Meerschaum pipes
- Thread starter Dawggy
- Start date
Yeah. I guess that’s pretty subjective to the person. For me, it would be less than $200 CAD.
You could find cheap and beautiful common meers from Turkish seller on Etsy or Facebook. A custom-made meer cost more than a common meer, but you can get the meer of your dream. I bought my custom-made dragon claw from kocmeerschaum on Etsy. It's a great deal.
You'll find a lot of different takes from different pipe smokers when it comes to meerschaum pipes. Personally, you smoke it how you want to smoke it. It's yours so do what you like.
Some say wear gloves so not to get oils from your hands on the pipe. Personally, that's just dumb. Oils from your hands just add to the coloring process of the pipe. Of course, you should have clean hands when smoking the pipe, so you don't get unnecessary dirt/grime on the pipe.
Some say handle them with extreme care as they're fragile. They're tougher than most people seem to think. I travel with mine, I'll smoke them while out and about and even smoke them in cooler temps. If you drop it then yes it will most likely break, but don't be afraid to handle it like any other briar pipe.
Some will tell you not to let any cake build up, while others have lots of cake in their pipe. I keep a thin layer of cake. After I'm done smoking the pipe I'll run a pipe cleaner through it and then use a paper towel on the bowl.
If you need to give it a good cleaning, for example an estate meer, some people say not to use any alcohol while others say yes. I use alcohol on the stem, tenon & mortise, and lightly use on the shank and bowl. Use a clear alcohol that will evaporate quickly.
Unlike briar pipes that need a rest after some use, you can smoke a meerschaum pipe all day every day. They don't need a rest and can be enjoyed as much as you want to smoke it.
Some say that meerschaums can't ghost, while others will tell you they have a ghosted meer. That's going to depend on the type of tobacco being smoked and the quality of the meerschaum. I use all my meers to smoke aromatics, Virginia's, English/Balkans, Burley's and I've never ghosted one yet, and I've been smoking meers for a long time. That's not to say you can't though. I would imagine if you're smoking a Lakeland blend and only ever smoke that blend in that pipe at some point it may become ghosted.
Hope that helps. Enjoy the new meerschaum pipe! Happy smokes!
I usually wear a space suit when I smoke my meer. You just can't be too careful.
