Any Calabash Experts Out There?

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jchaplick

Lifer
May 8, 2011
1,702
9
So I have a calabash pipe, made by pioneer, the man who gave it to me specified that you should never clean the 'cake' out of the gourd. But I have seen inline ways to clean the cake out of the gourd. It has only ever smoked VA's and I am ok with that. It smokes great, I dont want to change that, but I also want it to last as long as possible.
Any advice is good advice
Thanks: John

 

topd

Lifer
Mar 23, 2012
1,745
10
Emerson, Arkansas
Oh my goodness.... OK, what did the guy tell you was the cake in the gourd? Ha... he most likely didn't know himself. I would just smoke away for years before you need to do anything, by then, you'll know what to do. Just enjoy your pipe.

Edit: I hate to sound like I know... but one thing I do know is pipes. (Excluding clays, I've never had one). I'd be glad to go into greater detail about cleaning a calabash if you'd like.
TopD

 

jchaplick

Lifer
May 8, 2011
1,702
9
Not cake perse, just his word to describe it. Its the black tar buildup on the skinny side of the gourd that you can see when you remove the meerschaum bowl.
He has had the pipe since the 70s so it has been smoked for years. So do I clean it or leave it, he said it colors the gourd

 

topd

Lifer
Mar 23, 2012
1,745
10
Emerson, Arkansas
OK, here is what I'd do. Remove the bowl and stem. Always be aware of the cork seal where the bowl sets or seals. Don't get anything on it..... Through out all this, don't mess up the cork. I've read for several years of using ever-clear, aftershave, vinegar, who knows what.... all kinds of ideas, and some may be OK. What I'd recommend is your favorite sprite. Bourbon, scotch or brandy.... pour some in the gourd and very slowly swish it around... keeping in mind the cork!!!!!!! Set it up right over night if needed, if it's been smoked that much. Pour it out through the stem end. More than likely it has not. A hundred year old calabash may only have 100 bowls smoked in it... depends on the owner. No big deal though. Use pipe cleaners to dab out any mush, let dry out a few days, reassemble and smoke away.

 

jchaplick

Lifer
May 8, 2011
1,702
9
Do I dump the spirits out before I let it sit over night or do I keep the liquor in it over night?

 

topd

Lifer
Mar 23, 2012
1,745
10
Emerson, Arkansas
If the coke... or mush... tar build-up is so bad that 'swishing' doesn't get it... let it set with spirits in.
Edit Again: From your description, I'd just leave it if it draws well and smoke it.

 

jchaplick

Lifer
May 8, 2011
1,702
9
Ok cool, I will give it a go, maybe ill stuff the top with paper towels if for nothing else but to protect the cork

 

topd

Lifer
Mar 23, 2012
1,745
10
Emerson, Arkansas
jchaplick.. I hope I don't steer you in the wrong direction. You've got to take this information, and what you see in your pipe to make a good decision on what to do.

 

jchaplick

Lifer
May 8, 2011
1,702
9
I can post a picture if you want, but I will have to wait until tomorrow, the bowl doesnt come out the day I smoke it. Ill have to let it dry, but I can put it up tomorrow

 

topd

Lifer
Mar 23, 2012
1,745
10
Emerson, Arkansas
Extra thoughts on the subject: I looked at all I typed, and smiled at myself. The cork isn't going to dissolve or blow-up if the spirits touch it. You just want to be careful. It's really not the cork itself, but the adhesive the maker uses. The cork can be replaced... but do you want to look for someone that can do it, shipping, the work... all that. Just take your time in a well lighted place and have fun.

 

cortezattic

Lifer
Nov 19, 2009
15,147
7,638
Chicago, IL
To the best of my knowledge Pioneer never used block meerschaum for its cups. Always pressed. That said, they were regarded as the best pressed meerschaum anywhere; and, believe it or not, they were renowned for their ability to color. They would turn a mottled pinkish color before going amber and cherry.
A Pioneer gourd calabash is probably the most carefree pipe you could own. Unless it is producing a horrid taste, or it got blocked-up and doesn't draw, I would not clean the interior. If you think the interior looks just awful, be advised that it looked that way after only the first ten smokes or so. Never a pretty sight -- but no cause for alarm.
It's the one pipe in your collection that you can smoke 10 times a day, every day, and never tire it out. Unwarranted cleaning can only increase your chances of loosening the ferrule glued into the neck or, as was mentioned, the cork. All you need to do is remove and clean the stem after every smoke, and rub a sparing dab of lanolin into the cork once every few years to keep it supple. (Drug stores sell pure lanolin by the brand name Lansinol)

 

jchaplick

Lifer
May 8, 2011
1,702
9
Huh, I could have sworn it was block, the man I bought it from said it was block, that it said it on the box. It also looks like block it you look at the unsanded portions

 

tokerpipes

Lifer
Jan 16, 2012
2,042
690
46
Eatonville, WA
I have a Pioneer it is pressed meer on mine. It wont color like block, I have been applying bees wax for some time and its yellowed from the wax, but no change in the color like block meer pipe.
2012-04-01200929.jpg


See.
Also I dont suggest letting any liquid sit in the goard for very long. Swishing works. A soft bristle bottle brush works good to help with getting the muck out. Although it realy hasn't hurt mine, it just smells real bad after it starts to warm up. It comes from blowing into the pipe, the moisture that gets trapped in the stem. I found it best to remove the stem and blow through it sepperatly and you can control that build up some.

 

fred

Lifer
Mar 21, 2010
1,509
4
Cortezattic is correct. Pioneer Gourd Calabash Pipes featured pressed Meerschaum bowls. Likely the premier Gourd Calabash Pipe that is in current manufacture and doesn't have a Block Meerschaum bowl would be Strambach. The Strambach bowl is Meerschaum Masse, which is formed Meerschaum. I recommend getting a copy of Gary Schrier's History of the Calabash Pipe, Second edition for anything you would ever care to know about these Pipes. There is no shortage of myth, hearsay and fiction that gets passed along as fact about these Pipes. It pays to do the homework in order to maintain them.

 

jchaplick

Lifer
May 8, 2011
1,702
9
I really think it is block meerschaum, it does all the things block should do. If you lick your finger it really sticks to it, more than my sms meer that I know is block

 

cortezattic

Lifer
Nov 19, 2009
15,147
7,638
Chicago, IL
Then, what makes you think it was made by Pioneer?

Well, this part of the discussion is pretty irrelevant. The point is, you said, "It smokes great, I dont want to change that, but I also want it to last as long as possible."

IMO your best course of action is to do nothing but smoke it.

 
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