Didimauw's One Meer for One Year Redemption. 12/15/2022

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Jan 28, 2018
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Great thread. Really makes me want a Meerschaum even more than I already did.

Any recommendations for which ones to look out for? I’ve seen some folks say the best ones are just no-name finds from eBay. Is that really true?

I’d rather spend more up front to end up with something that’s guaranteed to be good quality than buy a bunch of disappointing randoms to maybe end up with one I like.
Altinay, Altinok and IMP are all good.
 

didimauw

Moderator
Staff member
Jul 28, 2013
9,894
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Burlington WI
One more quick update. Bowl 69 needed a warm water flush again. Didn't use any pipe cleaners for this one, just shook excess water out and let dry. Bowl 70 was so much cleaner tasting.

I measured the depth of the bowl walls tonight.

The wall it self is 4.8 mm thick.
Outside of the wall to the inside of the lattice is 2.7mm

And even though this isn't a "true lattice" (can't loop a shoestring from one hole to another) it still tells me that a good portion of the chamber walls are only 2.1mm thick if you think about it.

PXL_20230130_055120657.MP.jpg
 

Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
43,248
108,345
I’ve seen some folks say the best ones are just no-name finds from eBay. Is that really true?
I would take the no names I've found over my brand name ones.


something that’s guaranteed to be good quality
That's sort of a crap shoot with meerschaum. Even a new top of the line piece can develop cracks when heated. Two of my IMP lattice pipes started showing cracks.
 
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didimauw

Moderator
Staff member
Jul 28, 2013
9,894
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Burlington WI
I would take the no names I've found over my brand name ones.



That's sort of a crap shoot with meerschaum. Even a new top of the line piece can develop cracks when heated. Two of my IMP lattice pipes started showing cracks.
And I've been keeping an eye on this little line here. Pretty sure it's a faint hairline crack. Could have happened during a water flush. Could have been there when I received it. I don't know. But since I noticed it, it hasn't gotten any bigger. Probably been 30 smokes or so.

Second row lattice, between hole 2 and 3.
PXL_20230205_202931621.MP.jpg
 

Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
43,248
108,345
And I've been keeping an eye on this little line here. Pretty sure it's a faint hairline crack. Could have happened during a water flush. Could have been there when I received it. I don't know. But since I noticed it, it hasn't gotten any bigger. Probably been 30 smokes or so.

Second row lattice, between hole 2 and 3.
View attachment 200124
Probably surface only.
 

dunnyboy

Lifer
Jul 6, 2018
2,412
29,244
New York
And I've been keeping an eye on this little line here. Pretty sure it's a faint hairline crack. Could have happened during a water flush. Could have been there when I received it. I don't know. But since I noticed it, it hasn't gotten any bigger. Probably been 30 smokes or so.

Second row lattice, between hole 2 and 3.
View attachment 200124
Hard to tell from the picture, even blown up. It looks almost like it was drawn with a ruler extending from the left edge of the second hole to the left edge of the third hole and in between. But it doesn't look like it goes very deep. Agree probably a scratch.
 
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Apr 26, 2012
3,342
5,130
Washington State
I have 23 meerschaum pipes, and I'm lucky if I can smoke the same one for a week. I have favorites that I grab more than others, but I have others that I rarely grab. I'm also in the group that handles their meerschaum pipes just like my briar pipes. I don't baby them, and I smoke just like any of my other pipes.

Good luck on your adventure. It looks like you're getting some color, so you're well on your way.
 

rmbittner

Lifer
Dec 12, 2012
2,759
1,994
I'm also in the group that handles their meerschaum pipes just like my briar pipes. I don't baby them, and I smoke just like any of my other pipes.
Unless you’re smoking a true antique or an especially fragile or delicately carved pipe, I feel this is really the only way to go with meerschaums. If you treat them like snowflakes, it’s not likely you’ll smoke them enough to really enjoy and understand them. Although I tend to be a proponent of many of the traditions of pipe smoking, I’m all for throwing out the white gloves and the never-touch “rules” that have plagued meerschaum smoking for so long.

That said, I’m never going to believe it’s acceptable to clean any smoking pipe with water, even one made from “sea foam.” ;)
 

Piping Abe

Can't Leave
Oct 27, 2021
499
1,368
Georgia, USA
That said, I’m never going to believe it’s acceptable to clean any smoking pipe with water, even one made from “sea foam.” ;)
Brian Levine asked J. Alan on the PMag Radio Show if it was ok. His answer pretty much summed it up. Episode 531 at the start of the show.
 

telescopes

Pipe Dreamer and Star Gazer
You are correct
Correct in that Alan agreed with rmbittner's point of view. That does mean that the point of view was correct.

I don't always wash my chambers, but when I do, the next smoke is much more true to the tobacco than had I cleaned it otherwise. If this was a destructive practice, there would be pictures and stories galore on this site fron those who had destroyed their pipe by washing with water.

And yet, no one seems to have issues with smoking a meerschaum at "zero point Celsius".

The lesson: Debunking myths you disagree with does not make you a skeptic. It makes you a true believer.
 

Piping Abe

Can't Leave
Oct 27, 2021
499
1,368
Georgia, USA
Correct in that Alan agreed with rmbittner's point of view. That does mean that the point of view was correct.

I don't always wash my chambers, but when I do, the next smoke is much more true to the tobacco than had I cleaned it otherwise. If this was a destructive practice, there would be pictures and stories galore on this site fron those who had destroyed their pipe by washing with water.

And yet, no one seems to have issues with smoking a meerschaum at "zero point Celsius".

The lesson: Debunking myths you disagree with does not make you a skeptic. It makes you a true believer.

100% agree. Whatever works for each person, keep doing it. Thats what it is all about
 

Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
43,248
108,345
'Never' is a word that is too restrictive.
Not at all. When the idea was first introduced here as the "new way to clean a pipe", condescending comments and name calling were hurled at posts questioning the idea or those opposing it. I'll never do it myself just because of that.
 
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