Some precautions against these horrid burnouts

"Break in your pipe gently. Many people smoke their pipe from the get go like it is a furnace designed to heat a 4 cubic meter area. Smoke the first dozen or so bowls slowly, not letting the bowl heat up too much. If you cannot hold it against your cheek (your choice of cheek), than you are risking burnout. Stop smoking the pipe and let it cool.
Pack your bowl properly and light it evenly. The tobacco should be firm, and yet retain some spring when pressed. Lighting should be done in a two-stage process. A charring light is completed by moving, in a circular motion, a wooden match or butane (never a torch) flame over the tobacco. You should be drawing the flame into the tobacco by a gently puffing five to six times. Tamp down the ash and repeat the lighting a second time. With an even light, the tobacco will not over heat one side of the bowl reducing the risk of the black hole.
Avoid smoking where there is going to be a breeze. Unknown to many pipe smokers is the fact that when there is a breeze over top of the bowl, it actually increases the combustion of the tobacco much the same as a bellows would in a blacksmith‘s fire. This causes a corresponding rise in temperature that contributes to burnout. This can be avoided by using a pipe cover that covers the tobacco chamber and reduces the breeze. Simply, it is not a good idea not to smoke outside when it is windy.
Be careful when you ream out the cake in your pipe. The cake acts like a firewall between the heat of the burning tobacco and the wood surface of briar. The cake should be at least the thickness of a dime or 1 – 2mm. If the cake gets uneven, then the heat comes through unevenly. Conversely, when the cake gets too thick, then the bowl could crack allowing the heat to have direct contact with the inside of the briar. The reaming tool itself could also dig into the wood causing a spot where the combustion would cause further damage. The catchword here is ‘Caution‘. Watch your cake and do not ream zealously.Keep in mind that most pipe manufacturers will no longer guarantee their pipes past three months. Burnout threats may happen so watch out for the signs. Above all, smoke gently and respect your pipe. Treat it well, and you will be able to leave it to your Grandchildren (freshened it first)."

Prossimo articolo: Latakia