Nothing is bigger and more classic as a pipe smoking staple than a calabash pipe. I wasn't sure I'd ever get one, but things change and the eBay odds can be in your favor. The stars aligned for me this last week when I just happened to search up estates. Low and behold a calabash pipe (not listed as such) and proper stand were ending in a few hours, with no bidders.
A few hours and $40 later it was coming my way. It was going to require some work. The stem was discolored from saliva and oxidization. The bowl appeared to be caked a bit and it was just generally dusty.
I got it in yesterday afternoon after a short trip from Nevada and was impressed with how well everything fit together. I also noticed upon disassemble that this was certainly used to smoke english blends because the lingering smell of latakia in the gourd made itself known.
The cork was in fine shape still and looked healthy. The meerschaum bowl has a few scratches on it, but nothing that presents and eyesore. The body of the gourd was in fine shape and the stem fit firmly into the ferrule.
I dumped the stem into a warm cup of Oxyclean and let it sit for an hour. I then used lightly damp paper towels to ream the bowl and the cake came out easily after a few reams. A soft pipe cleaner removed the remaining cake in the draft hole.
I also wiped the gourd down with a damp paper towel which removed dust and oils. The inside of the gourd was a different story. I dumped Everclear into it, filling it up to where the cake had built up on the inside of the gourd, about 3/4 of an inch below the draft hole of the cup. I used a small bristle brush to get after the grunge which some did come off that I could see, but cleaning one of these proper doesn't seem to be an easy task, or even possible to 100% completiton. I let the Everclear sit for a bit, at the very least I'd let the pure alcohol do what it does.
After the oxy bath for an hour I went to work on the stem with some Everclear, pipe cleaners, Magic Eraser and MicroMesh pads. The pipe cleaners didn't fit too well because the lip was very narrow, I couldn't get one to pass completely. It did yield some nastiness, but mostly just oxidized coloring.
The Magic Eraser got out most of the rest of the surface discoloration while the MicroMesh cleaned up the roughness left from the oxy bath. I went through just about every MM pad and still couldn't get that mirror shine everyone says they can produce, but it was certainly black again and that's all I was concerned with at the moment. I put some Obsidian on it and left everything to dry.
I put it all back together this morning. I'm pretty convinced that this is a Pioneer as I've looked at many pictures for comparison and the Pioneers look just like it in construction and materials.
Anyways, here is the pipe now. I may hit the stem with some White Diamond and also use some carnauba on the gourd.
I have not smoked it yet, but it seems to draw well and good unloaded.
Any advice/suggestions from more experienced calabash owners would be appreciated as it seems the ownership group of these is far smaller than pipe smokers as a whole.
A few hours and $40 later it was coming my way. It was going to require some work. The stem was discolored from saliva and oxidization. The bowl appeared to be caked a bit and it was just generally dusty.
I got it in yesterday afternoon after a short trip from Nevada and was impressed with how well everything fit together. I also noticed upon disassemble that this was certainly used to smoke english blends because the lingering smell of latakia in the gourd made itself known.
The cork was in fine shape still and looked healthy. The meerschaum bowl has a few scratches on it, but nothing that presents and eyesore. The body of the gourd was in fine shape and the stem fit firmly into the ferrule.
I dumped the stem into a warm cup of Oxyclean and let it sit for an hour. I then used lightly damp paper towels to ream the bowl and the cake came out easily after a few reams. A soft pipe cleaner removed the remaining cake in the draft hole.
I also wiped the gourd down with a damp paper towel which removed dust and oils. The inside of the gourd was a different story. I dumped Everclear into it, filling it up to where the cake had built up on the inside of the gourd, about 3/4 of an inch below the draft hole of the cup. I used a small bristle brush to get after the grunge which some did come off that I could see, but cleaning one of these proper doesn't seem to be an easy task, or even possible to 100% completiton. I let the Everclear sit for a bit, at the very least I'd let the pure alcohol do what it does.
After the oxy bath for an hour I went to work on the stem with some Everclear, pipe cleaners, Magic Eraser and MicroMesh pads. The pipe cleaners didn't fit too well because the lip was very narrow, I couldn't get one to pass completely. It did yield some nastiness, but mostly just oxidized coloring.
The Magic Eraser got out most of the rest of the surface discoloration while the MicroMesh cleaned up the roughness left from the oxy bath. I went through just about every MM pad and still couldn't get that mirror shine everyone says they can produce, but it was certainly black again and that's all I was concerned with at the moment. I put some Obsidian on it and left everything to dry.
I put it all back together this morning. I'm pretty convinced that this is a Pioneer as I've looked at many pictures for comparison and the Pioneers look just like it in construction and materials.
Anyways, here is the pipe now. I may hit the stem with some White Diamond and also use some carnauba on the gourd.
I have not smoked it yet, but it seems to draw well and good unloaded.
Any advice/suggestions from more experienced calabash owners would be appreciated as it seems the ownership group of these is far smaller than pipe smokers as a whole.
