Comfort of a pipe

[Wes/Tex]

O.K. guys, after many years of being schlepped around the country, I had an 'oopsey-daisy' with my old clay pipe...million fragments type of oops! The new ones are so bright and shiny and my old baby had just a few furlongs under both our belts and the right amount of 'color' to go with it. Any thoughts on getting some 'age' without having to become a chimney?

 

[tenngun]

Rub it with bees wax as you smoke. The wax melts and migrates toward the heat.It picks up the oils. When it cools the wax migrates back out to the surface dragging the colored oils with it. The same princple is used for meershams. Bees wax is sold in lipstick containers as "Antiquing compond"

 

[BillinOregon]

Wes, I am sorry to hear you lost your old friend.

 

[Wes/Tex]

Thanks guys. The beeswax sounds like a great idea. Always remember how the collectors used to go on about trying not to touch Meershaum pipes as they aged to get a better color than if your body oils got on them. Never knew if that was for real or just babble. Another X-spurt told me to make sure a clay pipe was dry and put it near a wood fire's heat and definitely in the smoke! In my mind the question went, "You mean like bacon?" :haha:

Also did similar to a Meershaum some years ago. It was a smaller one that had had the entire bowl carved to appear to be a Calabash, rather a fun little guy. Always smile to think of the way the Calabash has become so associated with Sherlock Holmes when Doyle never mentioned one...only briars and clays!

 

[biliff]

When my clay pipes get dirty they don't smoke as well. At that point they go in the fire to burn the tar/gunk out them and clean 'em up. A clean white pipe smokes better than a dark one, at least for me.

 

[BillinOregon]

Bill: Can you clarify? You mean, like, you put the pipe into the campfire or the fireplace? I don't know what cone the pipes themselves are fired at, but have you ever cracked one or changed its temper?
I have some research to do, as I have a crazy idea in the back o' my lumpy old noggin to make some pipe bowls of my own.

 

[Alden]

Anyone ever go to a tavern, break off a piece of the stem on a public pipe, and smoke it in recent years!?

 

[satx78247]

I'm not sure that 5 years ago is recent, but there is (or was) a hotel near Colonial Williamsburg that had "public pipes" in their "gentleman's lounge".
(Didn't see anyone actually smoking them.)

yours, satx

 

[tenngun]

I've heard of laying a pipe on the coals to clean it. It has to be coals and not flame,and the results are sposed to be a clean white pipe. I only smoke a latakia rich English or a latikia rich black navy cake. The pipe, including my meerhames and clays all pick up a rich flavor. Even empty and puffed the ghost of smokes of the past comes through. Only my porciline German pipes don't hold flavor.

 

[biliff]

Bill: Can you clarify? You mean, like, you put the pipe into the campfire or the fireplace? I don't know what cone the pipes themselves are fired at, but have you ever cracked one or changed its temper?
I have some research to do, as I have a crazy idea in the back o' my lumpy old noggin to make some pipe bowls of my own.

Or the coals in the barbecue (after I'm done cooking). Put the pipe in the coals and then layer some more on top. All the crud will burn off. Just let the coals burn out and cool. Remove pipe and dust off. I've only cracked one, at this point. I've got another that's still going after 10 years. Given they only cost about 8 bucks I'm not real concerned.

Taverns used to keep iron pipe racks where customers could place their pipes to be swung into the fire and cleaned. If memory serves the regulars would just leave their personal pipes at the tavern. Wish I could remember the reference.

 

[BillinOregon]

Bill, that is awesome. Had not heard of the tavern pipe-treating racks. Any fella who can smoke an $8 clay pipe for 10 years has my admiration -- but you already had it already.

:wink:

 

[tenngun]

I have two over 10 years old. One other I've had more then 26 years that was made before 1834. It was found in an archalogical dig near arrow rock mo of a pipe factory that burned down in 1834. All are reed steamed so don't break as easy.

 

[BillinOregon]

Tenngunn, care to favor us with an image or two? Those are wonderful artifacts.

 

[Alden]

I have an old one around here somewhere too -- dug from the Rev War's Fort Washington on Manhattan Island in NY.

 

[tenngun]

I dont have a photobug membership. If you go to private post an give me you number or email I can text or email you a photo

 

[Grumpa]

I never got into pipe smokin' myself, the doctor made my Dad give it up before I was old enough to start up. But this thread sure has me missin' a lot of old Irishmen who lived in the neighborhood when I was a kid...and the great smells of their pipes.

 

[Wes/Tex]

You just reminded me of my maternal grandfather's stories about his youth and how the older German & Irish guys pre-filled their pipes before work and sat them all lined up in a window sill at the iron works. The young guys would sneak out and partially fill the bowls with dry horse manure! :wink: :haha:

 

[Len Graves]

I kind of remember enjoin a smoke now an then. Started when I was workin on a roofing crew. They would take a smoke break, boss asked me what I was doing? " takin a break sez I" sez he " this a smoke break an you ain't smokin. Get back to work. Bought me a pipe and enjoyed it for years. My Father in laws hired hand used to chew then laid out the cud on the window sill of the dairy till it dried and then smoked it, flys an all. He was some tougher than me, his stomach at least.

 

[BillinOregon]

Here are some views of Tenngun's fine-looking pipes. I'll let him fill in the details.

 

[Rod Lassey]

I have some research to do, as I have a crazy idea in the back o' my lumpy old noggin to make some pipe bowls of my own.

Are you familiar with this blog---this guy just plain astonishes me!
http://jimsfortheloveofhistory.blogspot.com/search?q=pipes


Rod