NEW PIPE TAMPERS

Bob’s Favourite Tamper.

This is a specially designed pipe tamper designed to work perfectly and last a lifetime.

Each tamper is individually crafted from a carefully selected piece of wood, carefully turned to give a comfortable grip.  The wood is then finished with a coating prepared to a secret recipe by the master carver.

The metal anvil is then fitted.  The metal used is the very highest grade of brass guaranteed by using cartridge cases.  Short throw tampers are finished with a 9mm case and the long throw with either a .357 Magnum or a .38 Special.  Please stipulate which you would prefer.

My choice of cartridge cases for the anvils goes back to my days in the forces when I used to use a dummy round as a tamper (sometimes they would get mixed up in my pocket and I would end up using live rounds).  I found the diameter was just right.

Each tamper is unique – no two are alike – you are buying a future collectible and a very useful one too!

Why tamp?

Tobacco is not a solid mass; it is made up of long thin shreds of plant matter so it does not have a flat surface.

When you fill your pipe you press the tobacco into the bowl with your thumb until the pipe is well filled – not too tight and not too loose.  However when you apply a flame to the tobacco the heat makes it expand and the mass rises.  This makes the surface very uneven with some shreds standing higher than others. These are the shreds that light first, the problem is that sometimes the ones underneath don’t light at all and so the pipe goes out.

This is why sometimes you can find yourself re-lighting your pipe several times.  Eventually the pipe goes out and when you knock out the ash you are surprised to find a sizable lump of tobacco at the bottom that hasn’t burnt.  This just gets thrown away.

However careful tamping ensures that the surface of the coal get’s very flat, this ensures regular burning across the whole surface and an even burn.  It also means you very rarely have to re-light your pipe.

On finishing you will be pleasantly surprised to find that the coal has burnt evenly all the way to the bottom – instead of a wad of unburnt tobacco all you throw away is ash.