If you're a relatively new pipe smoker please consider

[Maddis]

not blathering on about things of which you really know very little.

Anyone here who knows me (and there are a fair number, for a fairly long time) will tell you that I'm the last person to throw flames carelessly. In fact, I'll spend a crazy amount of time trying to figure out how to say something respectfully if at all possible. But I don't have the time or patience at the moment so I'll rest assured knowing that the message will get through even if it ruffles some feathers.

Having said all that, please consider that speaking with a voice of confidence about something you actually know fairly little about really does no one any good. Not even you, in the end. And there are a lot of people here who care about the hobby of pipesmoking and want newcomers to have a good experience. That's why this is a pretty open space with a really thoughtful *group* of moderators.

I'm talking about things like what ingredients are in a tobacco or not, whether the quality of the tobacco is relatively good historically speaking or in comparison to other available options, what makes a pipe smoke well generally speaking, and so on. I'm not talking about whether you like a particular tobacco.

Also, pipe smoking is not easy and it takes time to learn how to do it properly. Sorry if that sounds too canonical, but the fact is that if you're puffing away at full force on a GH blend, for example, and it tastes like carp - that's because you're not smoking it properly. So speak less, listen more, learn, and join the conversation. You'll be most welcome.

I'm not talking to any individual. I'm talking to a trend. If you think you're part of it, you may well be.

 

[Chicken Man]

"Dunning-Kruger effect"
I recommend brand new pipe smokers look into it

 

[cossar]

This trend is why we lost the “ask a codger” sub.

thanks for saying the hard things, @Maddis

 

[Spearheadbill]

OK, this is an excellent piece. But on the topics of city ham, piknik boots and pocket protectors are we able to speak freely and without fear of reprisals?

 

[Dadzilla]

As my father n law said to me as he put the petal to the metal in his Eldorado Cadillac, it's good to blow the carbon out the tailpipes once in awhile with belows of laughter sailing down the highway. Of course he wouldn't think of doing that if the Mrs. Was in the car.

 

[Merk3030]

To summarize:

“Slow down and take a look around.” - Guy Fieri



“Stick Around…” Arnold Schwarzenegger

“Happy Pipping” -This Guy:

 

[Smokeaoke]

OK, this is an excellent piece. But on the topics of city ham, piknik boots and pocket protectors are we able to speak freely and without fear of reprisals?

Hey, where is this pocket protectors thread? What a let down.

 

[baublitz]

Heck I've been an off and on smoker for 15 years and only seriously picked it up 2-1/2 yrs ago. Every few months I figure out some little quirk or have an epiphany that improves the experience. Things like that just take hundreds of trial, errors and random successes with guidance from the wise. I still feel like I have mountains to learn. Thanks for saying something @Maddis

 

[Spearheadbill]

Hey, where is this pocket protectors thread? What a let down.

I’m working it up but it will be a very comprehensive and in depth treatise based upon my many years of experience and use of pocket protector gear in the workplace and also leisure activities. We journeymen of pocket protection would ask of you not to speak on it if you do not have a full and vast background not only on functionality but also the fashion aspects. Thank you for understanding!

 

[Mikewood]

Ah, the exuberance of youth. If not in years then experience. It’s hard to know what and how much to say in a particular group and ours is not the average Internet forum. We are more akin to a shooting club or old time barbershop. Most people new to the group can’t see this and post like it’s any other forum. Then there is the need to contribute and belong. Most of us know what we know or think we so and like to share our experiences. We only have them for guidance and although in hindsight it may be misguided we want to share and contribute.

It falls to the old guys to set the standard to gently guide and support the new guys and show them how to behave and their responsibilities as gentlemen. Careful guidance and patience is key. For instance bragging runs counter to this. Discussing the size of collections, Stables, cellars and the like. I am guilty of this and a wise man once told me it was better to smoke a single cob and one tobacco that you know and enjoy like an old friend than have a thousand pipes you never get around to getting to know much less understand.

As we grow and new members join it’s up to the more senior people to lead the way and continue the efforts we know and love.

 

[Zembla]

I remember pocket protectors...junior high...1970...I had a hard crush on Shelly...uh...now what was her last name?

 

[Mikewood]

Thread drift is another issue we have. It shows disrespect for the original poster’s thread and while it can be fun it’s rude to try to sidetrack an important conversation and this is a pretty important one. I guess it has to be said. But it shouldn’t. It’s just common courtesy.

 

[tfdickson]

Much needed and well said @Maddis . I’ve noticed the same thing, and I’ve noticed it’s increased prevalence as well. Not by any one individual, but as a group phenomenon on the forum. In the somewhat recent past my response to this has been to lampoon this behavior in an over the top way, see here:

Tips for smoking SG Brown Sugar Flake

Good evening folks, Now that Brown Sugar Flake is (was) available for the first time on American tobacconist’s shelves, I thought I’d offer some tips on getting the most of it. My total experience with this blend is maybe 5 tins, from when it first became available from the Danish Pipe Shop...

pipesmokersdens.com

and here:

A G&H Tobacco Thread

Dude, you've NEVER tried rum flake? I know, it's ridiculous.... I have a tin but just never got around to it. Now I'm two states away from my "cellar."

pipesmokersdens.com

Those are just two examples, I know I’ve gone to that well many other times. Most people probably thought I was just having some fun, which I was. But the premise of the joke is the same- ignorant clown confidently stating absolute horse manure based on little more than some vague memory of something he read on the internet once. Most of the folks here get the joke, because this is a group that is far above average (these days anyway) in actual real life knowledge of pipes and tobaccos. They know how long it takes to really learn how to smoke a pipe, what makes for a good smoking tool, what makes for a beautiful smoking tool, and the “why” involved in all of those things. It’s fine to say you like this and don’t like that, it’s not fine to offer advice when you don’t know what you are talking about and have what might as well be 5 minutes of experience to inform your opinion. If you are not sure if you are in the 5 minute camp, a good policy is to assume you are. Tell us what you think, but please don‘t tell us what you (don’t) know.

 

[Deckard]

Anybody remember the guy from PSF that claimed grape jelly smeared in your pipe was scientifically proven to build better cake?

 

[Spearheadbill]

Anybody remember the guy from PSF that claimed grape jelly smeared in your pipe was scientifically proven to build better cake?

So... does it work?

 

[Spearheadbill]

if some of this nonsense was said in a room of us all smoking pipes there would be issues most certainly.

 

[fMf Piper]

And there are a lot of people here who care about the hobby of pipesmoking and want newcomers to have a good experience.

Also, pipe smoking is not easy and it takes time to learn how to do it properly.

This is exactly why, as a new pipe smoker, I joined PSD.

From this newer pipe smoker, thank you @Maddis, for saying what needed to be said. I for one appreciate you, and all of the experienced folks here willing to help us new smokers find our footing.

 

[Islayphile]

In summation, newbs who talk out of their crack should be sent to Berg for reeducation.

 

[Sasquatch]

Thank you Maddis, for sharing your truth....


Look, I'll out liberal the liberal, out Ivory-tower the Ivory-tower boys given half a chance. What is the forum, a place where only hardened old codgers can answer? Is it an oracle? No. It's a forum.

So everyone puts in their 2 cents, but the trouble is, some guys' 2 cents is worth 5 dollars, and some guys' 2 cents isn't worth one cent.

BS is BS, bad info is bad info, and we catch it, call it, correct it, and I think this community does a pretty good job of that. The shenanigans, comeraderie (hopefully), that's all part of the ride here, I suppose. We don't want it clique-y and we don't want it aloof. But it isn't "anything goes". If a blender says "There's no perique in this." then there's no periqe in it.

And it's not about "time on board" it's about whether someone is full of sh1t. I mean, we had a guy come on and tell us all about pipe making, this, that and the other, and told a bunch of pipe makers here that they were wrong in how they were answering questions, because he'd watched a video about Savinelli.

Dude did not last long.

But if some newbie wants to smoke a scaly old pipe his grandfather owned, great. If someone tells him to put it in the dishwasher, I'd probably intervene. But there's a pretty big spectrum before we get to that.

Our experiences are not normative. That's what makes pipe smoking interesting.

 

[Sasquatch]

Thread drift is another issue we have. It shows disrespect for the original poster’s thread and while it can be fun it’s rude to try to sidetrack an important conversation and this is a pretty important one. I guess it has to be said. But it shouldn’t. It’s just common courtesy.

We prune as needed. We want the place to be conversational, not a Reddit question/answer board. So there's... yeah there's some drift. The intentional forever-jokes about pie and stuff... well hell, we already killed the "Daily Humor" thread because it was just "Here's another stupid meme I found" and that's not PSD worthy content.

We could make it pipes only, no cigars, no cooking, pipes and pipe tobacco. But it would take a lot of good stuff, life stuff, away from the board.

I've been sick, one of the other admins has been off. But we're literally quite happy to tighten the place up, we think it's better with less horsecrappery, truly.