Pipe Filters – improving the quality of your pipe smoking
The title is a misnomer - all briar pipes act as a filter.
As the tobacco starts burning in the bowl of the pipe, a certain amount of moisture and other juices are generated in the smoke. The pipe “filters” this moisture out from the smoke.
Unfortunately this moisture doesn’t just evaporate into thin air. It hangs around looking for somewhere to deposit itself.
Some moisture settles in the tobacco at the base of the bowl, creating the damp “dottle” of wasted tobacco which needs to be carefully removed after each smoke to allow the bowl to dry out before it may be filled again.
Let’s stop right here and examine this problem.
“Bowl Filters”
The first attempts to mop up moisture at this point as I remember were “Smokers Circles”. These were round circles of absorbent paper used to wrap enough tobacco for a pipe full, and closed with a twisted pigtail. The wrapped tobacco was placed in the bowl resting on the twisted pigtail.
Effective but labour intensive, and then also became expensive although not as expensive as wasted tobacco.
Then came “Philtpads”, ribbed half spheres of clay placed in the bowl with flat side upwards. The outer ribs allowed the smoke to be drawn down through the space created between the inner wall of the bowl and the Philtpad. Again effective but often discarded before absolutely necessary and thus expensive.
Drikule plugs are mesh shaped cones that save money by holding the tobacco above the moisture. Messy but still in use
Denicool granules of Silica Gel also do the job.
Better still are the Nording Keystone Pellets,
made from natural volcanic lava.
These “bowl filters” are very useful in pipes that are fitted with mouthpieces too narrow to hold “stem filters” -
6 mm or 9 mm cartridge type “filters”.
“Stem Filters”
“Teflon” pegs can be made thin enough to hold a 6mm or 9mm cartridge, and have the advantage that they do not snap off by accident. Since their introduction, more and more modern pipes offer these filter options.
The cartridges can be filled with charcoal or meerschaum granules, or just be a hollow tube of very absorbent paper.
The most organic, natural 6mm or 9mm “filters” are made of clean Balsa wood pieces about 35mm long.
The 6mm version is a triangular piece of clean balsa
The 9mm model is a round piece of balsa
with fluted channels to allow the smoke to
pass around it,
and increase the surface area available to absorb juices.
Both sizes fit snugly into the Teflon pegs so they don’t fall out when the mouthpiece is separated from the shank.
Watchpoint. Not every pipesmoker wants to use a “filter” in the pipe, and not every blend needs one, so most filter pipes come with an “adapter”. This is either a plug with a hole through it, or a hollow tube, which when fitted into the peg reduces the smoke passage to 3mm or 4 mm. This is the standard size in non-filter pipes.
A filter pipe should never, not even once or twice, be smoked without either the adapter or the correct diameter filter.
If the pipe is smoked without a filter/adapter, moisture will condense in the space left and run into the inside of the shank. This may cause swelling, leaving the peg with a loose fit, or cracking – worse and difficult to remedy.
The diameter of the filter: A 9mm peg can be “converted” to 6mm with a hollow inner tube (outside Ø 9mm, inside Ø 6mm) slotted into the peg of the mouthpiece.
This could standardise your pipe collection to the 6mm “filters” which are less expensive than the 9mm.
We are also seeing more bulk packings being offered at more economical bulk prices than 10’s or 20’s.
Every little economy can improve the “quality” of your pipe smoking hobby, making it more enjoyable.
A new trend in the blending of pipe tobaccos, using flavoured Burley, has increased the amount of moisture in the smoke.
Capturing this excessive moisture has increased the demand for “filter” pipes, especially bent shapes.
Gravity will send the moisture down to the waiting filter.
And in extreme circumstances you can use a bowl filter AND a stem filter, together.
Try for yourself:
6mm “Filter” pipe  DRY R695.00
9mm “Filter” pipe  from R995.00
“Bowl Filter” Pipe  Keystone R715.00
Now is a good time because ..
From 27 February to 11 March, 2020 we offer
25% off the prices of
Marca Dry Pipes, (Normal Price R695.00)
Stanwell Pipes, (Normal Prices from R995.00)
Nording Keystone Pipes (Normal Price R715.00) |
Will using a filter improve the “quality” of your pipe smoking hobby, making it more enjoyable by contributing to a cool dry smoke?
Colin Wesley
No.472 February 20 to March 4, 2020
PS Have you seen the new Zippo Woodchuck lighters?
Zippo, in partnership with WOODCHUCK USA, and their Buy One. Plant One.® program, will plant one tree for every lighter sold. Consumers can use the special code in each box to learn where their trees are planted.
Note:
By law, no South African citizen, living in South Africa can buy a tobacco product via the internet or postal system. In fact, you may not receive a tobacco product through the post.
In addition we may not receive payment through the internet for tobacco products.
We may only supply tobacco products within the trade – not to private individuals. The fine is substantial
Contact us for help in getting tobacco to your area.
You can read previous articles from “Across the Counter” in The Archives Library. |
(ZAR)
