Help Needed: Kaywoodie Gourd Calabash Bowl Stuck (Pic Heavy)

Log in

SmokingPipes.com Updates

New Cigars




PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

Status
Not open for further replies.

wyfbane

Lifer
Apr 26, 2013
5,117
3,517
Tennessee
Sooo I couldn't help it. It was a Kaywoodie Gourd Calabash:
20150518_235749-600x337.jpg

kay-bash-1-600x450.jpg

kay-bash-2-600x450.jpg

kay-bash-3-600x450.jpg

kay-bash-4-600x450.jpg

Curse of the ebay has struck. Stem is great, Bowl is perfect but with a bit more cake than is healthy, and the Gourd is colored but perfectly intact.
Problem is that Meer bowl is in there good. NO coming out. I pulled on it until I was uncomfortable it might break. I read on the 3 yo "Caring for the Gourd Bash" thread that one should never get the cork wet. I wonder if that would cause this, or if some asshat may have glued it. I don't know.
Thoughts? Opinions?
Is there a guy I can send it to?

 

cortezattic

Lifer
Nov 19, 2009
15,147
7,637
Chicago, IL
You might try to use temperature to change the dimensions of the cup, the cork, and the gourd. Since they are all different materials, they will expand or contract at different rates, and that might free-up the cup. (I'm blowin' smoke here -- I have no real experience with this problem.)

 

beefeater33

Lifer
Apr 14, 2014
4,063
6,119
Central Ohio
I think I remember reading about this same issue many years ago. If memory serves, it was suggested to use a hair dryer on the meer portion, get it good and warm and it may loosen the cork seal.... you have to be careful though, you want the cork to stay on the gourd, not the meer.........

I'm no expert.......maybe someone will chime in........

 

buroak

Lifer
Jul 29, 2014
1,867
14
This might be a dumb question, but do you know for sure that Kaywoodie did not use a threaded connection to secure the bowl?

 

xrundog

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 23, 2014
737
1
Ames, IA
The pipe was probably smoked and never taken apart and cleaned. That and when cork is compressed for a long time, it tends to stick to the surfaces involved. When (if) you get it apart you will find cork stuck to the bowl as well as in the gourd. Cork doesn't usually last to well long term. It get dry and loses it's springy characteristics. So destroying it isn't a big deal. Finding replacement cork of the correct width will be hard, but you can cobble something together. I'd try heating the gourd with a heat gun with the intention of softening the cork. Try to twist the bowl to break the seal. Once it twists freely, exert some pressure (while twisting) to take the bowl off.
Or you could just leave it together. You can clean the bowl in place. Assuming the airway is clear, a dirty gourd won't really hurt anything. The hole in the bowl is centered at the bottom. Scrape/sand the cake, poke or hand drill the hole clear and see how it works.

 

buroak

Lifer
Jul 29, 2014
1,867
14
Never mind, I just looked up some past eBay listings, Kaywoodie definitely used cork.

 

xrundog

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 23, 2014
737
1
Ames, IA
This might be a dumb question, but do you know for sure that Kaywoodie did not use a threaded connection to secure the bowl?
I haven't had a Kaywoodie calabash. So I can't say for certain that isn't the case. I kind of doubt it though. Never seen a threaded gourd. Is that common? Should probably check at the Kaywoodie forums on that.

 

samcoffeeman

Can't Leave
Apr 6, 2015
441
4
If that doesn't work, try freezing it, or possibly freeze the meer and heat the gourd. I imagine a shallow bowl with ice water to sit the bowl in upside down while heating the gourd with said heat gun. I don't think water will hurt the meer at all but I'm no expert with meer so do that as a last resort.

 

northernneil

Lifer
Jun 1, 2013
1,390
1
Becareful with drastic temperature changes and a meerschaum bowl. I have not seen it, but have been warned as I live in a Northern climate, that meerschaum will crack if quickly heated while exposed to cold.

 

wyfbane

Lifer
Apr 26, 2013
5,117
3,517
Tennessee
Hair dryer was a no go. In unrelated news, I did get excess cake out. Heat gun tomorrow, if I still have one. I will be careful of cracking. I'd rather smoke it as is than crack the bowl.

 

calabashed

Starting to Get Obsessed
May 10, 2015
160
4
Nice 'bash! I recall seeing this one on eBay, hope you got a good deal. As for your issue with the insert, I don't have any experience with heat guns so I'm not sure how hot they get? But I'm not sure I'd care to apply anything hotter than a hair dryer directly to the surface of any of my gourds, for fear of scorching/discoloring the surface or finish. Have you considered simply smoking it hot? The meer gets warmer than any other part during smoking and delivers the heat directly were you want it, to the cork surface, and the areas that accumulate the most moisture from the smoke are by definition the areas where the gunk that may be holding your insert down are accumulated, so smoking should soften the gunk up. Maybe pick a really wet aromatic, if there are any such you like/can tolerate, and smoke several bowls through it in the course of one day, the while it's still warm from the last try to give the insert a twist. If it'll spin in it's gasket chances are it can be pulled free, if it won't even budge you might want to consider the possibility that someone really did glue it.

 

wyfbane

Lifer
Apr 26, 2013
5,117
3,517
Tennessee
Thanks Calabashed!
It is just a tad musty, so I was hoping to get some of the stuff out of the gourd. I will dip a cleaner and run it around the gourd from the stem side and see what that brings out. Then I will smoke the hell out of it.
:)

 
Status
Not open for further replies.