Burn Through New Pipe (photos)

sparrowhawk · Feb 13, 2016

Got a new Peterson Dublin churchwarden, after a couple of weeks waiting (it came overseas), and after a few smokes, spectacularly burned through:

Of course I'm asking for a refund. But is there any indication that something like this will happen? I've had a burn through once with a MM cob, but I imagine such burn throughs are more common with cobs.

damianmonk · Feb 13, 2016

Holy...

Chasing Embers · Feb 13, 2016

Ouch! Does the seller have a replacement policy?

davet · Feb 13, 2016

WOW! Was it brand new ? A few smokes did that... WOW. 8O
Were any bystanders injured ?

sparrowhawk · Feb 13, 2016

Fortunately, the sale was made through eBay, so if the seller protests, I can always go to them. I'm not worried, just amazed a burn out like this could happen. And yes, it was brand new: I made the overseas purchase simply because it was a tad cheaper than the state-side vendors. I can easily replace it, it's a fairly standard pipe, a Peterson Dublin rusticated churchwarden.

georged · Feb 13, 2016

...just amazed a burn out like this could happen.

Nothing mysterious happened. You just ended up with a pipe that had a soft, punky cavity in it. 99% of the time one surface or another of the bowl will intersect with such a flaw during shaping, and it will be discarded. Occasionally they stay hidden, though, and a spectacular burn-through happens as soon as the pipe is smoked.

misterlowercase · Feb 13, 2016

Nothing mysterious happened. You just ended up with a pipe that had a soft, punky cavity in it. 99% of the time one surface or another of the bowl will intersect with such a flaw during shaping, and it will be discarded. Occasionally they stay hidden, though, and a spectacular burn-through happens as soon as the pipe is smoked.

You can say that again.
This particular burnout is quite spectacular,

would love to see more focused pix.

sparrowhawk · Feb 13, 2016

Your wish is my commandhttp:

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drwatson · Feb 13, 2016

I had a savinelli do the same thing once, but after two bowls. Had a tiny piece of rock in middle where briar must have grown around it. No way savinelli's fault, there was no way to tell..

misterlowercase · Feb 13, 2016

Your wish is my command

Shazam!
GoodGoddaMighty.
Now, that is a b u r n o u t.
Hope the refund process goes smoothly and all comes out well.
*edit

is there a difference between a burn-through and a burn-out,

or are they synonyms?

sparrowhawk · Feb 13, 2016

I rather hope they aren't foolish enough to actually want the pipe returned (I sent photos); it would make a great souvenir of how badly a pipe can burn through. Well, at least I got enough good smokes from it to decide if I like the pipe style. I do. As fortune would have it turn out, I had made a purchase from a forum member of the same pipe, only smooth not rusticated.

hawky454 · Feb 13, 2016

Wow, that's insane! So that hole formed while you were smoking it? was its quick? I hope ya didn't burn your hand and I hope they grant you a refund. What a shame. I've never seen anything like that.

cally454 · Feb 13, 2016

Looks like the walls were about as thick as a quarter. Am I wrong looking at the picture?

sparrowhawk · Feb 13, 2016

The walls were a bit thicker than that. This is a Peterson after all. As for the burn out itself, I just felt some excessive heat on my index finger, then saw daylight coming through the pipe's side. Discovering a huge hole like that sort of makes your eyes bulge out. But I do wonder if this happened because Quality Control let by a pipe that was too thin. I should write Peterson about it, come to think. Thanks for pointing that out, cally. Hey, maybe Peterson will send me a free pipe for nearly getting my hand cremated!

blackmouth · Feb 13, 2016

I hope that it IS in fact a genuine Peterson pipe. As mentioned, those walls look very thin. And we are talking about Ebay here. Nothing would surprise me.
Here's wishing you a very quick and successful transaction in getting that pipe replaced or refunded.

sparrowhawk · Feb 13, 2016

Your comment raises some interesting thoughts. (Why do you hope it is a genuine Peterson?--it is, btw; I know Peterson's style pretty well.) I'm going to go for a straight refund, becaause who knows how these fellows get their pipes? Was my pipe, for instance, one that failed quality control and set aside, only to be picked up later by second-hand dealers? I'm certainly not going to give this vendor another chance. I'll take the refund (eBay has pretty harsh treatment for people who break the rules, and these guys want to preserve their rating, which was something like 97%), write Peterson with photos and a suggestion they make their walls thicker or inprove their QT (and maybe get a free pipe in the process!). (I know that's rather craven, but hell, I've been a Peterson fan for 3 years and slightly burned my fingers.)

bpftc · Feb 13, 2016

Oh wow. I didn't think a pipe would burn a hole like that. Did you burn your hand while you were holding it?

easterntraveler · Feb 13, 2016

Did is just spontaneously combust?

lonestar · Feb 14, 2016

Dang that's a good one ! I don't know quality control could have done anything here. A failure that massive and that quick was some major flaw. Anything that major would've been easily spotted if visible. Often times spectacular faults lurk just under the surface. This reminds me of a Dublin I made with super thick walls, over 1/2". I drilled the bowl and turned the shape on the lathe with no issues at all. As soon as I start sanding the outside of the bowl a tiny pit opens up. Then it gets bigger. And bigger. And Bigger. Turns out, almost the entire back corner of the bowl is hollow with this giant cavity just a fraction of a millimeter from the surface on both sides. If I had stopped sanding and left that fraction of a MM of wood, you would never have a clue what was inside. Well, you wouldn't have a clue until it suddenly burned completely through and left a giant hole in your pipe :lol:

I'm certain there was something similar here. For it to fail that spectacularly and quickly, it almost has to be a giant void that somehow hid itself undetected between the inside and outside wall.

I wouldn't hold it against Peterson or the Ebay vendor, assuming they make it right.

sparrowhawk · Feb 14, 2016

I hardly think this sort of thing happens often, and this incident isn't going to put me off Peterson pipes. However, I felt they should at least know about it, since I am certainly no expert on what to look for in briar wood; however, the walls of the chamber did strike me as being a bit thin.
I did take a few minutes to send Peterson a letter with photos you see here, alerting them about a potential problem in QT. I'll let you know if they contact me.

Burn Through New Pipe (photos)

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