Smoker's Companions
Defining Attributes
This page documents smoker's companions, the multi-purpose tools used by 17th and 18th century smokers to tamp, light, and clean their pipes. Archaeologists often refer to the smoker's companion as the "Swiss Army Knife" of the colonial pipe smoker because it was designed to serve so many useful functions. Styles of smoker’s companions varied, but most have an integrated tamper, a disk-shaped upper grip, and a spring-loaded pinching mechanism so that the tool could grab a hot ember. Many also have a robust spine that might have been used as a strike-a-light if a hot ember wasn't available. For examples found archaeologically, this heavy-duty upper portion may be all that survives. The pointed ends for pinching embers, the tamper, and the scraper tend to be more prone to breakage when the object corrodes. Smoker’s companions are generally forged from iron by highly skilled blacksmiths. They would have been considered somewhat of a luxury item since smokers could get by without them by lighting their pipes with candles or hot embers stored in chafing dishes.
Archaeologists have not developed a dated typology for smoker’s companions so this section of the website offers comparative chronological information in the form of images, measurements, site summaries, and context data for every example we have found in our collections.
1. Pinching tips – these held a hot ember so that it could be inserted into a pipe to light tobacco. The tips also may have been used to pick and scrape ash out of hard-to-reach areas of the pipe bowl.
2. Basal notch – some smoker's companions have a basal notch, possibly to allow the tool to perch on the edge of a chafing dish or brazier without sliding.
3. Spine – serves as one of the main arms of the tool, but it also may have served as a strike-a-light when a hot ember was not available.
4. Spring – keeps tension on the pinching tips so the ember held there does not fall until released by the user.
5. Disk scraper/grip – the disk or oval platform at the end of the upper spine might have been used to help pack loose tobacco into the pipe before tamping it down. It also may have helped scrape ash off the walls of the pipe during cleaning. In addition, it makes a cvonvenient platform for the thumb when pinching the tool together and it generally holds the rivet for the spring mechanism.
6. Tamper/grip – the bottom arm has a small flat disk for tamping tobacco down into the pipe. It also might prevent the forefingers from slipping when gripping the tool, or serve as another scraper for cleaning.
Terminology
Smoker's companions have been known by several different terms, including pipe tongs, pipe tongues, and ember tongs. These terms may refer to other types of ember-holders that would not be considered smoker’s companions. For example, there were much longer tools with a similar spring-loaded grip that are referred to as pipe or ember tongs. These were usually at least 14 inches long, and some measured as long as 26 inches. They might have tampers and pipe scrapers integrated into their design, but they were not as portable as the smaller smoker's companions and they were too skinny and delicate to serve as a strike-a-light. These long pipe or ember tongs were clearly something to be kept by a fireplace, not something to be carried by a smoker on the go.
Other types of ember tongs include small versions of fireplace tongs and styles that look like scissors, but with ember-grabbing tips instead of blades. The latter scissor-like style might also have integrated joints that would cause the tongs to extend when closed. These were known as "lazy" tongs.
The term "smoker's companion" would not refer to any of these long pipe/ember tongs. "Smoker's companion" usually has one of two meanings: it either refers to modern desk sets that might include an ashtray, cigarette holder, and lighter, or it describes the small portable tools used for pipe smoking discussed above. This section of the website is devoted to smoker's companions in the latter category only.