Hypothetical meerschaum situation

zanthal · Jul 9, 2012

I have myself a nice, polished meerschaum pipe, no weird carving just your standard bowl shape, let's say a bent rhodesian for consideration's sake.
I also have an intricately carved meerschaum of a seal balancing a ball on it's nose, a real collector's item.
I go stand out on the sidewalk, and drop them both from shoulder level onto the concrete. I'm about 6' 2", for considerations sake.
What happens to my meerschaums? Scratched? Chipped? Shattered? Marvelously unharmed?

spartan · Jul 9, 2012

Baby Powder.
(I have no clue)

pawpaw · Jul 9, 2012

anything could happen might even get lucky and they wouldnt even chip or they could split in two

asteroid1 · Jul 9, 2012

If the Rhodesian was made from calcined Africa meerschaum then there's a good chance for it suffering only some minor damage (scuff marks/small chip/broken stem). The carved Turkish meerschaum pipe would most likely suffer some serious damage (shatter) unless it landed in such a way that the stem took most of the impact.

keith929 · Jul 9, 2012

Let's just say that is a question I never want to find out the answer to. I never smoke my meers outdoors.

hobie1dog · Jul 9, 2012

Kinda fragile, the highly decorative ones I would think, having all the things delicately carved and hanging out there in mid air.

brian64 · Jul 9, 2012

If a meer shatters on the sidewalk and there's no one to hear it (hypothetically, dropped by a deaf pipe smoker) does it make a noise? :rofl:

johnnyrebel · Jul 9, 2012

I also have an intricately carved meerschaum of a seal balancing a ball on it's nose, a real collector's item.

I have no idea, but this line had me laughing.

tjameson · Jul 9, 2012

Hindsight is 20/20 so I'll send you my meer for experimentation. It also happens to be a figural seal balancing a ball...I never got why it was marked 2 of 2

zanthal · Jul 9, 2012

:lol:
asteroid1 sounds like the voice of true knowledge, but thanks everyone for the funny replies.
Really I just want to have an understanding about the durability and brittleness of meerschaum, before I add one to my collection, and yeah hobiedog, I was wondering if I will have to be extra careful with carved artwork meerschaum with small pieces.
One thing I've read, is that you don't have to be afraid of burnout with meerschaum, which is a bit surprising to me.

lonestar · Jul 9, 2012

I say 10% chance theres no damage, 25% chance of serious fracture, 45% chance of serious ding,s and 25% chance its a total loss. And I dont even care if that equals 100%. Theoretically ,I'm "drunk".

brian64 · Jul 9, 2012

I say 10% chance theres no damage, 25% chance of serious fracture, 45% chance of serious ding,s and 25% chance its a total loss. And I dont even care if that equals 100%. Theoretically ,I'm "drunk".

Actually lonestar, 105% is possible in the realm of the White Goddess.

hobie1dog · Jul 10, 2012

Where is Fred through all this Meer Mania?

zanthal · Jul 11, 2012

Well the floor is concrete, as per my original post storient.
I am still waiting for the official word on burnout. Is it true, you can't burn a hole in meerschaum (by simply smoking tobacco in it, of course)?

cortezattic · Jul 11, 2012

Let's get somebody from Iowa to try it! :lol: (Are you out there lurking, Phil?)

zanthal · Jul 25, 2012

I found the answer ... per wikipedia:

Meerschaum is opaque and of white, grey or cream color, breaking with a conchoidal or fine earthy fracture, and occasionally fibrous in texture. Because it can be readily scratched with the nail, its hardness is placed at about 2. The specific gravity varies from 0.988 to 1.279, but the porosity of the mineral may lead to error. Meerschaum is a hydrous magnesium silicate having the chemical formula Mg4Si6O15(OH)2·6H2O. Most of the meerschaum of commerce is obtained chiefly from the plain of Eskişehir in Turkey, between Istanbul and Ankara. It occurs there in irregular nodular masses, in alluvial deposits, which are extensively worked for its extraction. It is said that in this district there are 4000 shafts leading to horizontal galleries for extraction of the meerschaum. The principal workings are at Sepetçi Ocağı and Kemikçi Ocağı, about 20 miles southeast of Eskişehir. The mineral is associated with magnesite (magnesium carbonate), the primitive source of both minerals being a serpentine.

So Spartan, you were not far off at all ... Moh's hardness scale of 2 is very soft ... probably not as hard to break as an ice cube.

hobie1dog · Jul 25, 2012

wiki has been proven to be incorrect as humans enter all the data, therefore humans in all their incompetency, fall short even in today's complex world.
He who puts his faith in Humans, will be let down most every time. (famous quote)

barkar · Jul 25, 2012

We as pipe smokers are always looking for a reason for PAD. This sounds to me that a "BACK UP" meer would make sense.

caliban · Aug 27, 2012

Has this ever happened to anybody? I got an estate calabash meer on eBay and I thought one of the pictures showed it with the bowl off, but when it arrived, the bowl was stuck on tight. I had to return it for a refund. Now I have one on order which really truly shows the bowl detached. Also it's unsmoked. The other one from a usually reliable site had pipe cake on it.

kennerth · Aug 27, 2012

And what if the pipe was only Meer lined?

Hypothetical meerschaum situation

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