Torture Testing a Servi Meerschauum

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saintpeter

Lifer
May 20, 2017
1,158
2,632
Myths and mysteries abound about meerschaums. I have always accepted them pretty much without question. When I made a blanket statement (you know the one, stuck on an island, one pipe and one tobacco) while smoking with a friend he had the audacity to call me on it. A Meer and Carter Hall. Three months. I decided to kill two birds with one stone pipe and torture test it to death. I had purchased an un-smoked estate from smoking pipes. Eleven days into it, 4 - 5 bowls a day. Often back to back filling a hot bowl. Dirty hands and often puffing until the bowl is too hot to hold, then grabbing the shank. I figured it would last three days. At the moment it smokes great, no problems and looks like all my other meers. The only tender loving care it gets is a pipe cleaner left in it at night and reamed with a damp paper towel at night.

 

cortezattic

Lifer
Nov 19, 2009
15,147
7,637
Chicago, IL
I agree with you 100%. Many of us forget about -- or overlook -- the durability of a meerschaum as a smoker. They can provide plenty of use without needing much rest. They're a great choice for small rotations because of this. The same goes for the gourd calabash with a meerschaum bowl -- in spades!
The downside is it's really hard to find a meer with an open draw. Nearly all of them come with those restrictive nylon/teflon screw-in tenons!

 

cortezattic

Lifer
Nov 19, 2009
15,147
7,637
Chicago, IL
This is the way a meerschaum tenon should look:

IMG_4500__48192.1489613497.1280.1280.JPG


 

saintpeter

Lifer
May 20, 2017
1,158
2,632
Then...

servi1.jpg

And now. Plus we can add taking a hot pipe apart to see the tenon to the torture. Sigh...push pull.

servi2-600x450.jpg


 

akfilm

Can't Leave
Mar 2, 2016
309
1
I love meerschaum, in fact, a black meerschaum is my daily shop smoker. Servi's are horribly in my opinion and experience though, I've lost at least 3 if not 4 servi-meershcaums after only a couple smokes, I've had such bad luck with them that my tobacconists stopped carrying them all together.

 
Keep this thread updated please. It will be interesting how this turns out - when I started my first pipe was a meer which I smoked 4/5 times everyday for a week or so, before getting the second which was also a meer. I smoked both of them regularly in the second week, but after that I quickly bought a bunch of pipes in succession so no pipe now gets smoked that often any more.

 

didimauw

Moderator
Staff member
Jul 28, 2013
9,895
31,635
34
Burlington WI
Omg I love the coloring on those. Wish I could afford a good one...
Saintpeter, yes keep us updated on this trip. Coloring and all!

 

Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
43,255
108,359
Back in 2015, when IMP went under, SPC had a 50% off sale on them. Got that one for $135.

 

Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
43,255
108,359
Once again, myth and dogma. I still won't smoke mine outside when it's cold though. Superstitious. :mrgreen:

 
Apr 26, 2012
3,351
5,158
Washington State
I smoke the crap out of my Meerschaum pipes. In the last year I fell in love with my Meerschaum pipes and so far this year I've been smoking my Meerschaum pipes 80-90% of the time. I smoke mine bowl after bowl, smoke them day after day, take them outside and on the go. They are durable pipes, that take a beating. If you drop one then it will most likely damage the pipe, but if you drop a briar pipe it is likely to break too.

 

saintpeter

Lifer
May 20, 2017
1,158
2,632
Houston we have a problem. Maybe. For the past day or so there has appeared what I hoped was a scratch in the finish at the back of the bowl. (outside, not in chamber) It runs vertically about 3/4 of an inch. This morning I find it has a horizontal friend. I concede now that in truth it has to be cracks. Thing is that by looking at the rim it does not go through. More of a surface crazing. A fingernail does not catch on it and applying pressure to the inside of the bowl does not shatter it. Pictures when I can. Until it self destructs I will just keep smoking it as it still delivers a fine smoke.

 

saintpeter

Lifer
May 20, 2017
1,158
2,632
WAZANGA! That moment when three weeks into it I realize the pipe is just going to keep smoking and develops it's own personality. I also realize I am just a pipe smoker, not a collector, as much as I enjoy seeing the pipes of others. I can be content with one tobacco, although a small amount of specialty laying around for the times I feel froggy would be nice. So, with nothing earth-shaking to contribute, I pass into lurking and puffing.

 
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