure many bought more expensive pipes, but they would've been more white collar or academic, surely.

[RequiemPipes]

I hear your kids have been playing soccer, right? That doesn't seem fair to the other kids who have no brazilian (or at least latin) blood. ;)

Cheers

G.

[joffrethegiant]

@RequiemPipes It's true that if they inherit my frame they will be perfectly suited to the jogo bonito.

[SmokeRingsPipeDreams]

Good topic, I've thought about this many times. Everyone probably knows how obsessive I am about my pipes, but part of that is just my personality, I'm kind of obsessive about everything. I think part of it comes from being raised around guns. Dad teaches you to very meticulous about caring for the firearms. But even I get tired of having to clean my pipes after every smoke. I've thought about just having a "knock around pipe" that I kind of abuse until I just toss it away.

Cheers,

Kel

[eikles]

I heard somewhere that back then pipes were often thought of more as a tool to be used and abused and discarded when no longer smokeable rather that works of art to be cared for. Maybe that's why they didn't clean them, they just tossed em. But I think you're right about more expensive pipes used by gentlemen were most likely better cared for than the ones we keep in our trucks.

[iahthegreat]

I defiantly agree with the "back in the day" motto of pipes, there was craft put in them but not as much per say as a nice Stanwell or Bjarne (my preferred) that gentlemen did not care as much about properly taking care of them. I always find much joy in purchasing a estate freehand but will not smoke out of it until i cure it with the professors method and a good swivel of a whiskey soaked Ream n Clean.

[jediokie]

Surely lack of knowledge has to play into it as well. Most smokers of that era smoked because dad did, and smoked just like dad did. Pipes came from general stores and tobaccos were ordered in bulk. Some city dwellers had the convince of a tobacconist but urbanites often stayed within their local neighborhoods so if it wasn't on your corner you got it from the drug store. If you carry on out into the country it becomes more isolated and the habit (or lack there of) would to grow exponentially.

[dubinthedam]

Great topic, I suspect wasting money on pipe cleaners was a factor, I bet their pipes tasted pretty rough though.

[theduke0000]

My grandfather had an old Orlik Deluxe pipe that he smoked until it got so caked up, that it simply got unsmokable.. And then he gave up on pipesmoking! I tried to salvage it some time ago, but it was a lost cause...