Horn Stems, the good, the bad, the ugly facts?

I'm far from an expert, but most pipe stems that are referred to as "horn", are actually bone, or amber.

I suppose some are made of horn, but when it comes to stems made from substances other than Ebonite, Vulcanite, acrylic, and amber I couldn't tell a horn stem from a piece of polished coprolite. :D

I'm guessing they used horn before they had our more modern materials. If it's vintage, it'e probably worth something. Here' a way to spend some money:

http://www.christies.com/LotFinder/lot_details.aspx?intObjectID=5376488

I'm pretty sure you're talking about that unsmoked French pipe, and I'm betting you bought it from Germany ... That guy must have found a warehouse full of old unsmoked pipes :D

Most people dont have an opinion of horn stems, because they mostly stopped using them 100 years ago.

I think when synthetics came along, horn bone and amber were left behind mainly because of the lower cost and ease of manufacturing the new materials. Also, the natural materials were more prone to breaking during use, especially amber but horn and bone *can* be fragile too.

For all that, horn is a great material for a stem. Very comfortable as a mouthpiece, and adds a certain natural elegance to a pipe.

Personally I'm a big fan of old school craftsmanship, and I've been tempted to buy a few of the pipes I've seen from that vendor.

As far as smoking it, please do so. There is a certain amount of value for a well made unsmoked antique pipe, but I dont think you will regret lighting it up, and I think you will enjoy the horn stem. Maybe take a little more care to not chew on the stem while smoking it, and clean it from time to time with a good alcohol to keep it sanitized and I think you will have a great smoker.

Are you sure that your Bruyere Garantie pipe isnt horn ? Could just be the light from the camera flash on the side of the stem . Bruyere Garantie was a brand that liked using horn stems. Ah well, they made some pretty good pipes over the years regardless.

Time to bring this thread back to life :P
I have recently been looking at some new pipes made with a "horn" stem. I am wondering if this is something that is on its way back in style?
I like to clench my pipes... is this an issue to consider while smoking a horn stemed pipe?

I have a Ropp from smoking pipes.com that has a horn stem. Lovely, lightweight Canadian shape. Horn stem looks lovely but has got quite tatty quie quickly. I need to find out Ho to clean it!

There is another reason horn stems / bone stems became less used and that is due to different customs restrictions in a lot of countries. Primarily due to bacteria or whatever in the material but also due to horns and their popularity with the black market. I read this doing a Google search a few weeks ago on something pipe related and it caught my eye. I'm not saying any of this is true but I do believe the bacteria attracted to horn material is correct after watching Australian Customs shows on the idiot box.

idiot box.

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Haha! I don't own one of these anymore, and don't miss it one bit! :D

Horn isn't making a comeback. For people who abrade stems horn wears quickly. It can also impart a strange salty kind of taste. I keep my horn stems clean and shiny. I apply a little wax after every use to try and minimize that taste.
This Ropp is a great example of a horn stem.

Here's another with heavier grain and color.

I'm not familiar with horn as a stem material per se, but I've worked with the material and I use drinking horns on various occasions. Most of the horn material you'll find on the market is cow horn, with some buffalo. Exotics are out there, I'm sure - which would be where customs comes in - but for the most part, anything affordable is going to be perfectly legal. :D
Heat can be an issue (mostly when cutting or sanding), as horn is basically the same material (keratin) that hair and fingernails are made of - and if you've ever burned either of those, you'll know what burning horn smells like. Yecch...
Bacteria can also be an issue, which is one reason that a lot of drinking horns are lined either with beeswax or with a food-grade varnish - keeps anything nasty from growing in cracks deep in the horn. Exteriors are also often polished and/or sealed, just to be on the safe side. I have one horn that I use for myself only that has simply been cured, using a vodka soak - it's one method for getting the horn flavor out of a drinking vessel, but leaving it reasonably safe for hot drinks (which don't play well with beeswax).
Durability is the final issue. I've got horns that I've used for a decade or better, and there are some indications of wear on the oldest one - one external 'bubble' that's flaking off, and that's about it. On the other hand, drinking horns aren't subject to the same kind of wear and tear as a pipe stem... I imagine that the advantages of vulcanite/ebonite are one reason that Ropp is about the only manufacturer I've heard of still doing horn stems.
I've been curious about them, and am seriously considering picking one up (it would be especially fun to have a horn shape with a horn stem... )

I notice that Trevor Talbert uses a horn stem on many of his Goblins, and there are a batch of Ropps at Smoking Pipes with a horn stem. I have a couple of horn stems coming my way I'd like to try in a pipe under construction.

Sam, They came off ebay from Bruyerpipes out of Germany.

I have 6 LB pipes with natural horn stems. Trever cuts the buttons a little thicker for the sake of longevity if I am not mistaken. I have never had any problems with them but I am not rough with my pipes and of course, they are not antiques. That said, I think Trever has stated they are old stock and once used cannot be replenished so they may have some age on them. I do not find them to affect the temperature of the smoke or anything of that nature. If you are looking at a pipe with a horn stem, I would go ahead and purchase.

xrundog

It can also impart a strange salty kind of taste. I keep my horn stems clean and shiny. I apply a little wax after every use to try and minimize that taste.

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This makes sense.. they used to make baking salt or something from hartshorn in the old days. Don't recommed tasting it, but I have tried, and it tastes kind of salty :p
I have noticed that Moretti also pushes out pipes with horn stems from time to time...

Interested to have stumbled across this old post by aussiass about bone stems. The 1900 era pipe I'd bought on line years ago was advertised as having a bone stem. Some folks here suggested it might be horn. But, given her descriptions of bone & horn, think the seller was accurate in that mine has more of a solid yellowish cream color. Actually looks like the pipe in xrundog's post above.