Clay Pipe Repair Help Needed

hodirty · Apr 7, 2014

There is a hairline vertical crack on the bowl of this pipe, just above the stem. Is there any way to repair this crack before it becomes worse? I have no idea what I could put on the crack that would both be safe to smoke from and withstand the heat of the clean cycle of an oven(the recommended way to clean it). If anyone has any ideas they would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Josh S.

cosmicfolklore · Apr 8, 2014

The only ways that I know of that would get you a fix that fits your requirements would require a kiln and silver clay, or an oven-fire glaze. All of which would cost more than just buying a new clay. My suggestion would be just to smoke it. I believe that they used to just file down or break off sections of pipe until it was too small to smoke. Maybe if it breaks you could try filing and sanding it down a little. But, I guess that would depend on how comfortable you feel using those tools? Good luck

condorlover1 · Apr 16, 2014

Chuck it away and buy a new one. There is a guy on Ebay selling them in bulk for about $11.00 each. These types of pipes were not designed for repair and hence why so many fragments are found during archaeological digs.

topd · Apr 16, 2014

I know that it's hard to 'chunk' a pipe you may have been smoking for years, but I agree with condorlover1. Maybe it's time to put it on the shelf and just look at it...

virginiacob · Apr 16, 2014

hodirty,
Unfortunately I have to agree with the other fellas that it probably isn't worth trying to repair the clay pipe. It would probably cost you more money to have it properly repaired than it would to buy a new one. We have a colonial plantation site on our farm that is currently undergoing archeological excavation and we've found large numbers of clay pipe fragments dating from the late 1600s up through the Revolution. What we've found is that the colonials on this site were apparently buying English clay pipes by the gross as we've found multiple pipes that appear to have been made from the same mold and many have markings that identify them as having originated in Bristol. What it tells us is that clay pipes were relatively cheap and disposable. Once a pipe cracked or the stem became clogged or broken, they'd simply discard it and pick up a new one.

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