Ferndown/les wood cracked bowl

rist · Mar 4, 2017

Dear all,
I recently purchased a new les wood, being extremely excited to finally receive it I noticed quite a big crack in the inner bowl. It seems to start as a single crack, splitting in 2 and thenit joins back together. The crack is quite deep, I would say 2mm.It's not super visible on the pictures but I still think it is quite clear there is some sort of crack or pit. For a student, I spent a big part of my budget on this so I hope this won't bring any issues and I can keep this pipe. Any recommendations? Should I just smoke it? Contact the vendor(though it was the very last les wood available)? Try to contact Les wood himself?
Thanks a lot already in advance!
Kind regards,
Rist

newbroom · Mar 4, 2017

If you're a gambler, smoke it. If not, you may end up out some shipping costs and the possibility of having a great smoker.

I think I'd put some homemade pipe mud on the surface and smoke it. I can't imagine that this pipe hasn't been scoped with some sort of ultra violet x-ray or magnetic resonance imaging to determine the integrity of that bowl, with the reputation of both vendor and maker at stake.

benpipesmoking · Mar 4, 2017

that doesnt look like a crack, more of a burr mark. try smoking it and let the carbon fix it

rist · Mar 4, 2017

Hey Guys, thanks a lot for your quick replies. It might not be clear in the picture but it is beside the burr mark. It clearly is a crack, I ran gently over it with a wooden toothpick and it is 1-2mm deep it seems. I can try to make some Better pictures.

cortezattic · Mar 4, 2017

Invert the pipe while sealing the top of the bowl with your palm, and blow some smoke into the pipe to test for leaks.

If the crack doesn't run through the wood to the exterior, then I would just patch the crack with pipe mud.

mothernaturewilleatusallforbreakfast · Mar 4, 2017

What benpipesmoking said.

saltedplug · Mar 4, 2017

Since you haven't smoked the pipe and the bowl is cracked, you should get a refund/replacement no questions asked. Sure, there is some chance that a pipe mud repair or the caking will make her good as new, but once you smoke it, you give the vendor and the maker some wiggle room to say no to justice. If you do a repair or go with caking the pipe, you run the risk down the line that the crack will deepen and render the pipe inutile.
You clearly are in the position to ask for a replacement or a full refund. Get a pipe that isn't cracked.

aimlesswanderer · Mar 4, 2017

At the very least, you should pursue a partial refund. Now that you own the pipe, would you rather hand it back and wait for another, or have you already formed a bit of an attachment to it?
Personally, I'd just build a cake over it - but many of my pipe philosophies would send a shiver down the spine of a lot of members here.

bigpond · Mar 4, 2017

It's very difficult to gauge what we're looking at in the photo. With any luck, one of the veteran pipemen with repair experience will step in.
I suspect the pipe will be fine if that area is caked over or covered by bowl carb (silica and ash, i believe). There's a chance that it won't be fine and that the "crack" lies above a deeper inclusion of some sort that may lead to a hot spot and eventual burn out.
Truthfully, if I received that pipe I would return it immediately. Leaving the crack out of it for a second. that pipe looks to be dip stained, the airway into the bowl is unfinished and there are tooling marks all over the place. It is not finished as well as a Savinelli. That lack of attention to detail to me signals the pipe maker just didn't give a damn. I'd bet the tenon is not chamfered.
The pipe may be beautiful and the perfect shape for you. It's possible that turning the spotlight on this one area obfuscates the pipes overall beauty.

jensen · Mar 4, 2017

English pipes used to be guaranteed. If,after fair usage and within a reasonable time a fault should develop you will get a new one.........I would just smoke and wait and see.....

benpipesmoking · Mar 4, 2017

Where did you buy it? Posting something like this here rather than contacting the seller is the wrong thing to do. Be a gentleman and contact the seller. Leso Wood is a good friend of mine and I own 2 racks full of his pipes. He is a stand up bloke, if it is his sale then he will own the mistake and fix the issue. If you bought it from a retailer then contact them. Stop waiting for something to happen and man up, make it happen.

benpipesmoking · Mar 4, 2017

By the way, OP has 6 posts....

benpipesmoking · Mar 4, 2017

His other post has been about a flaw in the finish on a savanelli, starting to see a trend.

clickklick · Mar 4, 2017

Guys, he can't return it for a replacement. Les wood and ferndown have stopped producing. Hence the conundrum.

jensen · Mar 4, 2017

ben, fine spoken

bigpond · Mar 4, 2017

Ben, the kid bought a pipe on good faith and came here asking for help. I don't think he's trying to ruin anyone's reputation. Regardless, unless that was stolen out of Les' waste bin, the pipe passed QC and was put out to sell.

ssjones · Mar 4, 2017

I'd ask for a refund, before rolling the dice on that one.

benpipesmoking · Mar 4, 2017

Les is still making a few pipes. I spoke to him about this today.

tarheel1 · Mar 4, 2017

Ben i was about to contact Les about this, but if you already did I will not do so. I am going to give him a link to the thread so he can see the pics. Where was the pipe purchased from?

benpipesmoking · Mar 4, 2017

Tarheel1, send him a link

Ferndown/les wood cracked bowl

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