Obsidian Pipe?

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rxmcdaid

Lurker
Nov 22, 2013
2
0
so i was at my local shop, jeanies smoke shop, i love it there the guys seem to know what there talking about and im new to pipe smoking. the clerk showed me some pipes, and i found one that i wanted because it was black. he told me it was made of obsidian, but ive searched the internet, and found no reasults, has anyone smoked one? how do i clean it? and does it have flaws? oh the pipe has the works "the smoke" engraved on its side.

 

nscoyote

Might Stick Around
Oct 19, 2013
54
0
Sounds like the pipe made by venturi in the 60's and 70's was a composite material and it was called "the smoke". do you have a pic?

 

sfsteves

Lifer
Aug 3, 2013
1,279
0
SF Bay Area
Other than size and shape, does that pipe look anything like this ??
pipe534.jpg


 

sfsteves

Lifer
Aug 3, 2013
1,279
0
SF Bay Area
That pipe isn't made from obsidian, which is a volcanic glass.
The shell of the pipe was made from phenolic resin known as Bakelite which was then lined with pyrolytic graphite to form the bowl.
nscoyote is correct when he says these pipes were made by Venturi Pipes, Ltd. in the early 70s ... Venturi began pipe production in the late 60s with pipes labeled as 'The Smoke' coming out in '71 and '72 ... those pipes didn't catch on all that well with smokers who were accustomed to briar pipes and production stopped on these pipes in the mid-70s after lagging sales caused considerable cash flow problems in the company.
My take is that if you feel it smokes to your satisfaction, you've got a highly unusual and interesting pipe few others have ever even heard of, let alone seen or possessed. And even if it turns out you don't like it all that well as a smoker, you still have an unusual, even unique, centerpiece for an eventual pipe collection.

 

sfsteves

Lifer
Aug 3, 2013
1,279
0
SF Bay Area
There is one thing that you should be aware of in smoking this pipe ... it almost certainly will not perform well if you smoke too hard and/or fast ... that would cause it to burn quite hot and give an unusually harsh taste to the tobacco ...
However, this pipe isn't going to influence the taste of the tobacco the way briar does, so if you are successful in modulating your pace, you're going to be better able to judge the merits of different tobaccos quite readily.
Do pop around and let us know how that pipe smokes for you ... I, for one, am extremely curious ...

 

guhrillastile

Starting to Get Obsessed
Mar 29, 2013
208
0
I have that same pipe. It does get a ton of comments and questions....but smokes terrible for me.

 

sfsteves

Lifer
Aug 3, 2013
1,279
0
SF Bay Area
guhrillastile said:

"I have that same pipe. It does get

a ton of comments and questions

... but smokes terrible for me."
Jud said:

"Briar is going to smoke tons

better that plastic. Just sayin'"
Which was pretty much the consensus of pipers in the 70s ... ergo, the demise of these pipes.

 

trailspike48

Part of the Furniture Now
Jan 15, 2013
767
2
When I read the title of this post I thought this pipe would be better suited for that other smoking leaf, better represented at a head shop.

 
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