how often can you smoke the same pipe

[clifton]

with briar pipes i have heard different opinions on how often you can smoke it... every thing from just let it cool after each use to wait three days... looking for words of wisdom

[Frank]

This is one of those subjects that has almost as many opinions as pipe smokers.

It could depend on a number of factors. How often you refill and light the pipe, how hot you smoke it, etc.

I usually smoke the same pipe on and off all day, then thoroughly alcohol clean it the next morning and put it on the rack. I have over a dozen pipes in my rotation, so they have plenty of time to rest and dry out. I don't usually smoke an entire bowl in one go. I'll take 2 to 4 good puffs, then put it down for awhile, then relight, etc. I don't smoke by any particular rule, I just smoke the pipe when I get the need for my nicotine fix. That has been my routine for ages and my pipes are in great condition.

[Charl]

I have about 8 pipes (I think! It changes with the amount of rejects and new wood to try) in rotation. Well, I say rotation, but really it depends on my mood. I normally take 1 pipe to work, then there are ones for home use only, some for for the workshop (or garage really) etc etc. I normally clean them once a week, sometimes even once a fortnight, and only maybe once a month with alcohol. Have been smoking pipe since 1992, am a "heavy" smoker and sofar I would think that my pipes are still in relative "good" condition.

[kbadkar]

The pipe just needs to dry out. I'll smoke a couple bowls in the same pipe in the same day, but I smoke relatively dry. If it's wet for some reason, I'll shake and blow out moisture between bowls, maybe pipe cleaner swab it. Your rotatation should be deep enough that an individual pipe is dry by the time you get back to it. That'll depend on how moist it was when it was set on the rack and how dry your storage climate. Your rotation may need to be 3 pipes, maybe 10. I clean and re-condition my pipes semi-annually, but my rotation is long.

[dougk52]

At first I smoked only once a day from the pipe but after time I found if I let is cool and swabed with a pipe cleaner it out in between it was fine.
I have some very old piped around 1900 that I do let set for 3 days to dry in between.

[hazmat]

If I fire up a pipe in the morning, I stick with that pipe most of the day. After a smoke, I twist up the corner of a paper towel to about the diameter of the bowl. Then I use this to swab out the interior of the bowl and let the pipe sit a bit to dry out some more. Seems to work. Never had one explode on me yet.