Why? Meerschaum Trimmings

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bayareabriar

Part of the Furniture Now
May 8, 2019
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1,542
Bag full a chips of Meer. Like a smashed up bag of Lays but without the grease or flavor. Was this a thing?
 

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Ahi Ka

Lurker
Feb 25, 2020
6,538
31,548
Aotearoa (New Zealand)
Show us a photo? You had it made?
They are just like these pharrow shitpads except made from meerschaum. I think I got them from meerschaum market or something on the advice of weezel

 

AroEnglish

Lifer
Jan 7, 2020
3,779
11,566
Midwest
They are just like these pharrow shitpads except made from meerschaum. I think I got them from meerschaum market or something on the advice of weezel

What pads?

IMG_9936.jpeg
 
Jun 9, 2015
3,926
24,481
42
Mission, Ks
Judging by the envelope and the inscription on it I think these were saved for a more sentimental reason. It looks like maybe Ismet Beckler was doing a carving demonstration at a pipe shop and someone collected the swarf from his demo, possibly they bought the pipe it came off of. There would otherwise be no reason to put that much info on a bag of meer chips.

When wet meer is carved, the off cuts look like that.
 
Dec 3, 2021
4,915
41,516
Pennsylvania & New York
Bag full a chips of Meer. Like a smashed up bag of Lays but without the grease or flavor. Was this a thing?
Judging by the envelope and the inscription on it I think these were saved for a more sentimental reason. It looks like maybe Ismet Beckler was doing a carving demonstration at a pipe shop and someone collected the swarf from his demo, possibly they bought the pipe it came off of. There would otherwise be no reason to put that much info on a bag of meer chips.

When wet meer is carved, the off cuts look like that.

Ismet Beckler is something of a legend with regard to Meerschaum pipes; he did a lot of work for CAO.

This would sort of be like having a bag of marble chips from a Michelangelo sculpture on a much smaller scale.
 

runscott

Lifer
Jun 3, 2020
1,082
2,334
Washington State
Ismet Beckler is something of a legend with regard to Meerschaum pipes; he did a lot of work for CAO.

This would sort of be like having a bag of marble chips from a Michelangelo sculpture on a much smaller scale.
I've never understood that. He wasn't as good of a carver as a few of the current Turkish carvers, and didn't hold a candle to any from Austria or France.

...but I do have one of his pipes that I'll unlikely ever sell :LOL:
 
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Reactions: TheIronMonkey
Dec 3, 2021
4,915
41,516
Pennsylvania & New York
I've never understood that. He wasn't as good of a carver as a few of the current Turkish carvers, and didn't hold a candle to any from Austria or France.

...but I do have one of his pipes that I'll unlikely ever sell :LOL:

I would generally agree with you; Beckler’s likenesses weren’t anything to write home about. I much prefer the skill and craft of the 19th and early 20th Century Meerschaum carvers from Europe over any from the late 20th Century or present—I haven’t really been that impressed by any currently working, especially when it comes to human anatomy.
 
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bayareabriar

Part of the Furniture Now
May 8, 2019
942
1,542
I would generally agree with you; Beckler’s likenesses weren’t anything to write home about. I much prefer the skill and craft of the 19th and early 20th Century Meerschaum carvers from Europe over any from the late 20th Century or present—I haven’t really been that impressed by any currently working, especially when it comes to human anatomy.
Which road to take regarding anatomy and pipes? LOL. Sometimes a pipe is just a pipe.
 
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runscott

Lifer
Jun 3, 2020
1,082
2,334
Washington State
Which road to take regarding anatomy and pipes? LOL. Sometimes a pipe is just a pipe.

Sure, but if you are going to carve human anatomy it's fair to compare your results to those of others.

I've tried to make sense of why Turkish carvers seem to stop carving before their work is finished. The best I can come up with is that they figure they get more $$$ for their effort by stopping before the detail is added. Most pipe-smokers probably do feel that "a pipe is just a pipe" and the less-defined meers are still meers and will smoke fine. But why Bekler is considered a "legend" is beyond me.

My sister visited Turkey back in the '80s and the meer carvers carved your pipe right in front of you. You paid and walked off with it. I doubt that was possible in 1880's Paris or Vienna.
 
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