Non-Vertical Bowls ...

[TimGeorge]

I am a new pipemaker who has benefited greatly from this website (and will be relying upon it even more heavily since I just got my first lathe). In my first pipes, I have been making an effort to end up with a tobacco chamber that is roughly vertical when smoked, whether the pipe is bent or otherwise. I am only now beginning to notice that in many of the more "artistic" shapes, or in a horn, the chamber can in fact be (or has to be) tilted considerably. Obviously, this opens up many shapes and is accepted by the pipemaking community, but I can't help but wonder if that is a good idea, both because one side of the chamber would seem to burn hotter and because you may be more likely to burn holes in your clothes (or truck seat if, like me, you most often smoke on long commutes). Are there any rules on this? Thanks!

[FredS]

Don't know about "rules", but I will say that pipes with really canted bowls are best enjoyed while lying in bed, not driving.

[TRS]

Yeah, I'm a big fan of horns and oliphants; definitely for relaxing, not for working or driving.

[Nick]

Contrary to what you might think, heat radiates out in all directions equally. Hot air rises. Heat goes every which way. Now, in lighting a pipe with a canted bowl, you may have an issue, but as far as smoking goes, it shouldn't make much difference.

I asked this same question a few years ago, and ScoJo tipped me off. He's all smart like that!

[Sasquatch]

I think it DOES make a difference, and there are pictures of pipes on this site that prove it. Heat does radiate in all directions, but the hot smoke and steam head straight up, and if you have a lot of briar "overhanging" the top of the bowl, it will burn. You often see the back side of a rim is charred and the front not on straight pipes, because the pipe hangs at a downward angle while being smoked.

So I think a good design incorporates a bit more briar on that part of the rim, or knocks the rim down a bit.

Here's 2 pics - I had a stummel drilled basically at 90 degrees and was never happy with the results when I had a stem in. So I finally re-shaped it and made it a bent pipe with a canted bowl, and ground the back of the bowl down. Looks better, and will work fine.

orignial -


Reworked




Another thing to consider is whether to put a bevel on the inside of the bowl - Todd J mentioned on one of my horns that this is a good way of alleviating that hot spot on the rim.

[KurtHuhn]

I think it DOES make a difference, and there are pictures of pipes on this site that prove it. Heat does radiate in all directions, but the hot smoke and steam head straight up, and if you have a lot of briar "overhanging" the top of the bowl, it will burn. You often see the back side of a rim is charred and the front not on straight pipes, because the pipe hangs at a downward angle while being smoked.

Not for nothing, but the "charring" you see on the back of a lot of rims isn't actually charring, its just buildup of tars and residue. By and large it comes off with liberal application of elbow grease in all but the most extreme of examples.

And FWIW, I agree with the basis of your supposition, just not the fact that it needs to be remedied - again, in all but the most extreme of examples.

[Sasquatch]

True enough Kurt - lots of that black junk does just rub off. Here's an extreme example though -

viewtopic.php?f=18&t=4362

Now, I guess what you are saying, Kurt, is that this pipe would have cracked in ANY orientation, and the fact that it is thin is the problem, more than that the thin part is at the top/back of a bowl. If that is in fact your position, I'm not sure if I agree with you or not. But I do it very strongly.

[TimGeorge]

Thanks, guys. I have learned something, I think, which is that much of the problems I thought might exist maybe don't, but if they do they can be alleviated by the angle and shape of the rim ... I am emboldened to try a tilted bowl, but I think I will start with a cutty shape since I am artistically limited.

[KurtHuhn]

Yeah, that's a rather extreme example - I'm glad I qualified my statement. The rim is really thin in that area, and if it were pointed straight up it may or may not have happened - I'm not sure. Typically I would give the ridge there on the rim a little more meat there by beveling the inside. That might keep it from getting overheated.

[Sasquatch]

Kurt, if you're not even sure you agree with yourself, I'm definitely holding off.

[KurtHuhn]

By that I mean that, on that pipe, the ridge along the tobacco chamber is exceptionally thin, and coupled with the unusually severe forward cant, it may have contributed to some scorching and heat-related damage. But, I dunno. However, by and large, I don't think one really needs to concern themselves with the problem, as most pipes won't have the pairing of extremes that one does.