Show Off Your Meerschaum Pipes Here!

Log in

SmokingPipes.com Updates

Watch for Updates Twice a Week

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

Drucquers Banner

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

jrharrigan

Starting to Get Obsessed
Dec 27, 2020
156
603
Whatever you do don't go browsing the Altinay site every day. I've been making up a different story with each purchase to explain it. I'm now telling myself I will stop with a 7 day set. Below is #6:

View attachment 75271

Alas, I have already started. I cannot decide if I want something simple or a giant gaudy thing. The price difference is not as big as it should be, really, unless it is far easier to hand carve a pipe than I think it is.
 

Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
43,248
108,345
By the way, re: wunkus' post... is there anywhere I (in the USA) could get my grubby paws on a small hunk of raw, block Turkish meerschaum for display?
All I've seen are unshaped predrilled pipe kits since raw exports were banned in the '70s likely due to the often present asbestos in meerschaum veins. There were mines in the US.
 

wunkus

Lurker
Apr 4, 2019
17
27
All I've seen are unshaped predrilled pipe kits since raw exports were banned in the '70s likely due to the often present asbestos in meerschaum veins. There were mines in the US.
Turkey banned the export because most of the meerschaum pipe carving was taking place in other parts of the world. They wanted the meerschaum artists in Turkey to receive more business.
 

jonasclark

Part of the Furniture Now
Aug 4, 2013
738
384
Seattle
All I've seen are unshaped predrilled pipe kits since raw exports were banned in the '70s likely due to the often present asbestos in meerschaum veins. There were mines in the US.
Wunkus has it correct. It had nothing to do with any asbestos. Turkey was losing money, and wanted to make meerschaum pipes a local-only industry. This change was created by declaring meerschaum a national treasure, and it occurred sometime in the mid-1960s.

There were meerschaum mines in Africa which, as far as I understand, literally ran dry, and African meerschaum is less porous. I know meerschaum exists in the USA, but I've never heard of it being mined commercially here.
 
  • Like
Reactions: weezell and OzPiper