Hole Pattern Science

[Giant Ninja Robot]

I was over a friend's place and didnt have any toothpicks so I used the poker on my tongs and punched less holes than usual, larger holes, the way I used to and got a better smoke than I have in a while. I repeated the test at home to the same results.

So after methodically trying out the "best hole patterns" I'm back to my original and it's working out very well.

Anyone else think with the possible exception of Tangiers that hole patterns may be more in our heads, or at least involve more variables than we credit giving us all different results, than we've come to believe? Or is there really some sort of science to the placement and size of the holes we punch in our foil?

Just curious to see what you all think.

[antouwan]

i'll take eric's word on it that 'convection has very little to do with smoking the tobacco' or something like that. senor tangiers, mea culpa if i completely bastardized that.

i mean, the holes ARE important for ensuring you will not be getting an uber-restrictive draw, but i think that as long as you get it 'close' you aren't going to make or break a session based solely on hole pattern.

[momatik]

Solid post.

I think that when you poke holes to the bottom, that makes a difference, because it makes sense when you think of it logically.

Other than that, I don't think there is any difference between hole pattern A and hole pattern B.

[fezmeister]

with some tobaccos ive found the hole pattern is the least of my problems but with others they're extremely important.

the al waha bounty flavor if you have giant holes it doesnt smoke right at all. no clouds. no good flavor, actually gagged alil when i was trying to get the bowl going. but with others i can pull a helen kellar and poke in the dark and hope it works out and it always does.

[Giant Ninja Robot]

but with others i can pull a helen kellar and poke in the dark and hope it works out and it always does.

you just gave me the most amazing mental image of Hellen Keller. Thank you for that genuine LOL.

[Sonthert]

More airflow is better. What are the holes for? Airflow. One hole is better than two, so why wouldn't 100 be better than 80? There is a law of diminishing returns, of course, the difference between 20 and 40 holes is less than 10 and 20. (Twice as many).

You say "Well it gets harsh" with more holes...use less coal and more holes to begin with, you'll use less charcoal.

[Arcane]

yeah, i think the holes are more for a better draw than actual heat transfer. i poke a lot of holes on my mini, maybe around 40-50 and around 60-70 on my small.

i just find i get easier pull with more holes, which makes perfect sense to me.

[Sherwood]

So, if more holes are better, and conduction is more important than convection, why don't we just go old school and drop coals right on Tangiers? Better yet, Nakhla? I can think of a few reasons, but I don't know if they're valid.

I'm sure you've tried it, Eric. Did it work out?

[fezmeister]

but with others i can pull a helen kellar and poke in the dark and hope it works out and it always does.

you just gave me the most amazing mental image of Hellen Keller. Thank you for that genuine LOL.

hah always glad to give a chuckle or two

[fezmeister]

You say "Well it gets harsh" with more holes...use less coal and more holes to begin with, you'll use less charcoal.

im a fan of more holes as well and have noticed coals last longer and require less to get to a nice suitable temperature.
especially the exotica fingers they burn better (in my experience) with more holes.

[delSol_si]

Just poke the bitch and smoke!

[Giant Ninja Robot]

What I found was LESS holes of larger size have been working better for me.

[conlank]

total noob here with my two cents.
i use the poker thing on my tongs and do 8 large holes on the outside, 4 inside of that with 1 at the very center.
works alright for me.

[Sonthert]

So, if more holes are better, and conduction is more important than convection, why don't we just go old school and drop coals right on Tangiers? Better yet, Nakhla? I can think of a few reasons, but I don't know if they're valid.

I'm sure you've tried it, Eric. Did it work out?

The big problem is tobacco sticking to the coal...the same thing as if you don't put anything under cookies in the oven. As they stick to the tobacco, it'll put out that area of the charcoal, making it burn less hot, making the smoke thinner.

[RingsMaster]

personally i poke many little holes, works for me, i think we all poke different holes because we all pack differntly and use different amounts of heat. whatever the reason i dont think one is better than the other because sometimes i use bigger holes when its not smokin and it fixes everything, who knows

[Arcane]

What I found was LESS holes of larger size have been working better for me.

that's just because you're CRAAAAAAZAAAYYY!!

[Bookworm]

I have come to a pattern of holes that works with my packing method and heat management, etc. A lot of thin (poked with a shirt button pin thingy) holes randomly distributed, and I'd bet that if I counted my holes it'd be within + 10 from some number x. But that's just me.

less larger holes tends to give me a less even burn and more harshness, and too few holes has a hard pull.

[Topher]

I've always used the spiral with a toothpick, and haven't noticed much impact when deviated by my friends poking different patterns.

[Codename067]

Common Ninja, you have been smoking for far too long to think that it could just be in our heads.

There are ways and ways to it. I have been using my method for...3 years now..still strong =]

[Dr. B]

I poke large fewer large holes. 'Never looked back

[trevor_clay_10]

personally i poke 4 larger holes around the outside in a circle
then i use a safety pin and poke random wholes everywhere else.

when i rotate my coal i always make sure its over one of the larger wholes.
i FEEL as if this gives me better smoke.

in all honestly it probably doesnt mean a thing.

[ryno]

GNR, its funny you posted this. Me and a friend were smoking his QT a little bit ago and had this same conversation and we came up with it doesnt really matter for the most part as long as you have enough for good airflow, you should be fine

[Giant Ninja Robot]

What I found was LESS holes of larger size have been working better for me.

that's just because you're CRAAAAAAZAAAYYY!!

can't argue that

Common Ninja, you have been smoking for far too long to think that it could just be in our heads.

There are ways and ways to it. I have been using my method for...3 years now..still strong =]

devil's advocate here...mwa ha ha!!!! Really what I feel is that it matters but everyone packs differently, effectively making hole pattern "science" subjective and thus hard to pinpoint without personally examining all the variables of that particular smoker's normal packing job.

GNR, its funny you posted this. Me and a friend were smoking his QT a little bit ago and had this same conversation and we came up with it doesnt really matter for the most part as long as you have enough for good airflow, you should be fine

yay Ryno!

[DrunK]

yeah, i think the holes are more for a better draw than actual heat transfer. i poke a lot of holes on my mini, maybe around 40-50 and around 60-70 on my small.

i just find i get easier pull with more holes, which makes perfect sense to me.

can we get a picture? please haha

[pinky]

I realized that the Germans, who morbidly underpacking their bowls are using the smallest holes they can get. Here is an example: Hookah Hookah Setup.
It seems to compensate underpacking somehow, but where is the sense in buy most expensive hookahs and hoses with a large diameter to achieve good airflow and then destroying everything by poking small holes? I've tried and the only thing I got was major headaches and thin smoke. Large holes on such a setup will result in thin harsh smoke, adding more heat will burn it.
The conclusion might be, that if your bowl is packed right you just need enough holes for good airflow. If not, you will have to find something for compensation.